Psychology is the scientific study of behavior and mental processes. The overarching goal of the Psychology Department of McDaniel College is to provide students with the training and opportunity to approach questions of human and animal behavior as psychologists would. Toward this end, psychology majors will:

• Develop a foundational knowledge in the basic areas of the discipline (e.g., learning, social, developmental, and clinical psychology), including an appreciation for the connectedness and distinctness of psychological subfields;
• Have an understanding of foundational theories and perspectives in the field;
• Receive training to define research questions, select methods for collecting and analyzing data, and critically evaluate research findings;
• Be exposed to original literature in the field; * Communicate, both orally and in written form, in the manner typical of the discipline;
• Develop an appreciation for how research and practice can inform each other;
• Be sensitive to ethical dilemmas in psychological research and practice; and
• Understand how psychological knowledge and principles can be applied to their own lives and experiences.