Department of Psychology at Illinois State University
The philosophy of the Department of Psychology is to require students to be personally responsible for their college education. The department emphasizes students' involvement in planning their academic schedules to maximize opportunities for learning and growth in order to meet graduation requirements and advance career interests. Relevant information for planning students' course work is provided in the Undergraduate Catalog, on the department's Undergraduates Web sites, and in periodic e-mails sent through the listserv for Majors in Psychology.
Freshmen are advised through University College, not the Department of Psychology. Honors students are advised through the Honors Program. After the freshman year, students are not required to meet with any academic advisor.
Students are expected to understand the requirements for the Major in Psychology and for graduation. Students should know which of the requirements they have completed and which requirements they still need for graduation. Students should review Requirements for the Major in Psychology, Model Course Schedules, and Cumulative Planning Guide for suggested courses to complete the Major in Psychology and to satisfy graduation requirements. The department respects our students' abilities to implement their own academic plan.
Before meeting with a Psychology advisor, students must:
Students who do not complete these three steps will be asked to reschedule their appointment until they are fully prepared to discuss their semester schedule and academic plan.
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Dr. Karen Mark |
Ms. Raz Steward |
Most psychology majors needing advisement should plan to meet with Ms. Steward. Due to Dr. Mark's appointment as coordinator of the graduate program in Clinical-Counseling Psychology, she has limited hours available for advisement. However, she is available to meet with psychology majors interested in internships, pursuing graduate or professional school, and with students with whom she has had prior extensive advisement contact.
Advisors are responsible for assisting students with academic problems and helping students make decisions among available options. Advisors do not tell students what courses they need to take each semester in order to graduate. Specifically, advisors can:
Academic Progress Summary (APS) is the official undergraduate record of academic progress at Illinois State, including course requirements for the Major and graduation requirements. The APS needs to be periodically updated by the Psychology advisors. Some elective courses may not be recorded on students' plan of study. Contact the Psychology advisors by phone or e-mail to update the APS prior to Advance Registration. The APS includes the following information:
Students are required to take PSY 200 Careers in Psychology. PSY 200 should be taken in the second semester of students' freshman year or during the sophomore year. This course is designed to acquaint students with the requirements of the Major. Students will be instructed on how to tailor their plan of study to meet academic and career-preparation goals. This course will also identify which careers are possible with a bachelor's degree in psychology and how to pursue graduate study in psychology.
The Major in Psychology is structured so that students learn basic knowledge and skills in the required and elective courses and then apply what has been learned in a capstone experience before completing graduation requirements. The capstone experiences for psychology majors are:
Capstone experiences are discussed in PSY 200 Careers in Psychology. See the Out-of-Class Experiences Web site for more information.
Students are encouraged to review the Considering Graduate School Web site. It contains information for students thinking about graduate school and how to prepare for graduate school.
