The Bachelor of Arts in Psychology provides and interdisciplinary foundation for students wishing to broaden their options for careers after graduation, while still supporting graduate and professional school options if the student desires.

This degree is for students interested in a traditional liberal arts approach to psychology, with flexible paths to graduate school or the workplace. Students seeking counseling, social work, and other human service careers will benefit strongly from this program's emphasis on cultural literacy and language, a major key to success in today's diverse world.

To find out what the next four years might look like for this degree, fill out your information and follow the prompted steps to arrive at a sample degree map. For more information specific to you and your situation, please schedule a visit with an advisor today.

The Bachelor of Science in Psychology - General Science track provides the most flexibility for students who are transferring from other majors or institutions, or who desire graduate or professional school in professions such as Occupational Therapy.

This degree is for students interested in professional programs such as medical school, physical therapy (PT), or occupational therapy (OT). It also prepares students for workplaces where a strong laboratory science background is helpful. Courses in biology, chemistry, or other laboratory sciences enhance student understanding of human and animal behavior.

To find out what the next four years might look like for this degree, fill out your information and follow the prompted steps to arrive at a sample degree map. For more information specific to you and your situation, please schedule a visit with an advisor today.

The Bachelor of Science in Psychology - Psychological Science track provides a more in-depth focus in psychology coursework and research for students who plan to attend graduate school in psychology.

This degree is for students interested in graduate school in psychology, particularly at the doctoral level, or workplaces where a strong social science research background is helpful. All students in this track are required to complete an original, year-long, independent research project, under the advisement of a faculty member.

To find out what the next four years might look like for this degree, fill out your information and follow the prompted steps to arrive at a sample degree map. For more information specific to you and your situation, please schedule a visit with an advisor today.

The internship is an independent study course with the purpose to give psychology majors an opportunity to get real-world experience in a psychology-related field as part of their major requirements. Students are required to complete a minimum of 120 hours of on-site work at their chosen placement in order to earn a grade for the course. Mentorship is supervised by a faculty member in psychology and by an on-site supervisor to whom the student reports. Students are evaluated by both their faculty supervisor and the on-site supervisor at the end of their term as an enrolled internship student.

Helping Skills Internship Sequence in Psychology

Students must complete the Helping Skills and Ethics course before enrolling for your internship. Enrollment in the Helping Skills course is capped at 20 students, so majors should plan ahead to make sure they complete their internship during the semester of their choosing. The Helping Skills course is graded to a significant extent on effort, but faculty who teach it also use the course as an opportunity to become familiar with each student's potential strengths and interests as an internship student.

Steps to Setting Up Your Internship

Have steps 1-5 completed by 2 weeks prior to the beginning of the term that you wish to start your practicum.

1. Complete the Helping Skills and Ethics course in a satisfactory fashion.
2. Consult with Rosalyn Davis, Ph.D. well in advance of your desired internship term regarding the timing of the internship, as well as your goals for the internship and career. This consultation will often take the form of a 20-30 minute meeting. Please contact Rosalyn Davis, Ph.D. to receive internship paperwork during your meeting. Please request permission to add the class during that meeting as well.
3. Upon completion of your paperwork at your site, please return it to Rosalyn Davis, Ph.D. for her records and to be sent to Career Services.

 At IU Kokomo, students have completed their internship experience at:

• Bona Vista Programs  
• CASA of Howard County 
• Family Service Association (including the Domestic Violence Shelter) 
• Guardian Angel Hospice 
• Hopebridge
• Howard County Medical Society/Project Access
• Community Howard Regional Health
• Opportunities for Positive Growth
• Samaritan Caregivers
• The Villages
• 2-1-1 The United Way of Howard County

This list is not exhaustive and we try to match career interest to site placements. 

Please note, not all placement sites accept internship students every semester. Other placements are possible if you wish to have a different kind of internship experience; consult with your instructor about new or different ideas.

Students who plan to pursue doctoral degrees, law school, or research-related careers are advised to complete the two-semester course sequence in research called Supervised Research in Psychology I & II.  In this course sequence, which typically lasts through the Fall and Spring of the senior year, students work under the advisement of a resident faculty member in psychology to pursue an original research question of their choosing. Many students develop an original research hypothesis that involves the collection, analysis, and reporting for original research data. Other students have completed other types of projects, such as theoretical reviews of research, or grant proposals involving reviews of the scholarly literature.  All resident faculty advises these projects, and students should seek a faculty advisor whose expertise most closely matches their own research interests.

These independent study courses provide a means for students to get research experience without completing the full two-semester research sequence. The activities to be graded for these courses vary depending on the preferences of the student and the faculty advisor who agrees to work with that student. In some cases, the faculty member and student read scholarly literature together and meet regularly to discuss issues raised in those pieces. In other cases, students receive course credit for assisting faculty with ongoing scholarly projects. In either case, enrollment must be arranged through mutual agreement of the student and the advising faculty member.

Because students and faculty in psychology are continuously working on various research projects, you may be asked to participate in one of these ongoing projects. Participating in research is a great way to learn about research in psychology without committing weeks of time to that effort. All such projects are described clearly to potential participants before any data is collected, and students can ask any faculty member in psychology for more information about these studies.

Steps to complete your independent research:

• Complete PSY-P355 Experimental Methods: Although P355 and PSY-P493 can be taken at the same time, it is recommended that you complete P355 prior to enrolling in the independent research sequence. 
• The independent research project is a two-semester sequence, so plan your schedule to allow for two semesters enrollment. 
• The availability of summer sections of independent research depend on the faculty mentor's availability. Get in touch with Gin Morgan, Ph.D. to discuss your options for a faculty mentor to work with. It is best to come to this meeting with some possible ideas for your research project, but it is not required. She will recommend one or more faculty mentors for you to make appointments with that will work well with your interests. 
• Alternatively, if you have a faculty mentor with whom you'd like to work with, you may contact them directly to set up an appointment to discuss working together on the independent research project. The faculty mentor that you decide to work with will then request permission for you to enroll in their section of PSY-P493. You will work with the same faculty mentor in PSY-P493 and PSY-P494.