General Information:

The Department offers a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology. Designed as a liberal arts degree, this program also functions as a pre-professional degree that prepares students to pursue a graduate education. The Psychology Department also offers a Master of Arts degree in Psychology, with options in General Psychology, Experimental Psychology, Counseling Psychology, and School Psychology.

History of the Psychology Program at UCO:

Psychology courses were offered at a sub-collegiate level at this institution when it became known as Central State Normal School in 1908. In 1919, psychology courses were approved available for college credit when the institution became a degree granting teacher education college. Prior to the fall of 1963, an 18, hour minor in psychology was available and taught by faculty that supported the psychology component classes in the teacher education program. In the fall of 1963, a 30-credit hour major in psychology was instituted. Interestingly enough, however, a separate department of psychology was not formed until the fall of 1967 and Dr. Bill Frederickson was elected the first chair. In 1973, the first masters degree for psychology majors was instituted as a 32 credit hour program labeled as an M.Ed. in Counseling and Guidance: non-teaching. Within 5 years, it was renamed as M.Ed. in Counseling Psychology. In 1982, Mike Knight was elected chair and the name was again changed to M.Ed. in Community Counseling and subsequently from an M.Ed. to an M.A. At that time required credit hours were raised to 45 to accommodate licensure requirements for the LPC. Both the LPC and the new Licensed Behavioral Practitioner (LBP) laws require 60 hours of course work.

Mission Statement:

The mission of the University of Central Oklahoma Psychology Department is centered on the student. In that vein, we will strive to provide a program of study that will empower the student to gain the skills necessary to function in a rapidly changing field. In order to accomplish this, we will continue to incorporate existing and emerging technology as a component of instruction. It is the goal of the Department to continually review and update both teaching strategies and curriculum in order to engender the critical thinking skills necessary for students to function effectively in the increasingly diverse field of psychology. We intend to challenge students by challenging ourselves as professionals, thus leading not only in words, but also by example.

Faculty and staff:

Fourteen faculty members and four adjunct instructors provide instruction and support to students. Dr. Mike Knight is the department chair. Ms. Becky Conley provides administrative support to faculty and students. Graduate assistants and teaching assistants also provide support for faculty and students.

Students:

This year, approximately 475 students have declared psychology their undergraduate major. In the Master's program, the number of students in a given option also fluctuates from year to year.

Office locations:

The faculty and staff are distributed across three locations: the chair, administrative assistant and some of the faculty are in suite 307 on the third floor of the Education Building; some have office space on the first or third floors of the Chambers Library.