Department of Psychology : University of Arkansas

The Department of Psychology is one of the largest and most productive departments in the University in terms of service to our students. More than 400 have selected Psychology to be their undergraduate major, and the 70-80 graduates from our program each year pursue graduate training in Psychology and related fields, professional training in business, law, and medicine, or enter the workforce, often in the area of human and social services. Despite the size of our undergraduate program, the faculty is deeply committed to providing individualized training to our students. Last year over 20% of our graduating seniors completed Honors work, involving independent research projects supervised by faculty members who welcome the "best and the brightest" into their labs and research programs.

Strong Ph.D. programs in Clinical Psychology and Experimental Psychology attract 200-300 applications each year from highly qualified students from around the country for 8-10 available positions. Generous fellowships are available from the Graduate School for qualified students. Significant research support from our Marie Wilson Howells Fund provides research assistantships and small grants to facilitate completion of thesis and dissertation projects. After completing a four-year program of study on campus and a one-year pre-doctoral clinical internship, students in the APA-accredited Clinical Training Program get positions in academia, medical schools, community health centers, or private practice. An in-house training clinic that serves 200 campus and community clients per year and community clerkship placements provide students with exceptional clinical training opportunities while at the U of A. Students in the Experimental Training Program specialize in the areas of social psychology, developmental psychology, neuroscience, and cognitive psychology. Many of the graduates of the Experimental Training Program take faculty positions at colleges and universities around the country (largely as a consequence of the extensive supervised teaching experience that they receive), as well as applied positions in business and non-profit organizations.

The 17 faculty members of the Department teach a wide array of courses at the undergraduate and graduate levels, providing classes not only for our majors but also service courses for students from other departments and colleges on our campus. While meeting the critical teaching needs of a diverse student population, each member of the faculty maintains an active research program, contributing to the basic science of Psychology and to the clinical/human-service side of the field. The Center for Research on Violence and Victimization provides a focus for the research and service activities of several faculty interested in the treatment of victims and perpetrators of domestic and acquainteship violence. A second, emerging area of research concentration focuses on social and cognitive processes that affect one's self-image and memories of past episodes of one's life.

The Department of Psychology is an exciting period of transition, with new opportunities and new challenges facing us each day. New junior faculty have been added to a roster of established scholars, providing a vital mix of youth and experience. The Department of Psychology has much to offer, whether it be to students pursuing undergraduate and graduate degrees or to prospective faculty seeking positions to do their teaching and continue their research. Take a look. We think you will like what you find.

Our Place

The main campus of the University of Arkansas is located in Fayetteville, a city of 65,000, beautifully situated in the Boston range of the Ozark Mountains. Established in 1871, the campus has grown to an enrollment of approximately 17,000 students. The 420-acre, tree-shaded campus offers a stimulating but quiet setting for the pursuit of knowledge and gaining individual satisfaction and assurance. The campus and surrounding community offer a wide variety of pleasant accommodations for both undergraduate and graduate student living, and the University Housing Office is always ready to provide assistance in finding a place to live.

The area includes many of the advantages of an urban setting while still maintaining the natural beauty of the clean streams and clean air that attract many to the Ozarks. Excellent canoeing, fishing, hiking, and backpacking opportunities are available on the nearby Buffalo National River and in the Ozark and Ouachita National Forests.

The Department of Psychology is housed in Memorial Hall, a multilevel, 58,000 square-foot building listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The building has modern facilities for both human and small animal research, including specialized space for use with individuals and groups of children and adults. Offices and laboratories in the Department are equipped with personal computers that are linked to the University mainframe via Ethernet. The Psychological Clinic provides practicum experience for clinical students, and its treatment, testing, and research rooms are equipped with closed-circuit video.

The University's Mullins Library contains a wide range of professional psychology journal as well as journals from related fields. In addition, the extensive collection of major books published in the field of psychology is continually growing with the addition of new books each year. Interlibrary loans are also available.

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