We also share a commitment to develop the intellectual competencies to think critically and creatively and to encourage participation in extracurricular activities related to the discipline. Our Philosophy Most lay persons identify psychology with the ideas and activities of Sigmund Freud. This is unfortunate because very few psychologists identify with Freud and his theories and his methods of investigation are totally unrepresentative of methodology in psychology today. Nursing, social work, and pastoral counseling also involve helping people. What separates psychology from these other fields is that the applications of psychology have been derived from and tested by scientific methods.
Psychology is a science, a data-based scientific study of behavior and mental processes.
Thus, probably the most important skills related to the discipline that an undergraduate program can provide for its students is a solid foundation in its methods for answering and generating questions about human behavior and mental processes. Furthermore, our program allows us the time to specifically teach students how to critically evaluate information from the popular media that many other programs typically ignore. The structure of our program ensures that our students will have that breadth. Moreover, we offer some very unique courses in areas such as leadership skills and health psychology. Practical experience is the final component needed in an undergraduate program.