Navigate Human Behavior through Research and Hands-On Learning

Our Psychology degrees are committed to exploring and understanding how personal, psychological, social, and environmental conditions influence action and thought. We have developed a curriculum that combines hands-on classroom instruction with on-campus research experiences, and internship opportunities in the greater Portland area that prepare you for a broad range of career options in the field of psychology.

We have structured our programs to expose you to core concepts and skills related to psychology, while also enabling you to identify and focus your studies on a specific discipline such as mental health, education and psychology, psychology and business, and general psychology.

Our undergraduate programs cover a range of topics in psychology, designed to match the many dynamic career opportunities this growing area offers. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, a 19% job growth is predicted for psychology-related careers through 2024 with even greater increases in job opportunities in the mental health sector. Whether you are interested in pursuing a career in counseling, education, research, business, law, or some combination — our degrees offer the experience, research, and internship opportunities you need to become a leader in the field. Visit our blog to read about the class experiences, internships, activities, and accomplishments of our Psychology students and faculty.

Two students studying together with an open book in front of them

Why UNE for Your B.A. in Psychology

Experience the best of both worlds. As part of a university nationally ranked as having “High Research Activity,” (Carnegie, 2019), we provide access to all the resources you would expect from a large research institution — but at UNE, you are never just a number. Our Psychology majors benefit from close working relationships with faculty and one-on-one research mentoring.

Benjamin Katz

Benjamin Katz ’17

Mental Health Rehabilitation

The opportunity to be involved in every aspect of research, including the development, administration, analysis, and dissemination of several faculty-led research projects was instrumental to my learning, growth, and success as an undergraduate student. These unique opportunities were an incredible asset to UNE’s psychology program and added tremendous value to my education.

The department’s biggest strength is without a doubt the faculty members. In addition to being incredibly knowledgeable in their areas of expertise, their approachability in class and during office hours helped facilitate my learning. I have found that the professors in the department are consistently looking for innovative evidence-based approaches to enhance the educational experience of students and foster a challenging yet rewarding atmosphere in the classroom. Many faculty members in the department mentored and guided me through my own professional development and inspired me to pursue an academic career of my own.

Following my graduation from UNE, I worked for two years at the Anxiety Disorders Center, a nationally recognized outpatient clinic at the Institute of Living that specializes in the research and treatment of anxiety and related disorders. While working there, I assisted on multiple research studies funded by the National Institute of Mental Health, which broadly examined central and peripheral nervous system activity among patients with anxiety and related disorders. In the fall of 2019 I began at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee to pursue my Ph.D. in clinical psychology. I will be continuing related lines of research that I conducted at UNE, and will be studying posttraumatic stress disorder and trauma-related outcomes among survivors of interpersonal violence. My undergraduate experiences were truly invaluable to my career success to date and I will be forever grateful for the education that I received while at UNE.

The department’s biggest strength is without a doubt the faculty members. In addition to being incredibly knowledgeable in their areas of expertise, their approachability in class and during office hours helped facilitate my learning.

Mental Health Rehabilitation

What Will You Study? Psychology Degree Curriculum Overview

B.A. in Psychology Courses

The following are just some examples of the exciting courses that our B.A. in Psychology offers:

  • Social Psychology
  • Developmental Psychology
  • Abnormal Psychology
  • Theories of Personality
  • Memory and Cognition
  • Biological Basis of Behavior
  • Theories and Practice of Counseling
  • Listening and Communication Skills

If you are interested in pursuing graduate education after you complete your psychology degree (e.g., a Ph.D. in clinical psychology, a Master of Social Work, or medical school), our faculty will assist you in pursuing your chosen path. Many students come to UNE with such goals and are admitted to graduate study.

Concentrations

Honors Program

We offer qualified students the option of graduating with Honors. This includes significant research, scholarship or creative activity under the direction of a faculty member. Interested students should consult with their major advisor.

two students study together

Career Paths for Psychology Majors

With the knowledge you gain from your coursework, the critical thinking skills you develop through research, and the life skills you acquire from internships and close working relationships with faculty and peers, you will be well on your way to an exciting future in psychology.

Our graduates have pursued many fascinating careers, including:

  • Therapist/Mental Health Counselor
  • Behavior Analyst
  • Researcher
  • Marketing/Advertising Specialist
  • Human Resources Specialist
  • Teacher
  • Social Worker
  • Counselor (school, life skills, family, career, substance abuse, grief)

Career Advising for B.A. in Psychology Students

Whether you have a specific career goal in mind or a vague idea of the field that interests you, Career Advising is here to help you plan your next step.

B.A. in Psychology Degree Facilities

As a student in our Psychology program, you benefit from UNE's extraordinary resources.

Two U N E students observes a fish's behavior via a video feed

Experiential Learning in the Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology Program

Research Opportunities for Psychology Majors

As a student in the Psychology program, you complete at least one research project as part of our Research Methods course. You may also choose to become more deeply involved in research in one of our faculty-led laboratories.

The field of psychology is broad and diverse. We are fortunate to have faculty members with expertise in a variety of areas including human development (across the lifespan); clinical/counseling; cognitive, neuroscience, and social psychology.

At UNE we touch upon all facets of psychology with special focuses in behavioral neuroscience, clinical/counseling, memory and cognition, opioid pharmacology, and social psychology. We encourage you to learn more about the different opportunities available, some of these are highlighted below.

Learn about Psychology Research

Internships for Psychology Majors

Internships provide critical training and work experience. They help you explore career options and often lead to jobs after graduation.

As a Psychology degree student, you complete at least one internship during the junior or senior years. Working in conjunction with your faculty advisor and the psychology internships coordinator, you identify a site, then take the theories, practices, and knowledge you’ve gained in the classroom out into applied settings.

We have a well-developed network of sites that have accepted our students into their organizations and work to match you to an experience that fits your interests.

Internship Sites

Our recent Psychology majors have pursued internships at the following sites:

For more information, contact Linda Morrison, Ph.D., psychology internship coordinator at (207) 602-2865 or lmorrison@ballballu.com.

Clubs and Activities for Psychology Majors

As a Psychology student, you have the opportunity to participate in different student organizations specifically geared toward people with a passion similar to your own

The Animal Behavior Club is open to all members who want to get involved with animals, learn about animals, and get the community pumped about animals.

If you are a UNE student and would like to become a member of the Animal Behavior Club, please emailzolson@ballballu.com.

Faculty Advisor

Headshot of Zach Olson
Associate Professor of Animal Behavior

The Animal Welfare Judging Team participates in the bi-annual Animal Welfare Judging and Assessment Competition (AWJAC). Through team participation, students learn to apply animal welfare theories and develop skills in public speaking and argumentative logic.

Faculty Advisor

This student organization works with the neuroscience department to promote neuroscience as a major and promotes opportunities for you to know more about the neuroscience field. It also helps connect you with undergrad research opportunities.

If you are a UNE student and would like to become a member of the Psychology Club, contact mrice4@ballballu.com.

Faculty Advisor

Michael Burman
Professor of Psychology
Director, School of Social and Behavioral Sciences

The Pre-vet Club is for anyone who has an interest in animals, including those with hopes of applying to vet school in the future. The club serves those who would like guidance in the vet school application process, as well as those who just want to learn more about animals. We volunteer, get guest speakers, hold workshops, and more. 

Faculty Advisor

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Assistant Professor of Animal Behavior

The mission of the Psychology Club is to create a community of students who share a common interest in the discipline of psychology and its broad application while also providing students with connections to Psychology faculty and opportunities for social engagement.

We welcome Psychology majors and minors as well as anyone else who has an interest in Psychology. We hold regular club meetings and put on campus-wide events that engage members of the larger academic community at UNE in activities that involve psychology. 

Past events have included:

  • NAMI: Five Stories of Hope and Resiliency 
  • Relay For Life: We make a team and fundraise annually 
  • Annual faculty student socials 
  • Brain Fair 
  • Out of the Darkness Walk
  • Save the Waves

More events are added every year.

How to Join

If you are a UNE student and would like to become a member of the Psychology Club, please contact Kana Colarossi at kcolarossi@ballballu.com. You are welcome to come to a meeting prior to joining, — you do not have to be a member to attend.

Faculty Advisor

Founded in 1929, PSI CHI is a member of the Association of College Honor Societies and an affiliate of both the American Psychological Association (APA) and the American Psychological Society (APS).

With the stated mission of encouraging, stimulating, and maintaining excellence in scholarship in the science of psychology, PSI CHI has grown to become one of the largest and most successful honor societies in the world with more than 1,100 chapters and 537,000 members. UNE's chapter was formed in 2010.

For more information, visit the official PSI CHI website or contact the UNE chapter's faculty advisor, Dr. Jennifer Stiegler-Balfour at jstiegler@ballballu.com.

Become a Member

To be eligible for membership in PSI CHI, you must:

  • Be a major or minor in UNE's Department of Psychology
  • Be at least a second-semester sophomore
  • Have completed 9 semester hours of psychology and/or neuroscience courses
  • Rank in the top 35 percent of your class in general scholarship
  • Possess a minimum GPA of 3.0 (on a 4.0 scale) in both psychology and neuroscience classes and cumulatively
  • Maintain a high standard of personal behavior

Resources

Announcements

APAGS/Psi Chi Junior Scientist Fellowship

The intent of the Junior Scientist Fellowship is two-fold: to provide funding for a first-year or second-year graduate-level project and to provide constructive feedback to select applicants to increase their chances of achieving success on future National Science Foundation (NSF) Graduate Research Fellowship applications.

The primary intent is to recognize outstanding research-oriented students who are entering their first year (or the first semester of their second year) of graduate study and to help them get their research off the ground. Graduate students from research-based psychology and neuroscience programs are eligible to apply.

The second intent of this fellowship is to provide written feedback to select applicants. Many students apply for the NSF Graduate Research Fellowship without ever having applied for a research fellowship. By providing feedback to select applicants, this program encourages them to strengthen their NSF graduate fellowship applications.

Funds for this $1,000 fellowship must be used to support direct research costs. These funds can be used to pay participants, purchase essential equipment or software, acquire books or instructional manuals critical to one's line of research, pay fees to publish in open-access journals, or for any other direct research cost. The funds cannot be used for indirect costs such as travel, personal computers, or class textbooks. The funds can be used for any direct research costs in a student's first year (or in the second year, if submitting in the summer prior to one's second year) of graduate school and do not need to be limited to the research discussed in the Research Essay.

Special APS Membership Offer for PSI CHI Student Members

The Association for Psychological Science is offering a reduced APS Students Membership rate for PSI CHI student members. Membership includes subscriptions to four APS journals, discount rates for the APS annual convention, and other benefits. This offer is good for new memberships only. To take advantage of this offer, use the PSI CHI promotional code PSCH at www.psychologicalscience.org/join.

Bachelor of Arts in Psychology FAQ