Psychology faculty regard themselves as a community of scholars who appreciate that the pursuit of independent inquiry in science must be strengthened continually by conversing and collaborating with one's peers and by educating young minds. Psychology's goal is to be a center of scientific excellence in the College of Arts and Sciences. To achieve this goal, Psychology faculty seek to make discoveries that are exciting and important, and to ignite in their students a passion for understanding why people think, feel, and act as they do. In the four years from 1996 through 1999, the Department of Psychology recorded an annual average of 425 majors.
Psychology also leads in doctoral training.
Psychology's four doctoral programs account for about one fifth of 300 doctoral students currently enrolled in Arts and Sciences Ph.D. programs. Each of the Department's four doctoral programs embraces the junior colleague model, wherein graduate and undergraduate students work alongside faculty on active research projects. Psychology majors often wonder if their education will help them find jobs and achieve important life goals after they leave Syracuse University. The answer is that psychology majors have the opportunity to develop a broad range of skills and qualities that make them attractive to employers in many fields and can enrich them personally. We offer student centered research encounters to allow the student to learn and develop the skills that are crucial for success in attending an advanced degree.