Psychology Student Opportunities

Special opportunities for Psychology majors include teaching assistantships, internships on and off campus, and independent study projects, working closely with a faculty member in small groups. 

Psychology students get hands-on, resume-building experience in a professional setting through our large and growing internship program. These internships not only provide an opportunity to gain genuine work experience but also can help you evaluate your career options. The Psychology Department has developed connections with many health and social service organizations in Otsego County, and these organizations host interns every semester.  

Some internship opportunities are also available right on campus, and paid internship stipends are available through our Career Planning and Networking Center.

You can earn one credit hour for every 40 hours of on-site experience at your internship site. Most internships are 3 credits. A typical 3-credit internship experience during your fall or spring semester involves one and full day at your internship site and another half day at the site. If you have room in your course schedule, you can complete more than one internship during your junior and senior years, up to 16 credits.

The Psychology Department offers opportunities for students to get involved in ongoing research projects, or to initiate and oversee projects of their own design. You can receive course credit for a research or teaching assistantship with a faculty member in the department.

Recent research projects have been conducted in the areas of eyewitness memory, moral development, community needs, cognition, personality and aggression, gender cognitions, parenting and parent-child relations, and health promotion and behavior changes.

Two student organizations, the Psychology Club and the Psi Chi International Honor Society for Psychology, arrange visits to educational and professional institutions, conduct workshops and panels, bring in speakers and organize trips to regional or national conferences, where students pursuing independent study research projects have presented posters and papers. 

Psychology Club

The Psychology Club provides a place for students who are interested in psychology to meet and share their knowledge and their passion for this field of study. The club provides opportunities for students to learn about everything from classes in the major to careers after college. Everyone is welcome to join, whether you are a Psychology major or not!  

Psi Chi Honor Society

Psi Chi  is the International Honor Society in Psychology, founded in 1929 for the purposes of encouraging, stimulating and maintaining excellence in scholarship, and advancing the science of psychology. In order to become a recognized member of Psi Chi, you must obtain at least first-semester sophomore status at SUNY Oneonta, be a Psychology major and have an overall and major GPA of at least 3.0.