One of the department's primary goals is to prepare students for graduate school. A solid knowledge base of psychological terms, concepts, theories, and issues. The ability to gather and synthesize information from a variety of sources. Critical thinking skills necessary for analyzing and evaluating knowledge. A working familiarity with a wide range of psychological methods.
Communication skills necessary to write and speak in a clear and convincing manner.
Interpersonal skills leading to tolerance of and helpfulness toward others. Practical experience necessary to explore and refine post-graduate goals. Some specialties, like caring for mentally ill people, are familiar to most of us. Others, like helping with the design of advanced computer systems or studying how we remember things are less well known. What all psychologists have in common is a shared interest in mind and behavior, both human and animal.