Students are encouraged to stop by at least once a year to check in with their advisor to make sure they are on track for graduation and to ask questions about courses, their major, and career planning.

We recommend that Freshmen and Sophomores should take mostly core classes. This conservative approach will help ease the transition if you decide to switch majors or transfer to another university.

Freshmen and Sophomores should take the introductory courses offered in the major, such as Introductory Psychology (PSYC 1101) or Introductory Sociology (SOCI 1101). During the sophomore year, 2000-level courses from Area F should be taken. For Psychology, this would include Human Growth and Development (PSYC 2103). For Sociology, this would include Social Problems (SOCI 1160) and Marriage and Family (SOCI 2293).

Juniors and Seniors should focus on completing the major requirements with an eye toward long-term career development. Psychology majors should note that the statistics course (either PSYC 3301 or SOCI 3331) is required before taking Experimental Psychology (PSYC 4431). Sociology majors should note that the Methods of Social Research course (SOCI 4440) is only offered in the spring semester and the Development of Social Theory (SOCI 4420) is only offered in the fall. The Seminar courses should be taken during the final semester of your coursework.

Good minor or certificate programs for Psychology and Sociology majors include Psychology (for Sociology majors), Sociology (for Psychology majors), the Criminal Justice Certificate, the Caregiving Certificate, and the Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies Certificate.

Junior and Seniors should also consider gaining valuable career-enhancing experiences. These might include participation in the Psychology/Sociology Club and internship experiences.

Important Deadlines and Policies

• Early registration is highly recommended. Registering early will increase the likelihood that you will get the courses that you want and the times that you prefer.
• The minimum credits for full time status is 12 hours/semester. We recommend 14 or 15 hours/semester to graduate in four years. Taking more than 18 credits in a semester is an overload. This will only be given to students with good academic records (e.g., GPA of 3.0 or better).
• The first few days of each semester are the Drop/Add period. Courses and course sections may be changed during this time without being recorded on your grade transcript.
• Once the Drop/Add Period is finished, students can withdraw from courses up to midterm. This will result in a grade of "W" on your transcript for the course.
• After midterm, courses can only be dropped if there is a legitimate medical excuse or family emergency.
• Internships must be arranged during the early registration period. Internships cannot be arranged during late registration or the Drop/Add Period.
• Graduating Seniors must submit the Application for Graduation approximately one year before the anticipated graduation date.

Advisement Resources

• Curriculum Sheets
• Student resources from the American Sociological Association
• Career resources from the American Psychological Association
• Psychologycareercenter.org: Job descriptions, school information, job listing services
• Career possibilities from the Dictionary of Occupational Titles
• Marky Lloyd's Careers in Psychology
• GSW's Career Services Center
• Psychologydegree.com has descriptions of psychology programs throughout the U.S.
• Psychologydegrees.org's top 25 psychology careers
• Counselingdegreesonline.org's careers in counseling
• Career Shift: A job search resource available to GSW students and alumni. You may need to contact the Career Services Center for the GSW password to this site.
• Hurricane career path by Purple Briefcase: Another service from the Career Services Center
• Psychology Job and Internship Opportunities

Psychology and Criminal Justice Graduate Programs

The following universities in our area offer masters degrees in counseling, social work, or clinical psychology.

Albany State University Social Work, Criminal Justice (specialties: Corrections, Forensic Science, Law Enforcement, Public Administration)

Augusta University Clinical/counseling, General Experimental, Applied Experimental

Columbus State University Community Counseling & School Counseling

Fort Valley State University Mental Health Counseling, Rehabilitation Counseling and Case Management, School Counseling Education

Mercer University (Macon and Atlanta) School Counseling, Rehabilitation counseling, Clinical Mental Health Counseling

Valdosta State University School Counseling, Clinical/Counseling and Industrial/Organizational Psychology, Social Work, Marriage and Family Therapy

Sociology graduate programs

Emory University Medical, Race, Education, Aging

University of Georgia Stratification, Family, Social Psychology, Latin American Studies

Georgia Tech Development, Science and Technology, Political, Economic

Georgia State Aging, Sexualities, Medical, Urban

Valdosta State Community

West Georgia Sex and Gender, Environmental

University of Alabama Birmingham Medical, Family, Migration

Central Florida Criminology, Medical, Deviant Behavior

Clemson Policy Analysis, Globalization, Rural Sociology

East Tennessee Deviant Behavior, Sex and Gender, Religion

University of Florida Aging, Family, Medical, Demography

Florida Atlantic Globalization, Environmental, Social Change

Florida International Sex and Gender, Urban, Migration, Political

Florida State Aging, Family, Medical, Demography, Mental Health

University of South Florida Immigration, Race, Gender, Sexuality, Disability, teaching training

Last update: November, 2017