Belmont Psychology . . . . The faculty at Belmont University actively encourages undergraduate involvement in research and practicum experiences. While Belmont is a teaching institution and not a research university, the skills required to conduct psychological research are at the core of what makes psychology a unique discipline. Certain skills are necessary in order to perform any type of research. Skills such as organizing diverse information, critically evaluating evidence, developing convincing arguments, and presenting complicated information in an understandable way are required to conduct relevant research.
Many graduate schools require that students have had research experience at the undergraduate level.
Even if you do not plan to go to graduate school, the critical thinking skills learned in research activities are invaluable for coping with our complex, information rich world. A practicum experience can also provide a limited number of qualified, advanced students with an opportunity to apply knowledge of human behavior and psychological principles to real world settings. There are many ways to become involved in research in your four years at Belmont University. I in your freshman and sophomore years, you will be prepared to develop your own research project in your junior and senior years. This can be done either in the classes such as Research Methods II, Senior Seminar, any upper level psychology course, or as an independent project with a professor.