
Program Overview
Psychology
Where the sciences and liberal arts meet.
Professor of Psychology Nancy Darling and Watson Fellowship winner Molly Gleydura '22.
Photo credit: Tanya Rosen-Jones '97
Quantitative Tools, Analytic Reasoning, Interpersonal Skills
More than 80% of psychology majors conduct research outside the classroom
Research that Makes a Difference
Psychology professor Nancy Darling led a team of student researchers to develop 1step2life, an app-based technology helping adolescents manage chronic pain. The app was awarded top prize at Oberlin's seventh annual LaunchU competition for entrepreneurship.

Introductory classes are capped at 40 students with seminars at 15 to support engaged learning
Senior Workshops and Portfolios
During their last semester in residence, Oberlin’s psychology majors work directly with faculty mentors to polish an original Senior Portfolio, highlighting their skills and experiences, and preparing them for life after graduation. Students begin working with learning portfolios early in their Oberlin education to craft a cohesive academic and cocurricular plan.

Featured Courses
PSYC 209
Complex Cognition
How are we able to learn languages, make decisions, and predict the future? This course covers a variety of topics relating to the scientific study of high-level human cognition, including thinking, problem solving, language, and reasoning.
- Taught by
PSYC 215
Introduction to Clinical and Counseling Psychology
This course offers a broad introduction to the fields of clinical and counseling psychology. Topics will include the histories of clinical and counseling psychology, major theories and interventions for treating mental health, research methods, and professional considerations (e.g., ethics, cultural adaptation). Emphasis will also be placed on the broad diversity of the human experience as it pertains to mental health and well-being. This course may assist you in evaluating clinical/counseling psychology as a potential career but will not provide you with the skills to assess/treat psychopathology.
- Taught by
- Christine S. Wu
PSYC 308
Community-Based Social Marketing
This course will give students training in Community Based Social Marketing, an empirically driven approach to promoting sustainable behavior. Students will design, implement, and evaluate behavior change programs on campus and in the community, gaining experience in all phases of the research process, from literature reviews and research design to data collection, analysis, and report writing.
- Taught by
- Cynthia (Cindy) Frantz
PSYC 431
Cognitive Science and the Law
This interdisciplinary course examines how the fields of neuroscience, psychology, cognitive science, and criminology have impacted the law. We will consider current legal standards and rules in regards to topics such as brain damage and responsibility, brain development, addiction, eyewitness memory, and emotion. Students further explore the emerging intersections between neuropsychology and the law in light of technological advancements in neuroimaging.
- Taught by
- Patty deWinstanley
Student Profiles
Researching Mental Health
Psychology and Environmental Studies major Ify Ezimora ’19 pursued research with a number of faculty. She now applies the skills she gained as an undergraduate to her current role as a clinical research assistant at Rhode Island Hospital, Hasbro Children’s Hospital, and the Miriam Hospital.

Goldwater Scholarship Winner
A psychology major with a statistical modeling minor, Olivia Goldstein ’21 works at the forefront of mental health and emotional response inhibition.

From Music to Psychology
Elayne Zhou ’18 has always been passionate about helping people, but it wasn’t until she got to Oberlin that she saw how research improved people’s lives. She is now a lab manager studying behavioral disorders at UC Riverside.

What does Psychology at Oberlin look like?

Students who work in Professor Sara Verosky’s lab study the remarkable human ability to recognize faces.
Photo credit: Jennifer Manna

The students in Professor Nancy Darling’s lab were recognized for their work developing an app for adolescents living with chronic pain.
Photo credit: John Seyfried

Psychology students present research on affective self-regulation at the Annual Meeting of the Society for Research in Psychopathology.
Photo credit: Courtesy of Oberlin College

Advanced seminars in psychology are collaborative and discussion-driven forums for sharing ideas.
Photo credit: John Seyfried
