Psychology Student Opportunities

Explore the Possibilities

Our students have plenty of opportunities to gain psychology experience through their coursework and through hands-on activities beyond the traditional classroom format including labs, community service projects, clubs, self-study and more.Below are just a few of the opportunities waiting for you as a future psychology student.

Undergraduate Research

As a psychology student you will undertake a 2-semester research sequence that allows you to understand research methodology by designing and completing your own research project. There is even a live rat lab where you can learn to train your own rat. Recent projects have focused on: 

• physical fitness and GPA
• parent-child fear connections
• the female athlete triad
• gender difference in online dating advertisements
• birth order and motivation
• personality type and Wii bowling performance
• Music and comprehension

Psychology Club

We have an active psychology club were you can expand your academic experience through field trips and other out-of-the classroom activities: Here are some examples of past activities:   

• Pittsburgh Zoo trip to observe how operant conditioning is used with the animals
• volunteering and fundraising for the charity Autumn's Angels
• psychology movie nights
• discussions on topics such as the cancer experience and flash mobs with connections to current pop culture examples

Psi Chi

You may want to join an honor societies such as Psi Chi, International Honor Society in Psychology, founded in 1929 for the purposes of encouraging, stimulating, and maintaining excellence in scholarship, and advancing the science of psychology.

Internships and Professional Networking

As a student you may participate in professional activities including attending and presenting in professional conferences as you learn new things and are ready to share your research. There are also many internship opportunities where you may apply and integrate the skills, knowledge, and values derived from coursework in psychology and in your general education.