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PSYCHOLOGY ACADEMICS
Information about the undergraduate major:
Undergraduate study in Psychological Science at USFSP involves both a core course curriculum, and just as importantly, participation in research opportunities outside the classroom. To learn more about the course course curriculum, students should consult the following website:
REQUIREMENTS FOR THE PSYCHOLOGY MAJOR:
The University of South Florida catalog entry on requirements for the psychology major at USFSP can be found here. To learn more about general requirements for all USF St. Petersburg students, go here.
A major part of the undergraduate psychology experience in our program takes place outside the classroom. Faculty encourage students interested in pursuing graduate study and careers in psychology to become active in research from their freshman year forward. Our faculty offer the following suggestions to students looking to maximize their undergraduate experience in our program; we would see this as a prototypical game plan for USFSP psych majors:
Freshman Year
- Be sure to take Psych Science I in your first semester, freshman year
- Attend all classes, participate actively
- Take Psychological Statistics second semester
- After Psych Science I, volunteer in a faculty research lab
- Spend time during the summer months volunteering in the lab
Sophomore Year
- Complete the other Psych major requirements
- Also take interesting courses outside your major
- Take on a more responsible role in the lab where you're volunteering
- Collaborate on a project for USFSP's year-end Research Symposium
- BE ACTIVE in your classes; ask questions and challenge
Junior Year
- Take a leadership role in the lab where you're working
- Carve out a small project of your own from the data you're working with
- Become an intellectual leader in your classes
- Take part as a first author in the USFSP Research Symposium
- Over the summer, prepare your project to submit to a regional conference
- Study for the GREs if you're planning to try to get into grad school straight out of senior year (a strategy not strongly recommended; most students accepted to grad programs in psych take at least a year off to gain additional research experience)
- Talk to professors about writing recommendation letters (these letters won't be as strong as they could be unless you've been an intellectual leader in your classes)
Senior Year
- Help to mentor younger psych students on research
- Take any directed study or other advanced courses that may be available
- Complete a study of your own, either using data you collected (a less common option) or using data that you've helped your faculty mentor(s) collect.
- Submit this project to a national or international research conference
- Grad school applications are due as early as November; begin writing your “Statement of Purpose” in the late summer or early fall (again, remember the advice about not applying straight out of senior year if at all possible)
The Year Off:
- Dedicate as much time as possible to working on a major research investigation
- READ, and talk to your advisor and lab members about the science of your field
And every year, from freshman year forward: Attend and participate actively in all Psych program events and colloquia.
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College of Arts and Sciences | Psychology Academics 