
The Psychology Major has a professional focus, rooted in Connected Learning, that seeks to educate students by promoting self-expression, academic exploration, and critical thinking in academic, civic, and career-relevant areas.
- The Psychology major emphasizes how individuals think, feel, and behave within personal, social, cultural and societal contexts.
- Students in the Psychology degree program are prepared to seek employment in a wide variety of social service or therapeutic settings in administration, education, child welfare settings, research and human service agencies.
- Students are also prepared for graduate programs in areas such as clinical or counseling psychology, school psychology, organizational psychology, social work, hospital administration, public health and criminal justice.
- Lasell's School of Humanities, Education, Justice & Social Sciences has degree programs in Criminal Justice, Education, English, Global Studies, History, Law & Public Affairs, Legal Studies, Psychology, and Sociology.
Connected Learning complements traditional approaches with active learning experiences by doing internships, service learning, and challenging projects in and out of the classroom.
Classes & Projects
- The Case Management & Counseling course provides first-year students the opportunity to dive right into the world of counselors and case managers by learning first hand how to assess, interview, and communicate with clients.
- Students conduct and collaborate on research projects to publish in scholarly journals and present at national industry conferences, and learn to write grant proposals to secure funding for advocacy and academic endeavors.
- Faculty provide students the opportunity to conduct research and present at conferences with them, such as presenting at the American Psychological Association, Eastern Psychological Association, and more.
- The Persuading People, Preserving Planet class partnered with Lasell's Environmental Studies program to research why people tend not to recycle their Dunkin Donuts cups and bags. The class explored current environmental issues from a scientific perspective with an environmental scientist while learning about the psychological techniques of persuasion and social influence. They then implemented the findings of their research and designed new bags, which were then surveyed to measure effectiveness.
Partnerships
Lasell has a partnership with Regis College which gives students the opportunity to start taking graduate level courses at no additional cost. The credits can be applied to the undergraduate degree and may carry over to the graduate level. This program provides graduate level experience and the opportunity to continue graduate work at Regis - the GRE requirement and application fee may be waived.
Internship Sequence
Students complete a three-semester internship sequence which allows them to link theory with practice while networking and building their resumes. Through a set of structured experiences, students develop the knowledge and skills necessary to evaluate and counsel individuals, groups, organizations, and communities.
As part of our robust program, students have gained internships at:
With the Pyschology program at Lasell, students have flourished in careers in social work and advocacy, working as counselors, educators, researchers, case managers, and clincians. We have also had students work as pre-school directors, family intervention specialists, and in hospital administration. Specifically, we had students go on to work with:
- The Red Cross, organizing disaster relief and coordinating needs
- New England Center for Children, working with boys on the autism spectrum
- Boys and Girls Club as the Director of Camp and Day programming
- Harvard University as a research assistant
- VA Hospital as a project manager
Students have also gone on to continue their studies at the graduate level, focusing on public health, nursing, law, and criminal justice.
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Lori Rosenthal, Ph.D. Dean, School of Social Sciences, Humanities & Education; Professor of Psychology Areas of Expertise: psychological perspectives; personality psychology; social psychology
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Charlotte Frazier, Ph.D. Associate Professor of Psychology
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Sarahbeth Golden, Ph.D. Associate Professor of Psychology, Program Chair of Social Sciences Areas of Expertise: clinical psychology; media consumption and their relationship beliefs and expectations; human sexuality; psychology of personality
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Betsy Leondar-Wright, Ph.D. Assistant Professor of Sociology Areas of Expertise: race and ethnicity; social movements; sociology
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Tessa LeRoux, Ph.D Professor of Sociology Areas of Expertise: gender and family studies; sociology
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Marsha Mirkin, Ph.D. Professor of Psychology Areas of Expertise: family therapy; women's studies; adolescent psychotherapy
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James Ostrow, Ph.D. Professor Emeritus, Sociology Areas of Expertise: intersection of social theory, continental philosophy, and American pragmatist philosophy; sociological theory; qualitative research; educational philosophy; educational research methods
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Jesse Tauriac, Ph.D. Associate Professor of Psychology; Director of the Donahue Institute for Ethics, Diversity, and Inclusion Areas of Expertise: transformative education; cultural competence; clinical psychology
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Zane Zheng, Ph.D. Associate Professor of Psychology; Chair of Academic Research Areas of Expertise: cognitive neuroscience; speech perception; biological basis of behavior; psychological perspectives
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Below is a sample list of courses
Course Code |
Course Title |
Credits |
Core Courses |
HS101 |
Human Services: Systems & Skills |
3 |
HS210 |
Case Management & Counseling |
3 |
HS215 |
Foundation Internship |
3 |
HS217 |
Foundations of Ethical Fieldwork |
3 |
HS415 |
Advanced Internship I |
3 |
HS417 |
Field Intervention Strategies |
3 |
HS425 |
Advanced Internship II |
3 |
HS427 |
Systems & Organizational Change |
3 |
MATH208 |
Statistics |
3 |
PSYC101 |
Psychological Perspectives (KP) |
3 |
PSYC318 |
Abnormal Psychology |
3 |
SOC101 |
Sociological Imagination (KP) |
3 |
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