Emphasis Programs & Options

Emphasis Programs

The Psychology Department has 2 emphasis programs to enhance the psychology degree. Once completed, these emphases will be included on the student's transcript.

Emphasis in Addictions Counseling
This emphasis helps prepare you to become a Certified Associate Counselor – Alcohol and Drug in the state of Maryland.  This emphasis program provides the educational requirements set forth by the Maryland Board of Professional Counselors and Therapists for persons seeking to become certified as an addictions counselor at the Bachelor’s level. This emphasis is open to majors in Psychology and Social Work.

View the complete description of the requirements for the Emphasis in Addictions Counseling and for state certification. For more information, please contact Dr. Nicole Andrews.
Emphasis in Child and Family Psychology
This emphasis program is for students who want an in-depth exposure to child/adolescent psychological development and disorders. For more information, please contact Dr. Kimberly James.

View the summary of the requirements for the Child and Family Psychology Emphasis Program option.
Emphasis in Counseling
The undergraduate counseling emphasis in psychology is designed to prepare students for graduate programs in counseling or related fields. The curriculum includes foundational courses in listening and communication skills, theory, abnormal behavior, and the influence of culture on human problems. Students completing this emphasis will not be license-eligible as professional counselors but will be prepared for further study and professional training.

View the summary of requirements for the Counseling Emphasis Program. For more information, please contact Dr. Trina Redmond-Matz.

The Internship Option

The Psychology Department also offers an internship option in addition to the requirements of the major. It is possible to complete the major with a combination of emphasis programs and internship.

This option is for students primarily interested in training for a Psychology-related career at the bachelor's degree level. In includes individually designed internships and is completed in addition to the core program.

View the summary of the requirements for the Internship Program option.

For more information on the internship option, contact Dr. Jennifer Flinn.

Student Activities - Research

Students have the opportunity to be a part of research labs run by various psychology department faculty. In 2019, for example, undergraduate and graduate students attended the Association for Psychological Sciences conference in Washington D.C. to present their research from Dr. Alan Bensley's lab. Dr Kimberly James, Dr. Christopher Masciocchi, and Dr. Mike Murtagh also contributed to this research.

Dr. Alan Bensley and Caitlin Woodson, the Psychology department's 2019 honors award recipient.