Alfred University’s Bachelor of Arts in Psychology program invites you to examine how people think, feel, and behave through hands-on learning and close faculty mentorship. In a welcoming, supportive community, you explore human behavior across six concentrations, gain applied experience through supervised counseling coursework, and connect theory to practice through internships that help you shape a purposeful academic and professional path.
Application Deadlines Fall Early Action: Dec. 1 Fall Regular Decision: Feb. 1 Preferred Spring Regular Decision: Dec. 1
Create Your Own Path
Six Concentrations Offered
At Alfred University, you can explore the psychology field and forge your own unconventional career path. The Bachelor of Arts in Psychology degree program offers six concentrations for you to choose from: General Psychology, Clinical/Counseling Psychology, Experimental Psychology, Child Psychology, Industrial/Organizational Psychology, and Equine-Assisted Psychotherapy.
Gain Valuable Experience
Psychology Counseling, Research, and Internships
As a psychology major at Alfred, you gain experience through supervised counseling skills training, directed research, independent study, and internships. These provide opportunities to apply what you learn in class to real-life settings.
In partnership with SUNY Corning Community College, we offer a Bachelor’s Degree Completion Program in Psychology. It is designed for students seeking to complete their bachelor’s degree with the convenience of classes primarily held on SUNY Corning’s campus, with the exception of one summer residency course on Alfred University’s main campus.
In the psychology bachelor’s degree program, you’ll learn current theories and research in the field, emphasizing the importance of the scientific approach to the study of human behavior and mental states. The curriculum fosters communication skills and critical, scientific thinking about psychological issues.
As a psychology major, you learn to:
Understand the theories and research findings in Neurological, Developmental, Social, Clinical/Abnormal, Cognitive/Experimental, and Personality Psychology
Discriminate between Scientific (Empirical) and non-scientific evidence or sources of information
Understand the Experimental Method and how its interpretation differs from Non-Experimental methods
Develop a research hypothesis and a research design based upon a critical review of relevant literature
Conduct a thorough literature search on psychological issues or topics
As a psychology major, you benefit from a comprehensive education and the option to focus your degree on a specific concentration. When you graduate, you can move on to graduate-level education or work in fields that use knowledge of human behavior, such as counseling, education, law, medicine, and business.
Concentration-Specific Courses
Each of the concentrations in the bachelor’s degree in psychology program offers courses that cover specific topics.
Child and Adolescent Development Concentration Courses
At least one letter of recommendation from a school counselor or academic instructor
International students must submit original or certified copies of all secondary and post-secondary transcripts or records of grades to date, along with proof of graduation. These must be prepared and authorized by the student's home institution and be accompanied by a certified English translation.
What jobs can you get if you major in psychology? Earning a psychology degree prepares you for entry-level jobs in human services, human resources, business, and research, as well as graduate studies, which are essential for advancement in many careers in psychology.
Potential job titles for psychology degree holders (some require further education):
Advertising Manager
Art Therapist
Behavioral Analyst
Career Counselor
Case Manager/Worker
Clinical/Counseling Psychologist
Human Resources Director
Labor Relations Advisor
Paralegal
Rehabilitation Counselor
Researcher
Social Worker
All psychology degree concentrations are available as a double major to any Alfred University student. Double majors take core psychology courses, as well as courses in neuropsychology, learning and cognitive processes, aging and development, social and personality, and mental and physical health.
Earning a minor in psychology requires completing 24 credits. Foundational courses include an introduction to psychology, as well as psychological methods and statistics.
Art therapy uses creative artmaking processes to improve a patient’s mental and emotional health. Entry into the field requires completion of a master's degree. The American Art Therapy Association recommends that undergraduate psychology students interested in moving on to earn a master’s degree should:
Complete a minimum of 18 credit hours of studio artwork.
Prepare a portfolio of original artwork demonstrating competence with art materials.
Complete a minimum of 12 credit hours in psychology.
Take the Introduction to Psychology, Developmental Psychology, and Psychopathology courses.
Alfred has also consulted with practicing art therapists to recommend the following psychology courses:
If you wish to pursue a career in counseling after graduation, Alfred University offers an opportunity for undergraduate seniors to enroll in Clinical Procedures during the fall semester of their last year. Alfred has an observation room with six adjoining rooms that can be used for one-way observation, allowing students to provide peer counseling to first-year students under direct supervision.
Through regular feedback from peers and instructors, you can practice and develop counseling techniques and reflect on your own performance.
During the spring semester of their senior year, students in the Clinical Track of the psychology major must complete a clinical practicum. This involves spending about 100 hours practicing skills at a site within the community.
Psychology faculty members maintain excellent rapport with nearby agencies and organizations, ensuring that nearly every student is placed in a practicum. This allows students to gain practical experience under the supervision of a mentor. It also provides invaluable skills above and beyond those gained in the classroom.
Below is a sample of practicum sites at which Alfred students have been placed:
ACCORD offers access to opportunities, resources, and services to strengthen individuals, families, and communities, especially those who are underrepresented.
Allegany County Office of Aging attends to the social and program needs of the elderly in a rural setting. Interns receive supervision and can opt to conduct research or participate in the basic practical details of furnishing services to the elderly.
Alfred Montessori School is a progressive day school for children between the ages of two and five. Practicum students typically become involved in the implementation of Montessori methods of education.
Ardent Solutions collaborates with local, regional, and statewide partners to improve community health outcomes, increase independence through safe and reliable mobility options, and decrease unintentional injuries and suicide risks. Programs include Walk with Ease, Matter of Balance, and Diabetes Education.
Comstock Hospice provides physical and psychological comfort and relief to those near the end of life.
Hornell Concern for Youth provides a variety of education services, mentoring programs, after-school activities, and outreach to provide assistance to children and their families.
There is a growing need for citizens with information literacy and critical thinking skills. As a student in the psychology program, you learn basic research methods in psychology in the Psychological Methods and Statistics and Research and Design I courses.
Junior and senior undergraduates can take Research and Design II in the fall and the research practicum in the spring semester. This sequence provides you with the opportunity to work closely with a faculty mentor to pursue your own research questions, assemble a research plan, collect and analyze data, and then present that data at Alfred’s spring Undergraduate Research Forum or at regional and national conferences.
Some recent project titles include:
Creative Experiences and the Production of False Memories
Elder Abuse in Long-Term Care Settings
Narcissism and Sensitivity to Criticism
Online Gaming Addiction: Personality and the World of Warcraft
Perception of Ambiguous Figures
Sexual Attraction in Lesbians
Social Media and Emotional Intelligence
The Effects of Topic-Related Comics on Test Anxiety and Test Scores
Undergraduates’ Perceptions of the Rights and Entitlements of Accused Criminals
Working Memory Capacity and Its Effects on Recall in Incidental and Intentional Learning Situations
Some students delve deeper into a topic or explore a course that Alfred doesn’t offer regularly. In these cases, Alfred allows students to pursue independent studies, in which they work closely with a faculty member to develop a plan of study (including learning objectives, readings, and assignments) that creates a unique learning opportunity for both the undergraduate and the faculty member.
Recent independent studies have included:
Cross-Cultural Psychology
Doctor Who and Death
Drugs, Behaviors, and Treatment
Effects of Trauma on Holocaust Survivor Mental Health
Explorations of Biopsychology
Forensic Psychology
Traumatic Brain Injuries in College Student Athletes
“Why Did Gramma Put Her Keys in the Fishbowl?” (a children’s book on Alzheimer’s Disease)
Psychology Student Organizations
The Psychology Department has two student-based organizations: a Psi Chi chapter and a Psychology Club that is open to all interested students. Join to make new friends and develop your leadership skills.
Alfred University has held a chapter of the international honor society in psychology since 1964. The purpose of Psi Chi is to encourage excellence in scholarship and advance the science of psychology. Student members are eligible for scholarships and grants through Psi Chi and have access to three professional publications.
Membership is open to undergraduate and graduate psychology students who meet the minimum qualifications:
Junior class standing or above
Declaration of major or minor in psychology
GPA of 3.3 or higher in at least 12 credit hours of courses taken at Alfred across three semesters
GPA of 3.1 or higher within the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences
Psychology Club
The Psychology Club is open to all students with psychology-related interests. Members can become involved in psychology activities and get to know professors on a more personal level. There are no formal criteria for becoming a member.
The Psychology Club has been involved in the following activities in recent years:
Sponsoring speakers to discuss psychology-related careers and special topics
Discussions of psychological themes in films
Participating in youth recreation center activities in nearby communities
Options to study here at Alfred's main campus which gives you 6 concentration options or with our partner Corning Community College in Corning, NY which offers hybrid & flexible class options.
Highly Educated & Experienced Faculty
Seven full-time faculty members with Doctorates in their field, each with diverse research interests, offer a broad range of courses and give students the opportunity to engage in research in a variety of areas. At Alfred, students work directly with their professors as they prepare for employment or graduate study in psychology.
Hands-On Experience
Supervised counseling courses and internships offered exclusively at Alfred University provide opportunities for applying classroom learning to real-life settings. There are also opportunities for practical experience through directed research and independent study.
Psychology
Faculty Spotlight
Psychology students benefit from faculty who encourage them to explore their own career paths through concentrations, minors, research projects, and independent study. Here are just some of the Psychology faculty within the Division of Psychology and Communication.
Alfred University has held a chapter of the international honor society in psychology since 1964. The purpose of Psi Chi is to encourage excellence in scholarship and advance the science of psychology. Student members are eligible for scholarships and grants through Psi Chi and have access to three professional publications.
