Overview
As a psychology major, you’ll gain a deep understanding of human behavior, develop critical thinking and analytical skills, and find opportunities for research and hands-on learning. Students work closely with talented and dedicated faculty in state-of-the-art facilities to prepare for graduate study and employment across a variety of fields.
Why Study Psychology at Radford?
- Students will gain an understanding of developmental, biological, social, cultural, cognitive, and learning approaches to psychology.
- Engage in research and applied experiences with faculty. In these 1 on 1 experiences, all students and faculty get to know each other very well and provide valuable professional development experiences.
- Students have opportunities for internships through the program.
Opportunities for Psychology students at Radford
- Fall Psychology and Gender Symposium
- Spring Student Engagement Forum - Psi Chi
- International Psychology Honors Society - Psychology Club
- College of Humanities and Behavioral Sciences Ambassadors
- PSI (Peer Supported Instruction) Internship Program
- Psychology students can serve as tutors for the Introductory psychology courses
- Psychology majors have often served as Resident Assistants for housing on campus
Internship Opportunities
We recommend internships for students who meet the requirements and are either: planning to go straight into the workforce after graduation or going to graduate school to pursue careers in I/O psychology, school psychology, occupational therapy, or areas of mental health (clinical psychology, counseling psychology, counselor education, community mental health, social work, or marriage and family therapy).
The internship opportunity is not a required class. Internships can be anywhere from 1-12 credit hours and can be taken either pass/fail or for a grade. Up to 6 hours of the internship can count as an elective within the major, but only if it is taken for a grade (i.e. it’s not pass/fail).
If you are interested in doing an internship, contact the psychology department to get in touch with the internship coordinator for more information
Part 1: Eligibility
To be eligible to earn course credit for a psychology internship, you must meet the following prerequisites:
- Be a psychology major
- Have earned 60 semester hours of credit with at least 12 hours of psychology credit
- Have an overall GPA of 2.8
- Have a psychology GPA of 3.0
Part 2: Enrollment
There are several steps that must be completed prior to enrolling for internship credit.
- Locate and secure a position at an internship site. The internship must be related to psychology.
- Contact the instructor for PSYC 499. 1 person covers the internships for our department each semester. You can contact the psychology department office to find out who manages internships for a given semester. When you contact the internship instructor, indicate that you have been offered or selected for a position. Please indicate the agency name, contact person (supervisor), and the dates of your internship.
- Complete the internship proposal and internship agreement forms. These forms can be obtained from the PSYC 499 instructor once you have secured a position.
- Submit your internship proposal to the registrar's office.
Part 3: Internship Course Requirements
- Complete 120 hours of work for every 3 hours of credit.
- Submit weekly logs documenting activities and hours.
- Attend meetings with the internship course instructor.
- Obtain mid-term evaluation from an on-site supervisor (recommended).
- Complete a major paper integrating internship experiences.
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50% of our students pursue graduate school
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100% of our students participate in research opportunities
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80 students have been co-authors in published studies and research papers
Travel and present your research
Every year our students and faculty engage in numerous scientific research collaborations focusing on areas like social, cultural, and developmental psychology; cognitive and behavioral neuroscience; mental health and well-being; psychology in the workplace, and psychology in the schools. Conducting research with our faculty will provide you with valuable mentoring, and it can also lead to opportunities to travel and present your research (expenses often covered).
“As an undergrad my time was filled with great leadership responsibilities, fierce team spirit, and strong networking opportunities. Radford gave me the freedom to explore all of my interests, from working in a lab to conduct research, being a residential assistant, playing on an incredible sports team, and even provided the tools for me to apply and participate in a competitive summer internship.”