Psychology Degree

Explore the Psychology degree program

What contributes to personality? What goes on in the mind of children as they grow and develop? What causes a criminal to commit a robbery or even a murder? Psychology is the scientific study of the mind and behavior, and attempts to answer numerous questions like these.

Psychology is a deep and exciting field, an excellent foundation for a variety of careers, graduate school, or professional school. Counseling, social service, criminal justice, even business and marketing fields are strongly based on the study of psychology.

With a Psychology degree, you’ll develop a good understanding of the human mind so you can make smart business choices or accurate predictions of how a person would act or react – both substantial benefits in any career.

View program courses Download program fact sheet (PDF)

Prepare for your future

Opportunities and outcomes

Psychology topics covered

Human behavior, abnormal behavior, and social behavior
Theories of personality, psychology, and schools of thought
Research and methods of experimental psychology
Principles, theories, and research on learning and behavior
Issues in human cognition, learning, and memory
Relationship between the nervous system and behavior
Statistics and statistical measures

Student learning outcomes

Describe facts, concepts, theories, and issues of the discipline of psychology
Use research methods and statistics to demonstrate critical thinking, reasoning, and analytical skills
Create written and oral communication that reflects the principles of psychology
Apply ethical standards of the discipline to psychological research

Behavioral Health Education Center of Nebraska (BHECN)

Launched in 2023, BHECN Northeast provides career preparation and outreach programming for students in the behavioral health field. Programming includes conferences, workshops, and professional development activities, all geared toward students considering careers in human services and behavioral health.

Psychology internships

Our outstanding Career Services Office is available to help you find psychology internships and career opportunities. Students recently completed internships at the following locations:

Behavioral Health Specialists
ESU 1 Tower School
Haven House Family Support Services
Integrated Life Choices
Lincoln Police Department

Career services and internships

Graduates of the Psychology degree program work in their chosen field using the skills they learned while at Wayne State College. Each year, eager employers welcome WSC graduates into their organizations.

Jobs of recent graduates:

Case Worker – Nebraska Correctional Facility for Women (York, Neb.)
Community Support Professional – Region V Services (David City, Neb.)
Family Service Agent – State of South Dakota (Vermillion, S.D.)
Foster Care Specialist – Better Living Counseling (Lincoln, Neb.)
Mental Health Technician – CHI Health (Omaha, Neb.)
Psychiatric Technician – Great Plains Health (North Platte, Neb.)
Public Safety Officer – University of Nebraska Medical Center (Omaha, Neb.)
Sheriff Deputy – Cass County Sheriff’s Office (Plattsmouth, Neb.)
Youth Counselor – McCrossan Boys Ranch (Sioux Falls, S.D.)
Youth Mental Health Associate – Human Services Center (Yankton, S.D.)

job or grad school placement rate
within six months of graduation
Data based on most recent
employment outcomes survey

After graduating from Wayne State College, recent grads pursued advanced degrees at the following schools:

Clinical Mental Health Counseling (MSE) – Wayne State College (Wayne, Neb.)
Clinical Mental Health (M.S.) – University of South Dakota (Vermillion, S.D.)
Clinical Psychology (Psy.D.) – Augsburg University (Minneapolis, Minn.)
Criminal Justice Administration and Management (MSOM) – Wayne State College (Wayne, Neb.)
Criminology (M.S.) – University of Nebraska-Omaha (Omaha, Neb.)
Law (J.D.) – University of Nebraska-College of Law (Lincoln, Neb.)
Nursing (BSN) – University of Nebraska Medical Center (Norfolk, Neb.
Psychology (M.S.) – Arizona State University (Tempe, Ariz.)
School Psychology (Ed.S.) – University of Northern Colorado (Greeley, Colo.)
School Psychology (Ed.S.) – University of South Dakota (Vermillion, S.D.)

Cost of attendance

Most Affordable College in Nebraska

- College Affordability Guide, 2024

Wayne State is considered the most affordable four-year college or university in Nebraska. With same rates for in- and out-of-state students, our tuition guarantee, and our generous scholarship packages, it is clear to see how WSC earned the title. In fact, the average remaining annual cost of attendance for 2024-25 is $2,268 for undergraduate students after financial aid and scholarships.

Psychology major (36 credit hours)

Credits: 3
Description: An overview of human behavior from various psychological perspectives. Topics covered to include; learning, maturation, biological foundations, motivation, perception, personality development, personal awareness, abnormal behavior, and social behavior.
Credits: 3
Description: An introduction to the methods of experimental psychology as a means of obtaining information about behavior. The laboratory section will allow students to learn to apply and report research methods by initiating, conducting, analyzing, and reporting experimental research procedures.
Prerequisite: SSC 319 Statistics for the Social Sciences or equivalent taken concurrently or prior to taking the course.
Credits: 0
Description: For the purpose of psychology assessment, students will complete a comprehensive psychology exam to measure knowledge of the field of psychology. Students will also complete a program evaluation. This class will meet every semester on the Friday preceding Finals Week. Graduation requirement. Graded S/NC.
Prerequisites: PSY 405 Experimental Psychology and 100 credit hours
Credits: 3
Description: Introduction to the statistical measures commonly used in social sciences research and their application to research problems in the various social sciences disciplines. Includes use of computer statistical packages for social sciences.
Prerequisite: 3 hours of math
Choose one course from the following:
- PSY 401 Theories of Personality (3 credits) – Distinctive themes of selected theories of personality will be presented. Emphasis is placed on those themes that foster knowledge of individual behavior.
- PSY 470 History and Systems (3 credits) – A study of the ideas and contributions of individuals who influenced the development of psychology as a science. Topics include important theories and schools of thought on which psychology is based.
Choose 6 hours from the following:
- PSY 402 Learning (3 credits) – A study of the principles, theories, and research on learning and behavior. The course will emphasize basic principles of learning and real-world examples and applications of them. Topics include habituation, classical conditioning, reinforcement, punishment, stimulus control of behavior, biological constraints on learning, and animal memory and cognition.
- PSY 403 Cognitive Psychology (3 credits) – This course is organized around the information-processing framework of human cognition. The purpose of the class is to introduce substantive fundamental issues in human cognition, learning and memory. Selected experiments and their implications for conceptual issues will be discussed in depth in order to draw their direct pertinence to and potential impact upon human affairs.
- PSY 460 Physiological Psychology (3 credits) – Coursework will focus on the relationship between the nervous system and behavior. Theories of interactions between the brain and behavior, the research methods and results of such studies, and the implications of the findings will be examined.
Additional electives: Choose an additional 18 credit hours of PSY courses not previously taken from the list below:
- PSY 230 Life Span Development (3)
- PSY 300 Evolutionary Psychology (3)
- PSY 316 Social Psychology (3)
- PSY 345 Health Psychology (3)
- PSY 401 Theories of Personality (3)
- PSY 402/502 Learning (3)
- PSY 403/503 Cognitive Psychology (3)
- PSY 406/506 Death and Dying (3)
- PSY 408/508 Forensic Psychology (3)
- PSY 410/510 Psychology of Small Group Behavior (3)
- PSY 415/515 Human Sexuality (3)
- PSY 430/530 Positive Psychology (3)
- PSY 435/535 Industrial/Organizational Psychology (3)
- PSY 440/540 Psychopharmacology (3)
- PSY 444/544 Topics in Psychology (3)
- PSY 450/550 Abnormal Psychology (3)
- PSY 460/560 Physiological Psychology (3)
- PSY 470/570 History and Systems (3)

Popular pairings

Many students at Wayne State will add a second major or a minor to complement their program of study, or to focus their studies on a specific topic. Students who recently majored in Psychology at Wayne State also paired this major with one or more of the following programs:

Business Administration (minor)
Criminal Justice (major or minor)
Human Services (major or minor)
Philosophy (minor)
Sociology (major or minor)

View all majors and minors

Related programs

Students interested in the Psychology program may also be interested in:

Criminal Justice (B.A. or B.S.)
Human Services (B.A. or B.S.)
Sociology (B.A. or B.S.)

Wayne State allowed me to find my passion, academically. My bachelor’s degree in Psychology is preparing me for the vigorous theoretical aspects of grad school, and my minor in Human Services has given me hands-on experience in group work and interviewing skills that will be instrumental in preparing me for the next step of my career. The professors here are amazing. I’m comfortable talking to them about any questions or concerns I have, and they have created an environment where I know I’m supported and can lean on them for anything.

Isabelle Vacek

Ankeny, Iowa

Major: Psychology

Isabelle Vacek

Ankeny, Iowa

Major: Psychology

Meet the professors

Psychology and Sociology Department faculty

Marianna Baykina, Ph.D.

Assistant Professor

Dan Miller, Ph.D.

Professor

Jeff Shelton, Ph.D.

Assistant Professor

Monica Snowden, Ph.D.

Professor

Shane Westfall, Ph.D.

Assistant Professor

Explore the Psychology degree program

Fast facts