Psychology

From cells to society, the study of psychology enables you to discover explanations for thought, feelings and behavior from different angles, using a variety of different lenses.

As an academic discipline, psychology helps you understand the human experience, including oneself and one’s interactions with others. As a psychology major, your courses will combine theory and empirical research to give you a better understanding and appreciation of the complex factors that influence observable behavior and thinking in people and other animals.

Working closely with faculty mentors, you will have the opportunity to participate in Oxy’s Summer Research Program, where you’ll present your research to peers and faculty, or you may become one of the psychology majors who have been co-authors on papers published in peer-reviewed journals. Recent student research topics range from loneliness and coping mechanisms among college students to the relationship between hunger and exercise in rats. Members of Oxy’s Thinking Lab study the building blocks of human thought—concepts—using tools from cognitive, developmental and educational psychology. Research at Oxy’s Canine Intelligence Lab explores the evolution of social decision making, emotional perception, inhibitory control, and executive functioning in dogs.  

Studying psychology at Occidental is a springboard for many different careers and graduate programs. You’ll be well prepared for a career in fields such as clinical psychology, research, counseling, education, social work, medicine, forensic psychology, law and business. Other graduates have entered academia as professors at institutions such as Yale, USC, UCLA and Johns Hopkins, while others have secured positions at U.S. government agencies like the Department of Education, Department of Justice and Department of Veterans Affairs.

chloe lindner headshot

At Oxy, psychology professors treat you like graduate students. Students are actively involved in their research and are integral members of their labs. Our input is valued, and we are a part of the entire research process.

Chloe Lindner
Psychology major; Madison, NJ

Meet Our Faculty

What Our Graduates Are Doing

Clinical neuropsychologist, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center

Enrique Lopez
1989

Chief Strategy Officer, California Medical Association

Jay Hansen
1985

CEO, David's Bridal

Scott Key
1989

Ph.D. program in Counseling Psychology, University of Minnesota, Twin Cities

Amelia Blankenau
2021

Assistant professor of psychology, CSU Long Beach

Amy Wax
2010

Ph.D. program in psychology, Southern Methodist University

Bree Geary
2012

Medical school, University of Toledo

Laura Zima
2015

Law school, Chapman University Fowler School of Law

Lesley Pilgrim
2018

Family Support Counselor, LA Children's Bureau

Mikayla Branz
2015
Contact Psychology
Swan Hall 112