The Psychology Major

Psychology is the scientific study of animal and human behavior. It includes the study of human development, thinking and reasoning, memory, social relations, brain and neural mechanisms, abnormal behavior, and much more.

The undergraduate psychology major at The University of Alabama is designed to provide you a broad background in psychology that will prepare you for the opportunity to specialize in an area of particular interest to you in Graduate School (if that is your plan). We also provide the opportunity for students to become involved in the research process with members of our faculty.

In addition to obtaining your general liberal arts degree, learning about the content and methods of psychology (e.g., research methods, statistics) can help prepare an undergraduate for careers in disciplines other than psychology. Many of our undergraduates go on to attend Law School, Medical School, and graduate programs in Business and Social Work. Many others are successful in fields that do not require graduate training, such as marketing, sales, personnel management, etc.

It is important for you to focus on learning skills at least as much as learning content. Some practical skills available for you to learn as a psychology major include critical thinking, writing reports, conducting and evaluating research projects, interpreting data analysis, and applying psychological principles to everyday life.