- Class sizes and Class Offerings
- Advising
- The first two years
- Degree Structure
- Special Opportunities
- Who should consider the Altoona Psychology Program?
The Psychology Program at Penn State Altoona is a basic psychology major offering both a Bachelor of Arts and a Bachelor of Science degree. The BS has options in Science and Business. There are currently 4 full-time and 4 part-time adjunct faculty, and approximately 70 majors and 30 minors.
Class sizes and class offerings
The introductory psychology course is limited to sections of 100 students maximum and a small honors section is typically offered each year. Other psychology classes are smaller, ranging from 20 to 40 students. Core courses are offered every semester and upper-level courses are cycled across several semesters. Several psychology courses are usually offered during the summer sessions.
Advising
Students are assigned a psychology advisor when they declare intent to major in psychology. Students typically keep the same advisor until they graduate. Students may also go to the Division of Undergraduate Studies for advising assistance. The campus Career Center maintains additional resources for career advising and the college has an academic internship coordinator to help with internship planning.
The first two years
As in other Penn State Psychology programs, students in their first two years focus on lower-division courses, General Education, and completing prerequisites for more advanced courses. There are no entrance-to-major (ETM) requirements. Students may either enter into the Altoona psychology major or change location to or from another campus after their first two years. All courses taken in the first 2 years at any Penn State campus are transferable to any other Penn State campus.
Degree structure
All psychology majors are required to take 3 core courses – introductory psychology, statistics, and research methods. An additional 30 credits of psychology courses are required with a minimum of 3 credits in each of 5 topic areas. This exposes students to the broad range of areas that psychology encompasses. Half of the 30 credits must be at the 400-level. A capstone course is required in the senior year; students may choose from a course in the history and systems of psychology, an internship, a research project, or a senior thesis. In the Bachelor of Science degree program, students choose one of two options: Science or Business. These options consist of non-Psychology courses taken in consultation with an advisor to meet the needs of each student.
Special opportunities
Penn State Altoona has an active Psychology Club and a chapter of Psi Chi, the national honor society in psychology. These provide psychology majors and minors with opportunities to interact with other psychology students, attend various informational and recreational activities, and hold leadership positions. For students interested in counseling and clinical psychology, internships are available in community agencies. Research opportunities are also readily available. All the full-time faculty have active research programs and often supervise student projects. Student involvement with research is strongly encouraged and supported. Funding is also available for travel to research conferences when students co-author a presentation. Students at Altoona may present their research at the Penn State Altoona Undergraduate Research Fair or at one of the local undergraduate research conferences.
Who should consider the University Park Psychology program?
Students desiring a small college setting with the opportunities of a large university will find the psychology program at Altoona attractive. Proximity to University Park allows for easy access to the activities at that campus. Psychology students at Penn State Altoona have many opportunities to develop close relationships with the faculty. The basic program prepares students for entry-level jobs in various human services or for entering a graduate program.