2023-2024 Undergraduate Catalog [ARCHIVED CATALOG]
Psychology
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www.smu.edu/psychology
Professor Austin Baldwin, Department Chair
Professors: Austin Baldwin, Ernest Jouriles, Akihito Kamata, Renee McDonald, Alicia Meuret, Thomas Ritz, David Rosenfield
Associate Professors: Michael Chmielewski, Nathan Hudson, Chrystyna Kouros (Co-Director of Undergraduate Studies)
Assistant Professors: Holly Bowen, Sarah Kucker, Joshua OLtmanns, Stephanie Wilson
Senior Lecturers: James Calvert, Susan Hornstein, Chris Logan (Co-Director of Undergraduate Studies; Undergradaute Adviser)
Clinical Assistant Professor: Poonam Dubal
General Information
Psychology is the study of human behavior and cognition. A degree in psychology equips students with a variety of fundamental and transferable skills, including the ability to think scientifically, interpersonal and communication skills, and a sensitivity to diversity. A degree in psychology provides students with a solid academic foundation and prepares graduates to succeed in a variety of careers in psychology, law, medicine and business.
The research interests of faculty members fall into three broad areas: psychopathology, biological and health psychology, and family psychology. There are many opportunities for students to become involved in faculty research. A departmental distinction program provides highly motivated students with the opportunity to design and execute their own research project.
The Psychology Department offers one minor and two majors: a Bachelor of Arts and a Bachelor of Science. Students interested in the BS degree need to plan coursework very early to ensure completion within four years. The Psychology Department also jointly operates two interdisciplinary minors in neuroscience (with Biology) and cognitive science (with Philosophy).
Departmental Distinction
The department offers a distinction program to select majors with high academic achievement. The program consists of a sequence of classes where students, under the guidance of their faculty mentor, develop and conduct an independent research study. The program includes designing the study, collecting and analyzing the data, and then writing a paper for conference presentation and journal submission. To be eligible for the program, a student must have at least a 3.5 GPA overall, a 3.5 GPA in Psychology and have completed at least one semester of research training with a faculty member (PSYC 3099 , PSYC 3199 , PSYC 3299 , or PSYC 3399 ). Interested students should consult with the departmental adviser or director of undergraduate studies.
With departmental approval, the student will enroll in PSYC 3393 to begin preparation for the distinction paper. Upon completion of PSYC 3393 with a grade of Pass, students may enroll in PSYC 4393 . On the basis of this research project, an oral and poster presentation will be made to the faculty, and a distinction thesis will be written.
Although most students typically enroll in PSYC 3393 and PSYC 4393 in consecutive semesters, students completing an original study may need to take an extra semester in between these two courses to collect their data. Students may register for a semester of research training (PSYC 3099 , PSYC 3199 , PSYC 3299 , or PSYC 3399 ) during the semester they are collecting data. After completion of their data collection, they may then register for PSYC 4393 to complete the distinction project.
A grade of B or better is required for PSYC 4393 in order to earn Departmental Distinction in Psychology. Departmental Distinction may be added to either the B.A. or B.S. degree.
ProgramsMajor(s)Minor(s)CoursesPsychology
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