One of Siena’s most popular majors, the psychology program prepares you to enter graduate programs and/or careers in specialties like clinical health psychology, school psychology, child psychology, forensic psychology and more. You’ll also be ready to for success in a wide variety of other careers like non-profit management, human resources, counseling, training and development, education and mediation.
Siena is the #5 College in New York State for Psychology majors to get jobs. As a psychology major, you'll get the skill development necessary for successful careers in the helping and health professions: strong critical thinking, scientific reasoning, communicating with confidence and microcounseling, as well as experience in research and data analysis. You’ll take a wide range of courses in child, adolescent, and adult psychology, as well as courses in personality, abnormal and physiological psychology, perception, testing and research methods. You’ll also get plenty of hands-on experience in laboratories and internships, as well as through independent research and opportunities to collaborate on faculty research. An 18-credit minor is also offered.
Internship are available for a variety of psychology and related fields, including:
Siena’s psychology graduates have had considerable success in competitive graduate programs, including those at the University of Connecticut, Seton Hall University, St. John’s University, SUNY Albany, and Lehigh University. Our alumni also have launched successful careers in psychology practices, counseling centers, human resources departments, colleges, and school systems.
Dmitry Burshteyn Ph.D., associate professor of psychology, and Jami Cotler, Ph.D., associate professor of computer science, joined forces to offer Adaptability, Accessibility, and Resilience at War/Conflict Times (PSYC490) and Trauma Informed UX Design (CSIS200). They and their 22 students traveled to Poland, where they spoke with refugees from the Ukrainian conflict, met with an international aid organization, and bore witness at the infamous Nazi death camp Auschwitz-Birkenau.
In Burshteyn’s psychology class, the focus was on resilience, empathy, and providing social support to war victims. Students began by exploring techniques and practices aimed at managing stress in times of uncertainty. They then did a deeper dive into understanding the complex nature of trauma in war zones and other conflict environments.
Psychology at Siena
