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UNIVERSITY OF MISSISSIPPI SCHOOLS AND COLLEGES


The Schools of Nursing and Pharmacy operate on both the Oxford and Jackson campuses. The Schools of Dentistry, Health Related Professionals and Medicine, and the Health Sciences Graduate School, are based in Jackson only. (Additional healthcare programs are available through the School of Applied Sciences on the Oxford campus.) Other than these exceptions, the schools above are on the Oxford campus.

B.A. in Psychology

Seek to understand what motivates people and why people behave the way they do.

Psychology majors at the University of Mississippi learn the scientific approach to the study of human and animal behavior, and can take courses in a variety of subfields, such as social, cognitive, personality, abnormal, developmental, and behavioral neuroscience. They also learn the research process: experimental design, data collection, analysis, and interpretation.

Key Benefits

Psychology majors gain a broad knowledge of human and animal behavior as well as skills in statistical analysis, research, testing, writing, observation, record keeping, surveying, scientific reasoning, and scientific methodology. The presence of graduate programs in clinical and experimental psychology support high level expertise for the undergraduate program.

Graduate Outcomes

A liberal arts education prepares graduates to deal with complexity and change. They gain key skills in communication, problem-solving, and working with diverse groups. Related careers in psychology include health care, behavior analysis, education, counseling and therapy, rehabilitation services, social work, drug/alcohol education, human resources, advertising, law, management, systems analysis, business, sales, urban planning, and public relations.

Experiences Offered

Psychology majors gain experience in the field through service-learning and experiential courses. They may work with faculty on research or participate in internships while earning credit towards their degree. Faculty members also provide travel courses, such as Dr. Laura Johnson's Ecology, Culture, and Youth Psychology in Tanzania.

B.A. in Psychology Faculty

The Department of Psychology at the University of Mississippi boasts faculty members with areas of specialization that include clinical, cognitive, developmental, experimental, neuroscience and social psychology.

Kristin Austin
Clinical Assistant Professor and Director of the Psychologic Services Center
Jeff Bednark
Instructional Assistant Professor of Psychology
Sarah Bilsky
Assistant Professor of Clinical Psychology
Laura J Dixon
Associate Professor of Psychology
Alan M Gross
Professor Emeritus of Psychology
Andrew Hadley Hales
Assistant Professor of Psychology
Robert Reed Hunt Jr
Adjunct Research Professor
Laura Renee Johnson
Professor of Psychology
Kate Kellum
Instructional Associate Professor of Psychology, Director of Undergraduate Studies, Assistant Chair
Aaron Lee
Assistant Professor of Clinical Psychology
Danielle Jeanette Maack
Adjunct Instructional Associate Professor of Psychology
Mervin R Matthew
Instructional Associate Professor of Psychology
Marilyn Mendolia
Associate Professor of Psychology
Stephanie Elisabeth Miller
Associate Professor of Psychology and Director of Experimental Graduate Program
Nicolaas Prins
Associate Professor of Psychology
Matthew B Reysen
Associate Professor of Psychology
Grace Rivera
Assistant Professor of Psychology
Karen E Sabol
Associate Professor Emeritus of Psychology
Stefan E Schulenberg
Professor of Psychology, Director of Interdisciplinary Minor in Disaster Sciences and Director of the Clinical- Disaster Research Center
Carrie Smith
Associate Professor of Psychology
Rebekah Elizabeth Smith
Chair and Professor of Psychology
Todd A Smitherman
Professor of Psychology and Director of Clinical Training
Kurt D Streeter
Instructional Assistant Professor of Cognitive Psychology
Kenneth J Sufka
Distinguished Professor of Psychology and Pharmacology, Research Professor in the Research Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Director of the Stamps Impact Prize
Joseph Wellman
Associate Professor of Social Psychology
John N Young
Professor of Psychology

A major in psychology for the B.A. degree consists of 30 semester hours, including Psy 201, 202, 205; three of the following six core courses (Psy 301, 309, 311, 319, 320, 321); and one of the following capstone courses (Psy 340, 360, 365, 390, 392, 394, 396, 410, 415, 417, 419, 430, 451, 456, 457, 470, 475, 565). No more than 6 combined credit hours from Psy 401, 402, 403, 405, 406, 420, and/or 421 may be counted toward the major.

Admission requirements for the Bachelor of Arts in psychology degree program are the same as the general undergraduate admission requirements.

Cayla Hari

Passionate about volunteer work, Cayla (B.A. in psychology and Spanish, 2018) finds meaning in helping others. She was philanthropic director for Kappa Kappa Gamma sorority; a peer educator for Rebels Against Sexual Assault; president of Feed the Hunger; fundraising chair for UNICEF at Ole Miss; on the fundraising committee for Students for a Saferide; and volunteered across our community. Her philanthropy shaped her research interests in posttraumatic stress, emotion regulation, and posttraumatic growth, and presented twice at the UM Conference on Psychological Science. She wrote her honors thesis on posttraumatic stress symptoms in college students. Cayla's goal after graduation is to pursue a Ph.D. in clinical psychology, with a career combining teaching and clinical work in both Spanish and English.

Why study psychology at UM?
"Students are able tailor their experience to their interests and goals. Sure, there are required courses for the degree, but there is flexibility in choosing from a wide array of electives. The faculty have various research projects, giving students choices for working in a lab that aligns with their interests. The ability to gain solid foundation in psychology and tailor your education to your personal interests and goals is incredibly valuable."

Student Organizations

Join Psi Chi, the psychology honor society, the Psychology Club, as well as student organizations like Autism Speaks and Lambda, a support group for the LGBTQ community.