Do I have to make an appointment in order to meet with my adviser?
What if I would like to change advisers? Can I choose a new academic adviser?
Do I have to declare a concentration before I begin taking courses for my major in psychology?
Will the concentration that I select be listed on my diploma?
Whenever you have a question related to transfer credit, course selection, academic difficulties with coursework, course waivers, university course requirements, or your progress toward degree requirements. You should meet with your academic adviser at least once each semester to plan courses for the next semester.
It is strongly advised that you make an advance appointment with your academic adviser, by phone or e-mail, so that he or she can review your file and be better prepared to help you. Contact information for each full-time faculty member is provided under the Faculty section of this web site.
Students who wish to be re-assigned to a particular faculty member must complete a Selection/Change of Faculty Adviser Form and submit it to the Department Secretary. Change of Adviser Forms are available just outside the main psychology office door (UHB 3144).
Students who request a particular faculty member must obtain his or her signature of acceptance on the form before the assignment can be completed. Occasionally, the adviser a student requests is already carrying a full load of advisees and can't accommodate an additional student. Under such circumstances, students will be assigned to another available adviser within the department.
No, you may begin by taking the common core course (PSY 302 Research Methods in Psychology) and electives; however, we strongly recommend that you select a concentration no later than the second semester of your junior year.
No, the diploma will list only your major. The program offers areas of concentration within the major in order to better accommodate the wide variety of interests and educational/career plans of our psychology majors. The concentration approach provides students with a unique package of courses that reflects their interests and goals better than a generic approach to course selection might.
However, concentrating your course work at the bachelor's level does not constitute a form of pre-professional preparation, so it isn't listed on the diploma. The individualized concentration was specifically created to serve students who don't know how they want to use their degree, or who don't want to be constrained by the requirements of a specific track.
WPI stands for with permission of instructor. Some psychology core courses require you to obtain a WPI before registering so that we can give psychology majors priority during the registration process. It provides our majors with maximum opportunity to enroll in the coursework required for their degrees and in the sections that best fit their schedules. The Psychology Department Secretary handles the WPI process and gives permission to register for WPI courses. WPIs are requested using a sign-up list in the Main Psychology Office (UHB 3144) or by contacting the Department Secretary (206-6696 or Psychology Secretary ). Students who are given a WPI must still register for the course, but the WPI allows them to do so.
At times, there are many more students seeking to enroll in psychology courses, or a particular course section, than can be reasonably accommodated. In such cases, the Psychology Department Secretary maintains a "wait list"-- a list of students who want to register for the course if an opening becomes available.
Having your name on the wait list does not guarantee that you will eventually be able to enroll in the course. However, the Secretary makes every effort to keep waiting students informed about the probability they will or will not be able to enroll.
Faculty are available the week before courses formally begin each semester, but they are not usually available to meet with students during the breaks between semesters or during Spring Break week.
Students who would like to register for an Applied Study Term placement (AST), to request letters of recommendation for jobs or graduate school, or to consult with their advisers about academic concerns should anticipate these needs and schedule an appointment with their advisers during the regular semester or during the week before the next semester formally begins.
