Psychology Department
        Welcome to the Psychology Department at CSULB.  We hope to share with you a sense of excitement regarding the search for knowledge about human and animal behavior as well as about the application of this knowledge for the promotion of human welfare.  Psych Dept History

        Important Department
           Phone Numbers
            Front Office
                562-985-5001
            Peer Advising Office
                562-985-5680
            Graduate Program Info Line
                562-985-8685
        Maps and Directions
            To CSULB and Psychology building
                 Campus map
        Department Staff
        Faculty Information
            Phone numbers, office hours and
            locations, email and web pages
        Alumni Success 
            Psychology department graduates
        Newman Computer Lab
            Lab hours and location
        Faculty Position Announcements
        CUDA(Center for Usability in
            Design and Assessment)
        Center for Behavioral Research and Services 
        Behavioral Neuroscience Lab

Faculty
    The 35 full-time and approximately 25 part-time faculty in our department provide a climate of diversity. We have no single dominant orientation to the field of psychology (i.e., behavioristic, humanistic, etc.) but rather have a balanced mix of views and interests. The members of the department have a commitment to excellence in teaching and over a third of our faculty have won college and campus-wide teaching awards. On the teaching evaluation forms, which students complete anonymously, department faculty are typically rated among the best teachers in the college.
    Our faculty are also active in research and professional and community service. In sum, members of our faculty have written twenty books and numerous chapters for books in areas of their expertise. They average ten or eleven articles each in professional journals with several faculty publishing from 30 to 45 articles each. The knowledge gained through department research is shared in many forums from professional meetings to the popular media. Over 600 research papers have been presented by our faculty at national and international psychology conferences. Those faculty who have conducted research in areas of direct public interest have also had their work described on radio and television, and in the national press.
    Furthermore, psychology faculty often serve as consultants to industry and community agencies such as the police, youth programs, women's shelters, and educational institutions. They can also be found as editorial consultants, expert witnesses in court, and on government scientific committees. One member of our faculty is on leave serving as a member of the California State Assembly.

Students
    We currently have over 1200 undergraduate and 95 graduate psychology majors. Many of our undergraduates aspire to graduate work and are admitted to graduate programs throughout the country. In fact, the department was ranked by the National Science Foundation as second in the nation (for schools in its category) in the number of students who went on to complete a Ph.D. program. Other students seek and find jobs in business and human service agencies which utilize their psychological skills. Just as faculty are active in research and service, numerous psychology majors assist in research and co-author papers which they present at conferences.
    Our Masters graduates have also experienced success in Ph.D. programs, stating that they tend to be better prepared for such programs than their classmates. Some of our MA-Research students have opted to accept positions after obtaining their degree, in areas such as Marketing Research. And our MA-Industrial/Organizational graduates have found employment in this growing field.
    Students from both our undergraduate and graduate programs have distinguished themselves with departmental and university honors for their scholarship and research. As example, for our undergraduates: in 1996 four of the eleven students selected for Phi Beta Kappa in the College of Liberal Arts were psychology majors; two majors were selected for the honor in 1997; and four in 1999. In 1997, 1998, 2000 and 2001, one of the two outstanding graduates of the College was a psychology major. Also, our Masters students have frequently been chosen to the CSULB Graduate Deans List, including 2002. In 2000, one of our students' theses was selected as the Best Thesis for CSULB, representing the university in the WAGS (Western Association of Graduate Schools) competition.  In 2002, the College of Liberal Arts again selected a Psychology Master's student's thesis for Best Thesis.

A Word from past CSULB President Maxson:
    Not only is Psychology one of the largest programs on campus with approximately 1,200 majors -- but it is also one of the best programs at Cal State Long Beach. It is one of our green spots! The students majoring in psychology are very fortunate to be able to study with some of the best faculty scholars in the country. Thanks to the good teaching and mentoring of our professors, our psychology graduates do extremely well in their careers. Long Beach State is in the top handful of universities in the nation where psychology students go on to receive their PhDs. But it does not matter whether you're going to be a practitioner or teacher, or even go into a non-related profession, psychology is an excellent degree.
    Congratulations on choosing a good university -- and a good degree.
    Go BEACH!
--  Robert C. Maxson
    President Emeritus
 

Psychology Department * CSULB * 1250 Bellflower Blvd. * Long Beach, CA  90840-0901 * 562-985-5001