Psychology is the study of human behavior and mental processes, so if you’ve ever wondered about people’s motivations, tried to understand your own feelings, or discussed the actions of others around you, you’ve already explored this area, albeit in an informal fashion. As you learn how to formalize your inquiries into a scientific study, you’ll be exploring psychology’s historical underpinnings, as well as the influence of culture and social context. Our diverse programs of study, which concentrate on areas like neuroscience and clinical, developmental, and cultural psychology, will prepare you to work or pursue further study in a variety of fields where knowledge of human motivation, critical thinking skills, and sensitivity are valued. To become a practicing psychologist, students must prepare to pursue a degree at the Masters or Doctorate level.
The educational goals for this major are as follows:
Your classes’ small professor-student ratio will allow you to collaborate with professors in their areas of research, while benefitingĚýfrom their mentorship, and ourĚýcommitment toĚýthe liberal arts tradition, as well asĚýour location in Paris,Ěýwill give youĚýaccess to interdisciplinary perspectives,Ěýintercultural field experience,ĚýandĚýresources from French and European scientific institutions, laboratories, and archives.ĚýAs youĚýconsider human psychology from different analytical frameworks,Ěýwhile challenging the validity of any single one, our hope is thatĚýdialogue and debateĚýwillĚýthrive inĚýthe classroom and across the AUP community, through hosted conferences and invited speakers from around the world.Ěý
With every single one of our majors, you’ll find a carefully curated medley of core courses and electives, which will provide you with the tools you need to establish an unshakeable foundation in the principles and concepts fundamental to your growth within your disciplines of choice. Many majors also enable you to specialize further within the broader area of study.
We aim to help you develop a range of skills, capacities, and modes of inquiry that will be crucial for your future since employers and graduate schools are looking for the critical thinking and innovative problem-solving skills that are associated with a liberal arts education, including sophisticated writing abilities, willingness to pose difficult questions, and an understanding of the historical and cultural contexts surrounding a topic or decision.Ěý
Each elective provides you with entry toĚýa variety of subject areas which you can choose among to further focus your studies. With the help of your academic advisor, you’ll be able to tailor your major so that it most effectively prepares you for the next step in your academic and professional journey.
The PsychologyĚýcore courses, which you must take as part of the major requirements, will provide you with the tools you’ll need to ground your present and future studies. Your introduction to the fundamentals of PsychologyĚýwill help pave the way for your successful completion of other PsychologyĚýcourses.