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Psychology

Become a scientist of the mind and behavior

Psychology seeks to understand and appreciate our complexity and diversity

The field of psychology is vast—from studying neural mechanisms to understanding race and racism. Through psychology classes, labs, internships, and mentorship from faculty members you’ll discover the area you’re most passionate about. Along the way, you’ll develop scientific thinking and learn to use data to ask and answer questions of all kinds.

With origins in philosophy and biology, psychology bridges the natural and social sciences, but remains uniquely itself: science applied to our own endlessly fascinating, and sometimes infuriating, human nature. Our students break open the traditional canon and take at least one psychology course—and often more—that focuses on underrepresented perspectives. For more information, read our Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Plan.

Why study psychology at Macalester?

Our department is research-focused. Our three-course research cycle builds your capacity to learn about and then engage in psychological science. Our teaching approach is experiential. Whether you’re exploring cognition, behavioral neuroscience, moral reasoning, or social development, much of your learning will be in the lab or in the community. Our curriculum covers a lot of ground. Our majors take foundational courses in many sub-areas of psychology, as well as advanced seminars that offer rich training and depth in specialized topics.

All of our faculty members maintain active research programs, and students play pivotal roles as collaborators and research assistants. And every psychology major conducts an individualized capstone project with close mentorship from a faculty member.

Learn more about what we research.

Life after Macalester

  • Recent Employers

    • 360 Communities

    • Allied Vaughn

    • Allina Health

    • Americorp

    • AmeriCorps LEAP Program

    • Amherst H. Wilder Foundation

    • Analysis Group

    • Andrew Residence

    • Asian American Organizing Project

    • Association of Women for Action and Research (AWARE)

    • Atkinson Law Office, PLLC

    • Brookside Charter School

    • Child Trends

    • Citibank

    • Cleveland Clinic

    • College Possible

    • Comprehensive Development Inc

    • Congreso de Latinos Unidos, Inc.

    • Deloitte Consulting, LLP

    • Des Moines University

    • District Management Group

    • Dive Friends Bonaire

    • Dorsey & Whitney LLP

    • Dr. Monique Brotman. LLC

    • E-Prime Systems, Inc.

    • Epic Systems

    • Exact Sciences Corporation

    • Fairview Health Services

    • Fairview Southdale Clinic

    • Fraser

    • Fred Keller School

    • Generis (Beijing) International Business Consulting Co., Ltd

    • George Washington University

    • Global Health Corps/Days for Girls

    • Headway Emotional Health Services

    • Healthcare and Rehabilitation Services of Southeast Vermont

    • Hebrew College

    • Hunter College High School (CUNY)

    • IBM Corporation

    • Indiana University School of Medicine

    • Infinity North America

    • Japan Exchange and Teaching Program

    • Kantar Consulting

    • Kaplan Inc.

    • Keyence

    • Labor Initiatives

    • Leadpages

    • Learn to Learn – Solutions for Dyslexia

    • LifeSTEPS

    • Lifeworks Services, Inc.

    • Manuel Agustin Aguirre Educational Unit

    • Massachusetts General Hospital, Center for Global Health

    • Metropolitan Area Agency on Aging

    • Metropolitan Center for Independent Living

    • Metropolitan Council of the Twin Cities

    • Middlebury College Emergency Medical Services (MCEMS)

    • Minneapolis Health Department

    • Minneapolis VA Health Care System

    • Minnesota Center for Twin and Family Research

    • Minnesota Department of Administration

    • Minnesota Epilepsy Group

    • Minnesota Reading Corps & Minnesota Math Corps

    • Minnetonka Public Schools

    • Mississippi Valley Regional Blood Center

    • Museum of African American History

    • MyCare Chicago

    • Narrative Science Solutions

    • New York City Teaching Fellows (New York State Board of Ed)

    • New York University

    • Northwest Film Center

    • Notre Dame Law School

    • Optum

    • Parsons School of Design

    • Pennsylvania State University

    • People Incorporated, Anchor House

    • REAL Crisis Intervention

    • Regions Hospital

    • REM River Bluffs

    • Rise, Inc.

    • Saint David’s Center

    • Seattle Children’s Hospital

    • Social Science Research Collective

    • Spirit Balance

    • St. Louis Park Public Schools

    • Stooges Education

    • Sycamore School

    • Teach For America

    • The Emily Program

    • The UK’s Department for International Trade

    • Thomas J. Watson Foundation

    • Title Nine

    • Twin Cities Orthopedics

    • U.S. Bank

    • UnitedHealth Group

    • University of Chicago – Ci3

    • University of Illinois – Urbana-Champaign

    • University of Minnesota

    • University of Roehampton

    • University of South Carolina, Columbia

    • University of St. Thomas

    • University of Wisconsin

    • US Banccorp

    • Veteran Administration

    • Virgo Health

    • Women’s Advocates, Inc.

    • Woodland Centers

    • Yale Child Study Center/Seattle Children’s Hospital

    • Yale University

    • Youth and Opportunity United

    • Youth Villages
  • Recent Graduate Schools

    • A. T. Still University

    • Argosy University at Honolulu

    • Boston University

    • Brown University

    • Carnegie-Mellon University

    • Chicago School of Prof Psychology

    • Columbia University

    • Des Moines University Osteopathic Medical Center

    • Harvard University

    • Hebrew College

    • Jane Addams College of Social Work

    • Johns Hopkins University

    • Lewis and Clark College

    • Marian College

    • Marymount College of Virginia

    • Minnesota State University Mankato

    • Mitchell Hamline School of Law

    • Naropa University

    • New York University

    • Northeastern University

    • Saint Louis University

    • St. Catherine University

    • Tufts University

    • University of Arizona

    • University of Chicago

    • University of Georgia

    • University of Illinois-Urbana-Champaign

    • University of Maryland – College Park, MD

    • University of Michigan/Ann Arbor

    • University of Minnesota/Twin Cities

    • University of Missouri – St. Louis

    • University of Notre Dame

    • University of Pittsburgh/Main Camp

    • University of South Carolina Columbia

    • University of Southern California

    • University of St. Thomas

    • University of Wisconsin Milwaukee

    • Vanderbilt University

    • Washington University

    • Wisconsin School of Professional Psychology

    • Yale University

Psychology in the cities

Access to the University of Minnesota’s top research labs, including the Institute of Child Development, the Veterans Administration Hospital, and the Department of Psychiatry

150+

Number of student internships recently mentored by psychology faculty (over 200 internship sites are within 8 miles of campus)

16 Fortune 500 companies in Minnesota, including 3M, Medtronic, and a wealth of industries and organizations for psychology-focused internships and experiences

Join our community

  • Johnson Lecture Series. Each year we invite a distinguished psychologist to deliver the annual Johnson Lecture, named in memory of former faculty member Ray Johnson.
  • Psych Club. The first rule of Psych Club is to have fun (like making Valentines with classmates or game nights with faculty). The second rule is to learn more about psychology through coffee talks, colloquia, and panels.
  • Annual Halloween Lab Tours. We decorate our psychology labs, and faculty and students share treats—and information about the research they are conducting.
  • Friday Socials. Students and faculty meet up on Friday afternoons for fry bread, spring rolls, hot cocoa, and more, all with a side helping of conversation.

A typical Friday Social

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