Psychology

About the program

• Augustana College offers a major and minor in psychology, in a program that has adopted a developmental approach for its curriculum. This entails identifying skills, such as writing and critical thinking, and enhancing them with assignments of increasing complexity and rigor over as students progress in the major/minor. The major set of core courses is supplemented by electives so that students can customize their learning experience. All students engage in experiential learning by completing a clinical placement or research with a faculty mentor.
• The nine full-time faculty all have the Ph.D. and represent all major areas of psychology, including cognition, neurosciences, and clinical, social and developmental psychology. Besides teaching and research, the faculty view advising as an important part of their work. All psychology students complete a series of tasks designed to help them reflect on their education and development; these tasks then become a porfolio used to direct conversations with each student’s advisor.
• Augustana students complete Senior Inquiry, a focused, topical capstone project that draws from the student’s comprehensive learning experience and demonstrates benefit to a community. In the psychology department, students develop a research proposal and complete a research project, concluding with a formal oral presentation of results. Students typically work in small groups with a faculty member to design, conduct and analyze a research project.
• In fall 2008, the newly renovated Emmy Carlsson Evald Hall opened as a spectacular academic building for the departments of psychology, education, accounting, business administration and economics. The building houses smart classrooms, offices, computer labs and study areas, as well as the Great Room for gatherings and a large veranda with a view towards the Mississippi River.

Outside the classroom

• Many students of psychology participate in Psychology Club and/or are members of Augustana’s chapter of Psi Chi, the national honor society in psychology. In all, Augustana offers more than 150 student organizations and interest groups on campus.
• Augustana participates in several undergraduate, graduate and professional research conferences and encourages students to present their research as part of their professional development. Examples include the Tristate Undergraduate Psychology Conference; the annual convention of the Midwestern Psychological Association; Midbrains: The Undergraduate Neuroscience Conference of the Upper Midwest; and the Undergraduate Research Symposium in the Biological Sciences and Psychology held by the Midstates Consortium for Math and Science.

Future goals

• Many of Augustana’s psychology majors continue with graduate study in psychology, while others go on to law school, medical school, physical or occupational therapy, and even business or social service agencies. Because psychology as a discipline informs so many fields, the opportunities for graduates are wide open—especially combined with a strong foundation in the liberal arts and sciences.

What students and graduates say

Julie Gass ’09, psychology, Spanish and Latin American studies majors:
“My psychology coursework at Augustana has been both interesting and relevant, and has completely prepared me for graduate studies in clinical psychology. One of the best things about Augustana’s psychology program is the opportunity to conduct research. I have had the interesting experience of working in the animal learning lab on an independent project, the results of which I have presented at professional conferences in Chicago. There are many other opportunities for research here, as well, and all of the psychology faculty are ready to advise a student in his or her research endeavors. It is unique for a liberal arts school of this size to have such an abundance of research opportunities, and I feel it is a huge asset to anybody interested in pursuing graduate school or a career in psychology.”

Niccole Kleeman ’08, psychology and pre-medicine majors:
“It only took one class for me to fall in love with psychology at Augustana. The department felt like a family where the professors supported the students and each other. Working in the department is one of my favorite memories of senior year. This provided me an opportunity to work even closer with the faculty, staff and students. From my work in the classroom, I feel confident in both my test-taking and critical thinking skills. I am also constantly finding practical applications of psychology in the community and everyday life.”