"We foresee a considerable demand,” said Professor Rebecca Craft, chair of the psychology department. "Not only does this fulfill the land-grant mission of reaching out to students across the state, nation and world, but we also expect a lot of interest from on-campus students with scheduling issues.”
WSU Online receives many inquiries regarding a psychology degree, said Communications Coordinator Vicki Schulhauser, who fields requests from prospective online students. "There’s a lot of interest,” she said. "Until now, the closest students could get to a psychology degree was to choose psychology as a concentration area and earn a degree in social sciences.”
WSU’s psychology degree offers a comprehensive understanding of basic psychology and knowledge of scientific methods. The degree is also excellent preliminary preparation for graduate work in psychology, social work, education, law, medicine and business.
The U.S. Dept. of Labor Statistics projects the employment outlook for psychologists to grow faster than average, by 22 percent from 2010-2012. Previous graduates of WSU’s psychology program have found employment in such professions as health and human services, business, management, research and development, and sales, as well as in administrative positions.
The new degree will appeal to military members and veterans, said Judy Monhollen, a 2003 WSU Online graduate who counseled troops and family members as a Family Readiness Support Assistant at Joint Base Lewis-McChord.
"I've talked to so many people who expressed interest in studying psychology,” she said, "due to the mental strains placed on soldiers because of deployment and their opportunity to witness the effects of post-traumatic stress disorder firsthand.”
