Department of Psychology

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The Psychology Advising Center at Penn State's University Park campus provides a variety of advising and related services to undergraduate majors and minors in psychology. Students at other Penn State locations considering the University Park psychology major, or students considering attending Penn State as psychology majors, are also welcome to contact the Advising Center.

Our advising philosophy is to provide information and assistance to students as they navigate the sometimes complex environment of a large university like Penn State, and to provide resources and guidance for students exploring the field of psychology and possible careers in psychology. Our goal is to equip students to make and take responsibility for their own decisions as they do this. 

Contact information 

Note: Please do not send the same email to multiple people listed below!

Location:	111 Moore Building
Hours:	M-F 7-noon and 1-5 (see below for advising availability)
Email:	PSYADVISING@PSU.EDU (all general questions)
Phone:	(814) 865-9514
Office Staff:	Elaine Prestia erp3@psu.edu Department Receptionist/Staff Assistant Sherri Gilliland  sbg4@psu.edu Undergraduate Records Staff Assistant Dr. Richard Carlson racarlson@psu.edu Professor and Director of Undergraduate Studies, Psychology Suzanne Bennett svb2@psu.edu Academic Advisor Colleen Heckard cmh130@psu.edu Academic Advisor Joelle Sherlock jps13@psu.edu Academic Advisor
Professional Staff:

Visiting the Advising Center

Experience has shown that most advising issues can be covered during walk-in advising. However, some topics that require more time - for example, the first advising appointment for transfer students from other colleges or universities, review of concurrent major applications, discussing change of location, and other complex issues -- are better handled in appointment. Please read below to help you determine when a walk-in will suit your needs and when an appointment may be the better option.

It is our goal to provide accurate and complete information in response to
all inquiries. Towards that end we would prefer to have face-to-face
meetings with our students. Telephone and email advising does not offer the
same quality of communication that good old-fashioned meetings offer. Many
issues seem simple on the surface, but with a few clarifying questions from
your adviser, are actually quite deep. It will take more time, but you will
get more out of it. Trust us and come see us. In person.

ADVISING HOURS

Walk-ins hours from August 23rd through September 7th:

Our walk-in schedule during the free drop/add period will be: Monday-Friday from 8:30AM-11:00AM and 1:30PM-3:30PM. During walk-in hours, you will be seen by the first available advisor.

Fall semester walk-in hours will begin September 10th. Our schedule will be: Monday»1:30PM-3:30PM, Tuesday»1:30PM-3:30PM, Thursday»8:30AM-11:00AM, Friday»8:30AM-11:00AM.

For items that will take longer than 10 minutes, you can make an appointment with your assigned advisor by calling 865-9514 or stopping by 111 Moore Building. Please ask for your advisor by name - check eLion if you do not know who your advisor is.

Walk-in hours

Walk-ins (10-15 minutes): Student should look at doing no more than 2 of the items listed below during a walk-in time. For more than 2 items, the student should schedule an appointment.

Walk-ins are intended for quick trips to see an advisor. Things for which neither the advisor nor the advisee needs to do any significant preparation are ideal opportunities for a walk-in. Every effort is made to contain walk-ins to 10 minute sessions in order to accommodate as many students as possible during these times and to alleviate the lines waiting on the bench.

Please phone 865-9514 or stop by 111 Moore for available appointment times. You will simply sign in at the first desk with Elaine when you arrive. All advisors will be seeing students, and you will see the next available advisor. While you may have to wait a few minutes to be seen, your questions will be answered when you leave! You are still welcome to make appointments to address topics that require longer time periods.

Appointments

Appointments (30 minutes): Students who are more than 10 minutes late will forfeit their appointment.

Scheduling an appointment gives both the advisor and the advisee a chance to prepare, and to set aside a block of time to focus on the student’s academic progress, plans and goals. If the student feels it is necessary to make a list of their concerns, these concerns are most likely complex enough to merit an appointment. Students with particularly busy semesters might prefer an appointment in order to avoid waiting their turn during walk-ins.

Please schedule an appointment for discussions that will take a significant amount of an advisor's time. Please call 865-9514 to schedule an appointment. Every appointment is planned for 30 minutes unless otherwise scheduled. If you must cancel an appointment, please call the office as soon as you know you will be unable to attend.  NOTE: If a parent will be accompanying you to the appointment, please notify us ahead of time as you will need to sign a permission form for us to speak with them.

Caution: The Center makes every effort to meet with students… our reality is that there are over a thousand of you and only a few of us…. So, you may have to wait up to two weeks for an appointment, especially at busy times of the semester…. So, please, plan ahead, call early, and write down your appointment date and time. Missed appointments cause problems for everyone!

Drop-offs/Drop-by

Drop-offs/Drop-by: Some things can be handled without seeing an advisor. Be sure to stop at the first desk and ask Elaine to see the appropriate person.

Many items can be addressed by the staff in the office during our regular office hours.

Advising Center Services:

Degree Audit Explanation
Long and Short Term Schedule Planning
Graduation Checks
Major Declaration
Minor Registration
Transfer Credit Evaluation
Study Abroad Credit Evaluation
Internship Exploration
Graduate School Planning
Career Information

Degree Audit Explanation:

You can meet with an advisor to go over your degree audit. This will allow you to see where your classes “fit” into your total graduation picture. You can see what courses you are still required to take as well as chart your progress. We recommend that you do this at least once per academic year, to insure that you are taking courses that you need. Also, going over your audit with an advisor may allow you to make more effective use of the courses you've already taken.

Long and Short Term Schedule Planning:

An academic advisor can help you select your classes for the upcoming semester, as well as help you chart a “long term” schedule. This will help you pre-select classes in a thought out manner so that you can be confident that you are making progress toward graduation. 

Major Declaration:

To declare psychology as your major, you will want to schedule an appointment with a Psychology Advisor in 130 Moore Building. Please be sure to fill in if you wish to pursue a BA or a BS and the option you wish to take on the sign-in sheet. Click here to explore the options available to you. An advisor will go over your degree audit and tell you of the services provided in the office. They will answer your questions about the major and make sure that you understand what it takes to graduate. The student then returns the paperwork to 101 Sparks for processing.

Minor Declaration:

If you decide that you want to Minor in Psychology , you must pick up a Psychology Minor Application in 111 Moore Building, fill it out in full and have your Major Advisor sign it. Return the form to 111 Moore Building for processing. Any questions about the PSY Minor should be directed to Sherri Gilliland (sbg4@psu.edu), or you can click here to find out what the requirements are for a PSY Minor.

A Psychology Minor Application can also be downloaded and printed at: http://psych.la.psu.edu/undergrad/minor.html

Questions about other minors should be directed to the department offering the minor; PSY majors may drop off minor forms in 111 Moore for the major advisor signature or brought in during an appointment.

Transfer Credit Evaluation:

If you are a transfer student from another institution or a Change of Location student from a Commonwealth Campus, it is imperative that you meet with an Academic Advisor BEFORE you register for your first semester at University Park. If you are from another institution, please bring the following to your academic meeting: Transfer Credit Evaluation Sheet (this was given to you in your transfer acceptance packet and is from the Admissions Office), and a course catalogue from the institution attended as well as any syllabi you kept. These materials will help you make the most of your time with a counselor. When you call in to schedule your appointment, be sure to set aside an hour. 

If you are from a Commonwealth Campus, you most likely will not need any of these materials, but it is suggested that you bring whatever psychology syllabi you kept for transferable credit evaluation.

Study Abroad Credit Evaluation:

Many study abroad opportunities which are made available through the University Office of International Programs or International Education Programs and Studies (IEPS) are already evaluated and on the web. If, however, you are planning to take a course that has not been pre-approved, it is imperative that you bring in a course description to the Advising Center for evaluation before you go (a course syllabus may be requested if more information is needed in making a determination). The IEPS office will give you an accreditation sheet. This and the course description should be turned into the Advising Center. The Staff Assistant will call you to pick it up once it has been evaluated. Click here to go to the IESP homepage.

Graduation Checks:

Each semester the Records Office will perform a check of the degree audit of each student who has indicated an intent to graduate. If any problems are detected, our office will notify you as soon as possible by your PSU email. Remember that you should visit eLion (elion.psu.edu) to register your intent to graduate. The deadline for registering intent is early each semester; check the Registrar's home page or call the Advising Center (865-9514) if you need this information.

Internship Exploration:

Internships are not required to complete a psychology degree, but students may elect to do an internship for credit. Up to 3.0 credits of PSY/PSYCH 495 maybe be applied to the 400-level psychology requirements. Any credits taken beyond this will fulfill elective credits. To some degree an internship may be helpful, but the type of work you may perform may be limited. It is up to the student to identify the internship site as well as to find a faculty sponsor who will designate the grade at the end of the semester. An academic advisor can go over the paperwork and expectations with you. They can explain all that is involved with the process. Additionally, the Advising Center has the paperwork you need to fill out in order to get credit for an internship.  ALL INTERNSHIPS MUST BE REGISTERED FOR BEFORE ANY WORK IS PERFORMED!

Graduate School Exploration:

The process of applying to graduate school can be quite overwhelming. The Advising Center has a hand out that helps walk you through the process. If you would rather speak to someone about the process, you can speak with an advisor. It is very important that you not wait until fall of your senior year to begin the process. If you think you want to pursue Graduate School, then see an academic advisor in the Spring of your Junior year to be sure that you are meeting requirements and understand the process.We've collected some of the basic information on a web page about  applying to graduate school.

Career information

There are several sites that will help you explore careers and job opportunities in Psychology:
Marky Lloyd's Careers in Psychology
On line Psychology Career Center
PA Counseling Association
National Association of Social Workers
Council on Social Work Education

The above descriptions give you some information about what the Advising Center can offer you. For any remaining questions about the operation of the advising center, please phone 865-9514 or email PSYADVISING@PSU.EDU. You may also wish to return to the main undergraduate section of our web site to view some of the information resources available there. If you would like to schedule an appointment to speak with an advisor, please stop by or call 865- 9514.

This page was last updated on 08-06-07.