Information Session for Psychology Advising—Where to Go for Help The Psychology Curriculum A. Brief Outline of Requirements B. Planning Ahead 1. Choosing 2000s to Get 4000s 2. When You Can Start Taking 4000s III. Considering the Next Step—What You Could/Should Be Doing Outside of Class IV. Breakout for Individual Advising

Advising: Multiple Tiers Faculty Advisor listed on your student handbook (primary majors)—should be able to answer any of your questions Cindy Koziol, 109 Williams—great for walk-in advising; also look for emails from Cindy about internships and opportunities Kurt Hoffman, 123 Williams—good for course and career advising; might have to email for appointment

Psychology major is fairly straightforward… (see http://www.psyc.vt.edu/undergrad for more info.) Requirements: PSC 1004 PSC 1094 12 hours of Psyc electives 10 hours of advanced Psyc courses senior seminar advanced 4000 level course, with accompanying one-credit lab one other advanced 4000 level course FYE (First Year Experience) course, preferred CLE 3 hours STAT (2004, 3604, or 3615) 6 additional hours in a science (BIOL, CHEM, or PHYS) 6 additional hours in any combination of CS, PHIL, or STAT

Thinking ahead to your 4000-levels courses Look at courses NOW to know what prereqs. you’ll need Each 4000-level course is offered only about once/year 4000-level courses restricted to Juniors (2nd sem.) and Seniors 4000-level courses in high demand * requests to force add courses, at any level, are almost never granted Summer school, if possible, makes scheduling easier It’s when you’ll feel the big major

Many 2000-level courses ‘match up’ with 4000-levels; they are prerequisites… Developmental Adv. Developmental, and Lab Learning Adv. Learning, and Lab Cognitive, and Lab Nervous Systems and Beh. Physiological Psych, and Lab Social Adv. Social, and Lab etc. Some courses (e.g. Animal Behavior, Health Psych., Environmental Psych.) are prerequisites for nothing; they are purely electives.

Thinking ahead to your 4000-levels courses: Senior Seminars 4364 (4354 in summer) Special topics, 5-6 options each semester Smaller, often discussion-based TO SIGN UP… Seniors AUTOMATICALLY receive an email from Cindy Koziol (approx. 1-2 weeks before course request), asking for a ranking of choices. YOU NEED TO REPLY TO THIS EMAIL TO GET A SENIOR SEMINAR! It’s when you’ll feel the big major

Job Outlook: Options Depend on Degree Level Look at http://www.apa.org/careers and http://www.apa.org/workforce and https://www.bls.gov/ooh/life-physical-and-social-science/psychologists.htm (from http://www.apa.org/careers/resources/guides/careers.pdf) “In 1999, fewer than 5% of 1997 and 1998 psychology BA recipients were employed in psychology or a field related to psychology. …Two thirds were in forprofit business settings, usually the sales/service sector.” “The 2001 Doctorate Employment Survey from APA’s Research Office found that …75% [of 1,754 respondents] were employed within 3 months of receiving the doctorate.” The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics expects growth in specific areas: health care (outpatient mental health and substance abuse clinics) schools social service agencies management consulting services “Psychologists with extensive training in quantitative research methods and computer science may have a competitive edge over applicants without this background.”

Job Outlook: Start Preparing Now Pay Attention to Resources and Events on Campus, and ways to get involved in research, volunteer work http://www.career.vt.edu , and http://career.vt.edu/job-search.html http://vtpsych.tumblr.com/ (Psyc Club) Look for emails from Cindy Koziol, and read www.psyc.vt.edu http://www.research.vt.edu/vted/