Psychology
About Psychology
Our Program and Courses
As psychology deals with a wide variety of topics, you will also be able to take a course in another field that will count toward your major. By pointing you towards additional courses in other departments, we make it possible for you to fine-tune your experience to your specific interests and develop your own unique perspective on psychology. Some of the most common cross-department studies are found in biology, philosophy, and linguistics. Students interested in Psychology can also study Neuroscience, Animal Behavior, and Scientific and Philosophical Studies of Mind.
By the time you graduate, you will:
- Be a mature consumer of scientific knowledge
- Be a proficient producer of scientific knowledge through collecting data and/or formulating evidence-based arguments
- Be able to apply psychological knowledge to real-world problems and phenomena
- Be able to approach scientific phenomena from an integrative and conceptual mindset, moving away from a unidimensional, fact-focused perspective
- Be a mature and active participant in your own education
Learning Outside the Classroom
Summer Internships
Students often choose to take some of the 15 weeks before the start of their next academic year to dive into the fields and industries they’re studying in the classroom. From working in wildlife rehabilitation centers to assisting doctors at hospitals, the opportunities for learning hands-on skills are numerous. Thanks to a generous donor fund, many F&M students are able to obtain financial assistance to attend these programs.Explore internships at F&M
Research Opportunities
The psychology department provides a diverse selection of research topics, including personality, social and psychopathology; perception and physiology; development and cognition; and evolution and adaptation. Your psychology major will cultivate your research skills and create opportunities for you to make scientific discoveries with faculty and answer your own questions about the mind and behavior. Many students present their research findings in professional journals and at conferences of national associations!Explore research at F&M
Off-Campus Study
When studying behavior, it’s crucial to look outside your own experiences and learn from other people and cultures. Psychology students have studied abroad in Bolivia, Denmark, Tanzania, Italy, Kenya, Australia, and Scandinavia.Explore off-campus study at F&M
Our Facilities
The Barshinger Life Sciences & Philosophy Building
The Barshinger Life Sciences & Philosophy Building gives students access to state-of-the-art resources for studying the development of morality, animal welfare and problem-solving, social belonging, drug addiction, infant learning, non-verbal communication, healthy behaviors, responses to trauma, human rights, and more.The Development and Experience Center
Housed in the Barshinger Life Sciences & Philosophy Building, the Development and Experience (DAX) Center is home to two innovative child development research labs. Students can apply to become research assistants in these labs at any point in their college careers. As a student researcher, you would learn how to recruit and schedule participants, serve as experimenters in running empirical studies, assist in data analysis and interpretation, and become familiar with relevant psychological literature.Research questions the lab investigates include:
- What leads children and adults to acquire new moral beliefs or to change existing moral beliefs?
- How extensive and variable are the contours of the moral domain?
- How and why do disgust and dirtiness reduce the scope of moral treatment?
- How do people allocate moral value to outgroup members, animals, and ecosystems?
Success Beyond F&M
Graduate School
With a breadth of study that is uncommon at other liberal arts colleges, our graduates are immediately prepared to pursue advanced degrees upon graduating from F&M. Past F&M psychology majors have entered graduate programs studying education, clinical psychology, speech and language pathology, social work, human development, quantitative psychology, social psychology, business, and public administration.Career Paths
Psychology graduates enjoy a vast array of careers and have excelled in health care, social services, education, research, and more. They hold positions such as:- Director of Human Resources
- Doctor
- General Counsel
- Lawyer
- Marriage and Family Therapist
- Pediatrician
- Professor
- Psychiatrist
- Psychologist
- Psychotherapist
- Registered Nurse
- Research Scientist
- School Psychologist
- Social Worker
- Therapist
One field of study engages in all sorts of questions about people, institutions, and
social structures: sociology. How does power operate in society? How do politics shape
our lives? How and why have family relationships changed over time? As a student of
sociology, you will explore these interactions to better understand how they shape
the world and cultures that we live in. Do you imagine yourself in management, marketing, accounting, or finance after graduating
from college? Study Business, Organizations & Society at F&M and learn to think critically
and lead effectively in a variety of environments, from small businesses to large
corporations and from for-profit to nonprofit. Do you want to explore the fascinating connections between science and government?
Study public health at F&M and challenge assumptions and structures as you develop
a deep moral intelligence surrounding public health around the globe.Student Spotlight
“You’re in a place where everyone is rooting for you.”
Psychology major Shreya Punj ’25 found her time at F&M to be a period of personal
growth, fueled by a vibrant campus life that encouraged learning beyond the classroom.
“F&M is home to people with diverse experiences and interests,” she said. “Learning
from my peers and becoming friends with people who have lived drastically different
lives than me has been an enriching experience and contributed significantly to my
growth in the last four years.” Punj said one of F&M’s greatest strengths lies in
the community’s dedication to supporting students. “From faculty and staff to alumni
and current students, people are always willing to give you their time and advice
to help you succeed,” she said. “You’re in a place where everyone is rooting for you.”
Read More »Student Spotlight
“F&M provided the space for me to grow and explore, making a difference in my life
in ways I never imagined.”
With a love for psychology and a natural gift for helping others, April Rump ’25 set
her sights on pursuing her passions at F&M, a college she said “just felt right.”
“F&M provided the space for me to grow and explore, making a difference in my life
in ways I never imagined,” she said. One of Rump’s most unforgettable F&M experiences
was a study-abroad program in Denmark led by Senior Teaching Professor of Psychology
Christina Abbott. With fewer than a dozen students, the program offered Rump a chance
to dive deeply into her studies while exploring a new cultural landscape. “It was
this tight-knit little class about health psychology and then exploring it in Danish
culture,” she said. “I learned a lot about the health-care system and people’s health
behaviors.”
Read More »Alumni Spotlight
“The professors care about their students and genuinely want them to succeed.”
As a student at F&M, Skye Victor ’23 spent her summers working at a preschool for
children with autism. This experience helped her discover how to blend her psychology
degree with her dream of working with kids. “I connected with the kids immediately,
so I decided I wanted to go further and become a behavior therapist,” she said. Victor,
who is now pursuing a master’s degree in applied behavior analysis at Saint Joseph’s
University, said she’s thankful for how F&M prepared her for her future. “I am so
grateful for F&M’s tight-knit community and the amazing professors who helped me overcome
challenges and encouraged me,” she said. “I chose F&M for that very reason: The professors
care about their students and genuinely want them to succeed.”
Read More »Related Fields of Study
Sociology
Business, Organizations & Society
Public Health
Psychology in the Spotlight
June 16, 2025
Expectant Mothers Say Fetus Resembles Partner
Almost three-fourths of women are certain the fetus in their ultrasound image resembles their partner, but men are far less convinced, if at all, says Franklin & Marshall College Psychology Professor Carlota Batres.
May 6, 2025
‘You’re in a Place Where Everyone Is Rooting for You’
Shreya Punj ’25 found her time at F&M to be a period of personal growth, fueled by a vibrant campus life that encouraged learning beyond the classroom. “F&M is home to people with diverse experiences and interests,” she said. “Learning from my peers and becoming friends with people who have lived drastically different lives than me has been an enriching experience and contributed significantly to my growth in the last four years.”
April 17, 2025
Kennedy Wilburn ’25 Leads on and off the Court
Kennedy Wilburn ’25 wanted a college where she could excel on the basketball court and in the classroom. She found that and more at F&M, where she became women’s basketball co-captain, a member of the Student-Athlete Leadership Council, and an active participant in other student organizations on campus.