Psychology - Career Planning

  The Psychology Department prepares our students for careers by developing their skills in critical thinking, problem-solving, communication, team work, and leadership. We teach students to address real-world issues through the study of the physical, cognitive, and social/emotional experiences of people.

Psychology students become proficient in all aspects of the research process by conducting research in courses, participating in faculty members’ research labs, and through self-designed Odyssey experiences. Our students learn how to clearly communicate the findings of research, the content of our discipline, and their own ideas to both scientific and general audiences.

We help students identify their career interests and teach them how to achieve career goals through academic advising, coursework, internships, volunteer service, and Odyssey experiences, all of which strengthen the professional skills that our students will bring into their lives beyond Hendrix.

Internships

About 50% of Psychology students complete internships before they graduate as a way of exploring career interests. Students in recent years have completed internships at

Non-profit and religious organizations, including

• Arkansas United Community Coalition, Little Rock, AR
• Dennis R. Neil Equality Center, Tulsa, OK
• First United Methodist Church, Conway, AR
• First United Methodist Church, Pine Bluff, AR
• The Fuse Factory, Mobile, AL
• National Legal Aid and Defender Association, Washington, D.C.
• National LGBTQ+ Task Force, Washington, D.C.
• Samaritans, Boston, MA

Education programs, including

• AR Kids Read, Little Rock, AR
• The Butterfly Pavilion, Westminster, CO
• Camp Kippewa, Monmouth, ME
• Conway Montessori School, Conway, AR
• Fundacion Ortega-Maranon, Madrid, Spain
• Gashora Girls Academy for Science and Technology, Gashora, Rwanda
• Holden Village, Chelan, WA
• KIPP Foundation, Chicago, IL

Health and human services departments, organization, and programs, including

• Arkansas Department of Health, Little Rock, AR
• Beyond Housing, St. Louis, MO
• Birch Tree Communities, Conway, AR
• Conway Human Development Center, Conway, AR
• Crestwyn Behavioral Health, Memphis, TN
• Eating Disorder Coalition of Arkansas, Little Rock, AR
• The Human Awareness Institute, Petaluma, CA
• Methodist Family Health, Little Rock, AR
• Our House, Little Rock, AR
• Pathfinder Mental Health Services, Jacksonville, AR
• Pinnacle Pointe Outpatient Behavioral Health, Conway, AR
• Sweetwater Offering, Little Rock, AR
• 20th Judicial District Juvenile Court, Conway, AR
• Women’s Shelter of Central Arkansas, Conway, AR
• Wrightsville Community Center, Little Rock, AR

Medical and research facilities, including

• Arkansas Children’s Hospital, Little Rock, AR
• Boston College Cooperative Laboratory, Chestnut Hill, MA
• Children’s Hospital of Colorado, Aurora, CO
• Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA
• Eastern State Hospital, Lexington, KY
• UAMS Brown Imagining Research Center, Little Rock, AR
• UAMS Psychiatric Research Institute, Little Rock, AR
• UAMS Child Diagnostic Unit, Little Rock, AR
• UCLA Department of Neurology, Los Angeles, CA
• University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX
• UAMS Health and the Legal System (HEALS) Lab, Little Rock, AR
  

Businesses, including

• Acxiom Corporation, Conway, AR
• D+D Medical Supply Company, Cabot, AR
• Silverlake Design Studio, Conway, AR
• TruService Community Federal Credit Union, Little Rock, AR

As well as

• Evermore Ranch and Equestrian Center, Conway, AR
• the Faulkner County Civil Attorney’s Office, Conway, AR
• Rattle’s Garden, Vilonia, AR

Our former students are administrators, attorneys, clergy, counseling and clinical psychologists, educators, human services providers, mental and physical health care professionals, researchers, social workers, and generally competent people in the world.

You may also find the “What can I do with this Major” database helpful. Click the image above to access the site.

First employment of Psychology majors after graduation

The Psychology major prepares students for careers that allow them to make use of their critical thinking and problem solving skills, and in which they are expected to be both leaders and collaborators. In recent years, our graduates have found employment immediately after graduation in businesses such as the Acxiom Corporation and Walt Disney World, in health care organizations such as Addiction Awareness and Thrive Autism, in public service in City Year and Teach for America, teaching English in Japan, with the Boston Red Sox, and for the Department of Justice. Our recent graduates also work in entry-level mental health care positions and in the non-profit sector.

Graduate and Professional School options

To broaden their opportunities and as a means to attain their career goals, many of our students complete graduate and professional school programs in social work, counseling and clinical psychology, education, physical therapy, law, and medicine, and attend seminary.

Recent graduates have attended Master’s and Ph.D. programs at the Clinton School of Public Service, Georgia State University, Heilongjiang University, Oakland University, Rollins College, Texas Women's University, the University of Texas at Dallas, the University of Central Arkansas, the University of Connecticut, the University of Kansas, the University of Maryland, the University of Texas, Wake Forest University, The University of California – Riverside, Texas A & M University, University of Massachusetts – Amherst, Ohio University, Purdue University, The Ohio State University, and Washington University in St. Louis. Other graduates have completed graduate training through the Neighborhood Playhouse and the KIPP New Orleans Crescent Residency.

Our alumni have diverse and interesting career paths. Some examples of careers:

• Associate Pastor, First United Methodist Church, Conway, AR
• Assistant Professor of Psychology, Moravian College, Bethlehem, PA
• Attorney in Banking and Finance, Chicago, IL
• Clinical Director of Behavioral Outreach, St. Vincent’s Infirmary, Little Rock, AR
• Consultant with the Kantar Brand Strategy Group, Chicago, IL
• Director, Camp CAMP (Children Association for Maximum Potential), San Antonio, TX
• Director of Counseling Services, Hendrix College, Conway, AR
• Director of Training, Central Arkansas Veterans Healthcare System, Little Rock, AR
• Exhibition Manager, St. Louis Science Center, St. Louis, MO
• Librarian, Pulaski Academy, Little Rock, AR
• Senior Director for the Office of Health Care Finance, the American Psychological Association, Washington, D.C