Department of Psychology at Illinois State University
SPRING 2009
Advance Registration October 6 - November 5, 2008 |
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. All relevant information for planning students' course work is provided in students' Undergraduate Catalog, on the department's Undergraduate 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 advisor.
Students are expected to have a complete understanding of the requirements for the Major 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, 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:
1. Pick up a current Academic Progress Summary in
Moulton 107 or print Progress Toward My Degree from iCAMPUS,
2. Review the requirements for the Major and graduation requirements in the
appropriate Undergraduate
Catalog.
3. Prepare a written academic plan for review with the Psychology advisor.
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.
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.
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Dr. Karen Mark Office Hours |
Ms. Raz Steward Office Hours
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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:
1. Update students' academic record to identify the elective courses
that count toward the Major. Therefore, after the sophomore year, students
should have advisors update their plan of study, at least annually,
to reflect elective courses in the students' official academic record.
2. Advise students about enrolling in a course at another college or university.
The advisor can verify if the course will meet Illinois State's requirements
and if the hours can be transferred to ISU.
3. Assist students when they anticipate a disruption in their academic career
for any reason.
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:
1. General Education/Illinois Articulation Initiative (IAI) requirements;
2. Total hours and senior hours completed and hours left to complete;
3. Status for completing the Constitution Exam, Writing Exam, and Global
Studies requirements; and
4. Completed course requirements for the Major in Psychology and courses
left to complete.
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 Out-of-Class Experiences for more information.
Students are encouraged to review Considering Graduate School. It contains information for students thinking about graduate school and how to prepare for graduate school.
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.
