Psychology Students

CI Support Services:

• Writing and Multiliteracy Center (WMC) - for writing help and feedback, including with research papers
• Learning Resource Center (LRC) - for tutoring help, including with statistics and SPSS
• Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS) - offers individual counseling and support groups
• Ask a Librarian at the John Spoor Broome Library - including help with lit searches
• Basic Needs Program - for emergency housing, funds, clothing and food
• Student Research Advisory Committee - for information regarding student research opportunities, including funding for research and conference travel.

Psychology Clubs and Organizations at CI:

• Psi Chi Honor Society
• Psychology Club
• Psychology Transfer Learning Community

Regional, National and International Organizations

Professional organizations offer many resources, and typically hold annual research conferences. The following groups are popular among psychology students and faculty at CI. 

• American Psychological Association (APA)
• Association for Psychological Science (APS)
• Society for Advancement of Chicanos/Hispanics & Native Americans in Science (SACNAS)
• Southern California Conference for Undergraduate Research (SCCUR)
• Social Science Research and Instructional Council
• National Conference on Undergraduate Research (NCUR)
• Western Psychological Association (WPA)

Grad School Resources:

• Faculty guidelines for requesting letters of recommendations
• Dr. Volkan's Guide to Applying to Graduate School in Psychology
• Finding graduate programs
  • APA has a directory of graduate programs in Psychology. You can purchase access to the online directory, buy a copy of the physical book, or check out a copy for free at the library.
  • Graduate programs which include clinical training are reviewed by different accreditation agencies, and include the following directories:
    • APA - accredited Clinical, School, and Counseling Psychology programs
    • COAMFTE - accredited Marriage and Family Therapy programs
    • CSWE-accredited Social Work programs
  • APA's 54 divisions each focus on a different subfield of psychology, and division websites often provide lists of graduate programs in that area. For example:
    • Division 5: Quantitative & Qualitative Methods
    • Division 7: Developmental Psychology
    • Division 8: Personality & Social Psychology
    • Division 14: Industrial & Organizational Psychology

Research and Internship Opportunities at CI:

• CI offers a summer undergraduate research fellowship (SURF) program
• The Psychology Program also has courses which involve community internships and faculty-mentored research. Opportunities are limited and vary each semester. Contact the professor for more information. 
  • PSY 492 - Internship or Service Learning
  • PSY 494 - Independent Research in Psychology
  • PSY 497 - Directed Study in Psychology

Summer Research Programs:

• CI offers a summer undergraduate research fellowship (SURF) program
• CI's Student Research Advisory Committee lists many summer research programs, including programs offered at schools in the UC system. 
• Many psychology-related summer research programs are sponsored by the National Science Foundation (NSF) or the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and are held at universities throughout the country.
• Opportunities may also be found on lists compiled by:
  • American Psychological Association (APA)
  • Society for Science of Clinical Psychology (SSCP)
  • Society for Personality and Social Psychology (SPSP)
  • Big 10 Academic Alliance

Post-grad Research Opportunities:

Post-baccalaureate "post-bac" or pre-doctoral "pre-doc" opportunities are research-oriented positions for recent graduates. Although they vary, many of these opportunities are paid, time-limited (1-3 years), full-time positions designed to provide recent graduates with extensive research involvement before graduate school. There is not a comprehensive database of all opportunities, but the following lists have several postings relevant to Psychology grads. In addition, you may look for job postings on academic job websites such as APACareers or HigherEdJobs, and directly on individual university HR websites. Job titles vary, but are commonly labeled as "Post-bac", "Research Assistant", "Research/Lab Coordinator" or "Lab Manager."

• Psychology Jobs & Internships
• Psychology Job Wiki: Predoctoral Jobs
• NIH-sponsored post-bac program
• Also look for postings on social media, including @PsychChatter

Careers in Psychology:

• CI offers a special topics course PSY 490 Topics in Psychology: Navigating Careers in Psychology which reviews various educational and career pathways in the field of psychology. As part of the course, students also work on professional development skills including: assessing career development goals, preparing graduate school and job application materials and interviewing skills.
• CI's Career Development Center offers service to help students and alumni find and apply for jobs.
• APA has 54 divisions, each focused on a different subfield of psychology. Division websites typically offer information about graduate programs and careers in that area. 
• APA's Center for Workforce Studies (CWS) shares information about educational and career pathways in psychology, including data related to salaries, job demand and outlook, sociodemographics, and other employment characteristics.

Frequently Asked Questions

• How to enroll in classes, including questions about waitlists and permission codes
• Contact Academic Advising for general questions about registration, course requirements and degree planning.
• Contact a Psychology Program Advisor for specific questions about psychology course substitutions, and planning for graduate school and careers in psychology.