Undergraduate Programs

Psychology as a Science and Profession

Psychology is a broad discipline which incorporates both the scientific study of behavior and mental processes, and the systematic application of this knowledge to applied problems.

As a psychology student at North Park, you will have opportunities to develop professional and research skills through interactions with professors who are engaged in professional and scientific work, and hands-on experiences. Your undergraduate experiences will help you to apply your classroom knowledge and will prepare you for the workplace or graduate study.

Internships

The Psychology Department has placed students at many internship locations in the city and our students learn so much by working with Chicagoland organizations.

Site Focus/Program
Alternatives, Inc Youth and Family Services
Career Transitions Center of Chicago Career services
Chicago Dream Center Faith-based social services
Chicago High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area Office of National Drug Control Policy Drug control efforts
Chicago Police Department Protective services
Chicago Public Schools School Psychology
Children’s Research Triangle Research department
Connections for the Homeless Housing, employment, supportive services for the homeless
Cook County Circuit Court Forensic psychology
Cornerstone Counseling Center of Chicago Behavioral health advocacy/Social services
Covenant World Relief Disaster relief/Community development
Emerald City Theatre Company Event planning
Evangelical Child & Family Agency Social services
Little Brothers, Friends of the Elderly Social services/Community development
North West Family Church Youth Ministry
Ravenswood Covenant Church Parenting Progress
Riverside Publishing Research Department
Starlight Children’s Foundation Education, entertainment, activities for families with seriously ill children
Swedish Hospital Occupational Therapy/Speech Language Pathology
TreeHouse Social services, At-Risk Teens
Trilogy, Inc. Behavioral Healthcare Healthcare, Mental Illness
Tuesday’s Child Behavior Management, Children and Families
Young Life Faith-based youth services
Youth Services, Glenview/Northbrook Youth services

Student Internship Experiences

“Interning at Christopher House as a teacher assistant for pre-k students made me realize my love for kids and psychology. This wonderful opportunity helped me apply my psychological knowledge that I learned from my previous courses to prepare for my future work as a school counselor. The psychology professors do an exceptional job in preparing students for their internship and research by expanding our experiential learning.”  —Grace Jang, C’19

“My internship was eye-opening for me. I was able to gain amazing experience in Occupational Therapy. It is because of this internship that I know OT is the right path for me.”  —Reagan Clement, C’20

“I thoroughly enjoyed my internship experience at The Kedzie Center (TKC). In my role as intern, I developed my communication and networking skills, including how to effectively inquire about general organization information and intake processes, and I learned about the importance of community partnership within the context of mental health. Overall, my internship experience at TKC greatly improved my self-confidence as a budding mental health professional and affirmed my desire to work with an adolescent population.”  —Emily Gierloff, C’19

“The occupational therapists at Swedish Hospital helped me work towards observational hours for graduate school, and they were very supportive. I met many students pursuing different fields while interning at Swedish and they gave me good advice, especially on what to expect in grad school.  I would recommend an internship to all students.”  —Drake Lukwago, C’19

Current Research

The psychology professors are engaged in active scholarly work and are open to collaboration with undergraduates. Here’s what we’re working on:

Elizabeth Gray

Dr. Gray’s current research investigates learning in the psychology classroom including student perceptions of content and instructors, study skills, pedagogical strategies, and effective assignments. Previously, she has investigated personality effects in romantic relationships and on academic performance, and the stability of trait characteristics during young adulthood. With her students, she studies the interesting associations between traits and behaviors.

Kathryn O’Toole

Research conducted in the NPU Media Psychology Lab explores the interplay between human cognition, behavior, and new media and technologies. Our goal is to understand how media and technology influence the human experience with emphasis on learning, cognition, stress, and affect. Recent projects examined (1) the effect of mobile phone use (active texting) and presence (phone vibrations) on performance on a learning task and (2) the relation between daily smartphone use and positive and negative experiences.

Student Research Experiences

“While completing a senior research project, I learned the importance of taking perspectives on a topic from different domains, while operating systematically and being goal-oriented. I was fascinated by getting more insight in the field, applying my knowledge, and working to improve my skills.” —Monika Eiermann, C’19