Undergraduate Programs
Psychology Major and Minor
The Department of Psychology at Western Michigan University offers the Bachelor of Science in psychology. The program is designed to offer a major or minor in the College of Arts and Sciences curriculum and provide a foundation in concepts and principles for those planning to pursue graduate study.
The psychology major helps prepare students for a variety of career paths in which an understanding of psychology would be beneficial or for graduate study in disciplines outside of psychology.
The undergraduate program has a natural science orientation that emphasizes empirical evidence in relation to child development, abnormal behavior, workplace psychology, autism, forensic psychology, global sustainability, education, gerontology, neuroscience, and more. The program also has strong components available in experimental and applied behavior analysis that have earned the department an international reputation.
High school students interested in psychology should pursue a well-balanced academic program that emphasizes writing and mathematical skills, with a broad foundation in the natural and social sciences.
Students planning to transfer to WMU should pursue the above academic areas along with basic psychology courses. Some psychology credits can be transferred to WMU from community colleges and other accredited institutions in partial fulfillment of a major or minor in psychology.
Careers
You may have heard the myth about the psychology major that you cannot do anything with a psychology bachelor's degree. It is true that you cannot be a psychologist without pursuing a more advanced degree, but you do have many other options. You can prepare yourself for a variety of career paths with your undergraduate degree in psychology and well-planned use of electives.
It is important to understand your goals to determine your career choices. Do you want to make a lot of money? Do you want to work with people or gain more education?
Expose yourself to what is available at WMU to help you investigate your career options. Use your time to explore options so that you can plan steps toward a career and set goals for yourself.