FAQ

Students can meet with a Department of Psychological Sciences Advisor, an Academic Advisor in the College of Arts & Sciences, or a Faculty Advisor.  Learn more about each type of advising, and which advisor might best meet your needs, by visiting our Advising webpage.  You may view advising availability and schedule an appointment with a Department of Psychological Sciences Advisor.  You may view advising availability and schedule an appointment with an Academic Advisor in the College of Arts and Sciences.  You can learn how to request and select a Faculty Advisor.

Learn more about our faculty advisor request process.  Every Kent Campus psychology major is strongly encouraged to select a faculty advisor.

There are quite a few ways to gather more information.  First, check out the material on our resource racks – located across from the elevators on the first floor of Kent Hall and the Kent Hall Addition for some general career-related information.  Second, consider scheduling an appointment with a Faculty Advisor or a Department of Psychological Sciences Advisor.  Third, meet with a Career Coach in the Career Exploration and Development office (Schwartz Center 261; 330-672-2360) and check out the wealth of career-related information Career Exploration and Development has featured on their website.  Finally, consider registering for our 1-credit, upper-division Career Pathways in Psychology (PSYC 30005) course.

The Bachelor of Arts (BA) degree is primarily designed for students interested in becoming a practitioner (e.g., someone who works in an applied setting, primarily working one-on-one or in small groups with other individuals – such as a counselor, therapist, social worker, etc.) after graduating.  The Bachelor of Science (BS) degree is primarily designed for students interested in becoming a researcher, scholar, neuroscientist, and/or attending medical school after graduating.  Both the BA and BS degree can prepare students for graduate school programs. A copy of the most up-to-date psychological roadmaps can also be found on our Degrees and Minors webpage.  Note: While students can complete research experience for-credit in both the BA and BS degree programs, the BS major requires formal research experience before one can graduate.  Most faculty members’ research labs require at least a 3.0-3.2 GPA – visit our Research Experience webpage for more detailed information and available research opportunities.

Declaring a major or minor in psychology is easy!  Students make these changes by logging into their Flashline account and visiting their “Student Tools & Courses” tab.  Click on “Change Undergraduate Program” from the GPS, Roadmaps & Advising box and follow instructions.  Please see screen shot instructions on how to change your major or minor to psychology.

Visit the Psychology and Pre-Medicince page for more information and contact our pre-med faculty advisor, Dr. Jill Folk, jfolk@kent.edu to ask questions or request an appointment.

Visit our Internship and Volunteer Opportunities webpage and Research Experience webpage for more detailed information; both webpages include step-by-step instructions on how to obtain an experience for course credit, if interested.

All psychology students must complete the writing intensive requirement. To fulfill this requirement, most students on the Kent Campus take Research Writing in Psychology (PSYC 41980), which is a one-credit hour course. PSYC 31574, Research Methods in Psychology, is the co- or pre-requisite for Research Writing in Psychology. That means that students must take Research Methods in Psychology at the same time as or before they enroll in PSYC 41980. 

Laboratory Experience in Psychology (PSYC 41573/41574) is a 3-credit hour course that can be used to fulfill the writing intensive requirement. Undergraduate Research/Individual Investigation (PSYC 31498/41498) is a 1-6 variable credit-hour experience working as a research assistant in a psychology faculty member’s research lab. Every credit hour of PSYC 31498/41498 requires a minimum 45 hour commitment in one’s lab throughout the semester (e.g., approximately 3-4 hours per week during a Fall/Spring semester).  Note: You do not have to be enrolled in PSYC 31498/41498 to work in a psychology faculty member’s lab; some faculty members allow students to work in their lab on a non-credit, volunteer basis.  BS majors are required to complete research experience for credit (i.e., PSYC 31498/41498) before they can graduate and most labs require at least a 3.0-3.2 GPA – visit our Research Experience webpage for more detailed information and available research opportunities.

Usually the answer is no. However, all course substitution requests should be directed to the Psychology Undergraduate Coordinator, Dr. Joel Hughes (jhughes1@kent.edu).

Information about research participation requirement should be on your syllabus. Contact your professor for information. Contact the Subject Pool Manager at subjpool@kent.edu if you have questions or concerns about your subject pool points.