Why Psychology at Etown

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WHY PSYCHOLOGY AT ETOWN?

An Outstanding Program

Students conduct independent research.
Internships provide hands-on experience and learning opportunities outside the classroom; Internships are selected to meet the needs of the individual student, not the masses.
The strong theoretical and empirical emphasis of the program has won praise from both graduate schools and employers of our graduates.
We work with other departments for students who want minors or second majors to complement their psychology major (e.g., psychology-biology combinations for students interested in neuroscience).
Career counseling is specific to student interests and talents.

Outstanding Faculty

The faculty-student ratio is small and allows individualized attention: Average class size for majors is 15.
Faculty represent all the major subfields of psychology and were trained at some of the best institutions in the country: Clark University, New School for Social Research, Northeastern University, University of New Mexico, University of California-San Diego, and University of California-Santa Cruz..
Faculty are active in research and in the profession. They regularly present and publish their work in national and international forums.
Faculty frequently involve students in their research and mentor students to develop their own independent research projects.
Examples of recent student-faculty collaborations:

Catherine Reich (’08) and Emily Smith (’08; Occupational Therapy student) and Dr. Lemley recently completed a project funded by a grant from the Pennsylvania Department of Education. Their study examined visual and auditory processes in people with ADHD and localized brain damage. Findings from this project were presented in May at the Association for Psychological Science in Chicago.

Ashley Whitmarsh (’08) and Dr. Price completed a project focusing on the effects of pressure on cognitive performance. Their findings, presented at the Eastern Psychological Association meeting in Boston, indicate that a change in focus can reduce the negative impact of pressure.

Neena Tucker (’09) and Jen Petersen (’09) have been involved in a project with Dr. Roy examining whether skilled performance is affected by one’s focus of attention and the way one mentally approaches the task.

Jeff Mastrangelo (’09) and Janet Richards (’09; Biology double-major) are working with Dr. Lemley and faculty at the Penn State Medical Center on a functional neuroimaging investigation of synesthesia. This project was funded by a grant from the Pennsylvania Department of Education.

Outstanding Students

Every year Etown students present their research at national and regional psychology conferences. A number of students have won awards for their research.
Students graduate in 4 years (not 5 or 6) and are employed or in graduate school within 3 months.
E-town students are admitted to a variety of competitive graduate programs, including American University, Bryn Mawr, California School of Professional Psychology, Clark University, Florida State University, Drexel University, Loyola University, Ohio State University, Pepperdine University (CA), Princeton Theological Seminary, Rutgers University, Temple University, Tufts University, U of Maryland, U of Virginia, U of Memphis, U of North Carolina- Chapel Hill, U of Wisconsin-Madison, U of Rochester, and Washington and Lee University Law School.
Employers report that psychology majors are well-prepared for a variety of fields and positions. Etown psychology majors have gained employment as human resource managers, researchers in neuroscience and occupational therapy, market research analysts, case managers, residential counselors, vocational rehabilitation counselors, and probation officers. Populations worked with include: psychiatric patients of all ages, children with cerebral palsy, behaviorally and mentally challenged children and adolescents, juvenile delinquents, drug and alcohol abusers.

Please explore our web site to learn more about the programs and opportunities that we offer as well as the achievements of our faculty and students. Thanks for visiting!