The Hunter College Psychology Program provides a broad and integrative approach to understanding the complexities of behavior and mental processes, encompassing a wide array of specializations and research methods to equip students with a deep and versatile knowledge of the field.
Psychology is concerned with all aspects of the study of behavioral, developmental and cognitive processes, and employs a broad spectrum of approaches, from the social to the biological to understand them. The Hunter College Psychology Program reflects the diversity of psychology as a science and as a profession. Its course offerings span this spectrum from clinical, social, and developmental psychology to ethology (animal behavior), biopsychology, and behavioral neuroscience.
The Undergraduate Program in Psychology is designed to provide students with broad exposure to the core principles and diverse theoretical perspectives of the field across three major “Content Areas”: Biological Psychology; Developmental and Cognitive Psychology; and Social, Health, and Clinical Psychology. Regardless of area, the primary focus of the program is on the generation and evaluation of empirical research. The core sequence of Statistical Methods in Psychology (PSYCH 24800) and Experimental Psychology (PSYCH 25000) is central to the program, and both courses are prerequisites for all upper-level (e.g., 300-level) Psychology courses.
Psychology Majors may choose to specialize in one of seven different “Focus Areas”: Animal Behavior, Physiological Psychology, Cognitive Psychology, Developmental Psychology, Social Psychology, Clinical Psychology or Health Psychology. Students who prefer not to specialize in a specific Focus Area may choose the General Psychology option. Successful completion the Psychology Major prepares students for multiple career possibilities in psychology-related fields, education, social & welfare services, health services and industry. The Psychology Major also fulfills the course requirements required of most Psychology graduate programs.
The Department of Psychology also offers two master's programs: an MA in General Psychology and an MA in Animal Behavior and Conservation (ABC). The master's program in psychology allows students to tailor their studies and thesis work toward the areas of Applied, Developmental, Social and/or Biological Psychology. The master’s program in ABC, which includes the option of a “thesis” or a “non-thesis” track, is designed for students interested in the fields of Animal Behavior, Conservation and Animal Welfare. A Certificate under the ABC program is also available (registered with the New York State Education Department and open to post-baccalaureate students who by virtue of prior education or experience are qualified for additional training). Hunter's Psychology Faculty are also on the faculty of several doctoral programs housed at the CUNY Graduate Center. Qualified undergraduate students in their senior year may be admitted to graduate courses with the approval of the instructor and the department's graduate advisor. The presence of graduate programs at Hunter increases opportunities for undergraduates to interact and work with graduate students in research laboratories.
Although Psychology is a large department, students have personal contact with faculty members through an extensive advisement system, involvement in departmental activities and committees, supervised field placement and participation in research laboratories under the guidance of faculty mentors as part of our independent study, honors, BP-ENDURE, MARC (Minority Access to Research Careers) & MBRS/RISE (Minority Biomedical Research Support/Research Initiative for Scientific Enhancement) programs.
A broad range of applied research opportunities are available within the department in developmental psychology, social psychology, human adjustment, animal behavior, physiological psychology and abnormal psychology. Departmental affiliations with mental health and community organizations make it possible for students to integrate their academic studies of personality, abnormal and child psychology with supervised practical experience by means of field placements and opportunities for applied research.
