Tim Boffeli, Ph.D.
Chair and Associate Professor of Psychology
I enjoy being there in that magic moment of time when life makes more sense. This sense is what teaching and learning is all about and will last for more than my lifetime.
Psychology
Bachelor of Arts
The mind works in mysterious ways. Learn to navigate, predict, and analyze the infinite inner workings of the human mind with a psychology degree from Clarke University. Whether you seek to help others, conduct research, or manage people, you will have the resources to apply principles of psychology in your chosen career path. What makes Clarke one of the best colleges for psychology is a perfect balance of clinical, social, and cognitive psychology. Faculty members for a psychology major bring a wealth of research, clinical, and life experience into the classroom and present it in exciting ways.
A psychology major will learn to:
- Amplify critical thinking skills.
- Solve problems through analyzation and research.
- Understand the processes that motivate human thoughts and actions.
- Decipher cognition, motivation, and emotion.
If you are interested in understanding and evaluating the psychology of individuals, socially, culturally, and professionally, come visit Clarke University in Dubuque, Iowa, and learn all about the intricacies of our bachelor of psychology.
Look Into the Human Mind
With Clarke’s bachelor’s degree in psychology, you’ll dig deeper into the inner mechanisms of the human brain – and learn why and how humans function the way we do. Our psychology major is designed in collaboration with experienced professionals in their field and aligned with industry standards. As a psychology major, you will gain the tools you’ll need to maintain a competitive edge in the workplace both here in Iowa and beyond.
With Clarke’s psychology degree, you’ll amplify your critical thinking and problem-solving abilities as you develop an understanding of the processes that motivate human thoughts and actions. As a psychology major, you will focus on cognition, motivation and emotion – and you’ll learn how the discipline of psychology is advanced through research. By earning a bachelor of psychology at Clarke, you’ll prepare yourself for a wide range of careers.
What Does a Psychology Major at Clarke University Study?
A psychology major at Clarke will focus deeply on the study of human behavior and mental processes. With a psychology degree, you can understand how human behavior impacts the dynamics of a business or organization. As you begin to work toward your bachelor’s degree in psychology, you will start gaining the knowledge of major psychological ideas and practices. This knowledge allows you to provide the value and contribution that modern-day organizations are seeking in their employees. Your BA psychology can be viewed as a very sensible degree, as the interpersonal and communication skills you learn can benefit you in a wide variety of companies and industries, both in Iowa, nationwide, and worldwide. Upon completion of the Bachelor of Psychology degree program, you will be able to:
- Demonstrate a breadth of psychological knowledge
- Analyze information and data with scientific thinking
- Defend ethics, social justice, and diversity
- Illustrate professional communication skills
- Apply professional skills to career planning and success
Program Details
Psychology Degree Program Details
Clarke’s storied psychology department is dedicated to maintaining a rigorous academic curriculum designed to emphasize the development of analytic and emotional skills that are the basis of examination, evaluation, and communication in the field. Many psychology major courses involve hands-on service fieldwork, such as volunteering to help those in need. These unique features are what make Clarke one of the best psychology schools.
As a Psychology Major, You’ll Learn To:
- Amplify your critical thinking skills.
- Solve problems through analyzation and research.
- Understand the processes that motivate human thoughts and actions.
- Decipher cognition, motivation, and emotion.
The Fun Part of a Psychology Degree
- Being a psychology major, you’ll have the opportunity to participate in Clarke’s “Into the Streets” community volunteer effort and in the Multicultural Center’s “Food for the World” experience.
- The Psychology Club takes part in a host of unique, exploratory activities.
- A psychology major in Behavior Modification classes selects a self-control goal to work on during the semester and often continue to maintain the change in subsequent semesters.
- As the experiential component for Psychology of Women, students volunteer for a minimum of six hours at organizations that serve women in need.
What Can You Do with a Psychology Degree?
By earning your bachelor’s degree in psychology from Clarke University, you’ll prepare yourself for a wide range of careers. Our psychology major graduates are employed as:
- Case manager
- Career counselor
- Rehabilitation specialist
- Psychiatric technician
- Health care facility administrator
- Police officer
- Psychiatric aide
- Disability case manager
- Childcare worker
Admission to Clarke University
Applicants are considered on an individual basis. Apply to Clarke today to begin your journey.
A Sampling of Classes a Psychology Major takes:
BEHAVIOR MODIFICATION — Explore the elementary principles of behavior modification. You’ll study reinforcement, punishment, extinction, and generalization.
POSITIVE PSYCHOLOGY — This course studies the aspects of life that make people feel fulfilled. You’ll cover topics such as positive thinking, values to enhance emotions, and physical self-care.
PERSONALITY — This course places an emphasis on comparing and contrasting various paradigms such as psychoanalysis, sociocultural, trait, and existential humanistic.
What Can I Do with a Psychology Degree? With Clarke’s Psychology Degree, You Will:
- Lay the foundation for a successful human services career through psychology courses and general education classes.
- Understand the role psychology plays in everyday life through a captivating exploration of emotion, knowledge, identity, and other psychological paradigms.
- Build upon your existing knowledge as you dig deeper into the intricacies of human behavior.
Key Bachelor of Psychology Learning Outcomes — As a Psychology Major, You’ll be able to:
- Articulate major theories, concepts, and interpret historical trends in psychology.
- Explain behavior, cognition, and emotion from multiple schools of thought and multicultural perspectives.
- Identify a problem in psychology, examine available evidence, analyze assumptions, and apply research methods to solve the difficulty. This includes the ability to interpret numbers and apply basic statistical processes.
- Write papers in psychology using different literary formats, e.g., narrative, exposition, critical analysis, and APA format.
Program in Pictures
There’s more to college than going to class.
The Classroom and Beyond
Study Abroad for Psychology Majors
Clarke University offers several faculty-sponsored study abroad experiences to destinations such as Spain, Scotland, Ireland, and Japan. Study abroad trips encourage you to experience different cultures, broaden your mind, and discover your own passions.
Psychology Internships
You will learn by observation and participation at off-campus laboratories or field settings through internships and experiential education ventures. Internships often facilitate entrance into the job market and are highly recommended for acceptance into some graduate programs.
Psychology Clubs & Organizations
The Psychology Club strives to educate the campus community on current issues in the field of psychology, and build connections among students interested in psychology.
Facilities & Equipment
Psychology students can take advantage of the sensation and perception lab, which is part of the new state-of-the-art food science lab.
The Clarke Compass
Through your Clarke Psychology experience, you will be involved in many different activities that will guide you on your college journey. By your senior year, you will have a résumé of all your awesome involvements packaged and ready for your first interview.
Careers in Psychology
What can I do with a degree in this major?
But don’t take our word for it…
Our Students & Alumni
Madison Rhymes
Psychology and Graphic Design '16
With my double major, I was able to obtain my dream job at a company that specializes in educating underfunded youth about good health practices to reduce community health risks. It’s a perfect match for me!
Deborah Fautsch
Psychology ‘76
My time at Clarke enabled me to be successful in life, personally and professionally. The psychology degree I earned at Clarke is invaluable to me in the work that I do as a certified nurse midwife.
Alex Kurauskas
Psychology ‘16
My psychology major coursework and out-of-classroom learning through Clarke’s psychology degree program played a pivotal role in helping me land my first job and gain entrance into graduate school.
$79,010
Average salary for a clinical psychologist in 2018.
1:1
Personal attention
The one-to-one learning that happens at Clarke means students succeed at securing internships and career opportunities.
14
%
Percent that employment of psychologists is projected to grow from 2016 to 2026, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Other Programs to Explore
Experience Clarke Psychology for Yourself