Thank you for your interest in Psychology at Illinois. Some of you may have formally encountered the study of Psychology through a high school class, the Advanced Placement test, or a community college class. Others may be intrigued with the behaviors of people around them, recently read a good book, or been entranced by a television show or movie.
The Department of Psychology works to advance the scientific study of human and animal behavior. Psychologists study behavior in systems ranging from single cells to the individual person, from small groups to communities. Psychologists strive to describe behavior and to understand its underlying biological and social mechanisms.
Psychology students apply their understanding to all aspects of society: research, law, non-profit, medical, therapy, counseling, sales, marketing, human resources, education, etc. The broadness of the undergraduate program provides many options for students when they graduate, including: employment in education, business environments, social service agencies, or more schooling at the masters or doctoral level.
The Department of Psychology offers two undergraduate majors in Brain and Cognitive Science and Psychology. We also offer a minor in Psychology.
The Psychology Major is a broad-based curriculum within a research-focused department. The program is designed both for students interested in a liberal arts education with psychology as a focal area and for students who plan to attend graduate or professional school either in psychology or in a different field such as medicine, law, social work, business administration, counseling, labor relations, and many others.
The Brain and Cognitive Science Major introduces students to a simple question: How do intelligent systems work? Brain and Cognitive Science majors investigate the brain and behavior of intelligent biological systems (e.g. people) from the perspective that the brain is a kind of computer. Consequently, students must learn about how brains and computers work, and how these can explain what we know about mental functions including perception, learning, memory, and language. Brain and Cognitive Science majors make use of discoveries from a number of different disciplines, including psychology, neuroscience, computer science, linguistics, philosophy, and anthropology, and has applications to the development of technology in education, health, language sciences, and design.
Psychology teams up with the Office of Admissions "Visit Programs" to provide departmental-specific information to students/families. Join us for a lively discussion about your potential major.
Learn more about why you should study Psychology at the University of Illinois.