Major in Psychology
Understand human behavior • Complete your own research • Impact your world
John Brown University
2000 W. University St.,
Siloam Springs, AR 72761
479-524-9500
jbuinfo@jbu.edu
What are you looking for?
Understand human behavior • Complete your own research • Impact your world
In the psychology major, you'll be grounded in the core tenets of the discipline of psychology while gaining practical training and experience through supervised field experiences. The program emphasizes a consistent and intentional integration of a Christian worldview. You'll graduate prepared both for graduate training in psychology and for service in a variety of community mental health, church-based and other social service settings.
Start your applicationStudents majoring in psychology learn to think critically, write effectively and understand the big picture of why and how people think and act the way they do. JBU encourages students to integrate the science of psychology with their faith and theology, providing a more holistic perspective on human nature.
The psychology major provides students with multiple opportunities to research and study facets of human nature that intrigue them and supports students with resources and outlets if they want to publish their research.
Choose an emphasis of study such as child and adolescent development, social justice, wilderness counseling or intercultural studies to learn more about your interests.
Psychology students are not only given multiple resources and opportunities to understand what field of psychology they want to specialize in, but they engage with the material through discussions in the classroom, conducting research, studying abroad and working in the field.
As a psychology student, you can submit your capstone empirical research project for publication in the psychology department's online journal of undergraduate research: Initial Forays in Psychological Science.
Read the current volumeYou'll gain field experience through placements in a variety of off-campus organizations and ministries where you observe professionals in their fields.
JBU’s psychology professors actively challenge you to consider the relationship between biblical truth and psychological truth through rigorous coursework and research projects.
Go farther, faster! At JBU, our Accelerated Master's Program lets you finish your undergraduate psychology degree and your master's degree in just six years (vs. seven) — saving you money and setting you up for even more success.
JBU equips students with the necessary resources to launch them into their chosen vocation with a foundation that prepares them for a broad range of careers.
You may choose to advance in a particular area of interest by attending graduate school. Advanced degrees are required for many careers in psychology.
Study of psychological science prepares students for work in medical and allied health fields. Psychology majors often go on to medical school (double-majoring in pre-med) and pursue graduate training in allied health professions such as occupational and physical therapies and speech pathology.
You can do this type of work for community centers, hospitals, adoption agencies, rehabilitation centers or camp programs. As a psychology major, you research data and write extensively, which is exactly what these positions require.
Many DHS departments look for graduates who have a background in psychology to work as case managers for nonprofit or for-profit organizations, daycare providers, halfway homes, youth/adult/senior citizen's programs or group homes.
Majoring in a liberal arts field like psychology combines well with a degree in law, as you learn to read extensively while maintaining knowledge of overall ideas, creating cohesive arguments and finding research to back their arguments.
Given the nature of the work and course load of the psychology degree, many students double-major in psychology and another degree of their choice to specialize their education. Many have added majors like political science, Spanish, mathematics and intercultural studies.
Prior to arriving at JBU—his alma mater— Dr. Kevin Simpson taught for 12 years in Portland, Oregon and briefly, in the wilds of rural Utah immediately after completing his PhD in counseling psychology at the University of Denver.
In 2019, Dr. Simpson was a Fulbright Scholar to the Slovak Republic where he taught graduate courses in sport psychology and psychology of the Holocaust at Comenius University in Bratislava. Simpson has been a research fellow three times at the US Holocaust Memorial Museum (2009, 2010, 2019) and a fellow in the 2011 Summer Institute on the Holocaust and Jewish Civilization at Northwestern University (Illinois). His academic work has taken him to many concentration camps and Holocaust memorial sites in Ukraine, Poland, France, Germany, Austria, and the former Czechoslovakia. He has also been a visiting professor in two study abroad programs in London and Vienna and for the latter appointment, Simpson taught on the genocidal legacy of National Socialism in Austria.
Dr. Simpson considers it a privilege to teach students across a wide range of courses, including: Social and Abnormal Psychology; Sport and Exercise Psychology; Counseling Theory; the Psychology and History of the Holocaust; and the Integration of Faith and Psychology. His most recent publications have been on teaching comparative genocide through study abroad in Guatemala; genius and creativity; and the use of classic and modern propaganda in the teaching of social psychology. He also writes for outdoor magazines on the application of visualization and imagery principles in sport psychology to hunting and shooting pursuits.
In 2016, Dr. Simpson finished his first book, an examination of soccer during the Holocaust, titled Soccer under the Swastika (Rowman & Littlefield). Relying on long-forgotten memoirs and testimonies, his book reveals the surprisingly powerful role soccer played in the lives of captives behind the walls and fences of the Nazi terror state. His book has been recently updated to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the end of the Holocaust and this revision includes new testimonies and photographs from the era. The book has also served as the basis for museum exhibitions in the United States and Slovakia.
But his true passions in life include his Texan wife, Stefanie, their two children Grace and Eli, playing soccer, skiing and mountain biking, upland bird hunting, and reveling in the ongoing successes of Manchester United football club.
Department Chair, Psychology; Distinguished Professor of Psychology
Dr. Rick Froman graduated with his B.A. in Psychology from California State University, Sacramento. He continued at CSU to gain a master's degree in Marriage, Family and Child Counseling. He received his Ph.D. in Psychology from the University of Wyoming. Dr. Froman specializes in the areas of experimental psychology, the psychology of humor, and the use of technology in teaching including online teaching. His current interests include encouraging undergraduate research through publishing an online student research journal. He is also known for his use of technology in the classroom, which is a continuation of his work as a former Teagle Fellow in Technology in Teaching.
Dr. Froman's courses include Research Seminar, Statistics for the Behavioral Sciences, Theories of Learning, Psychological Testing, Cognitive Psychology, and Research Methods. Among his favorite classes to teach are Research Methods, Research Seminar, and Statistics, taught both in a computer lab and online so that students can use the computers interactively to learn statistical concepts.
Dr. Froman enjoys mentoring students by working with them to develop research projects that are presented at undergraduate conferences. Each year, he accompanies JBU psychology students to conferences where they give oral presentations of their research projects.
Dr. Froman is blessed with a talented and loving family. His wife Connie, a JBU alum, is a talented graphic artist who has won regional awards for her work. His daughter Lindsay is a JBU graduate who went on to obtain a Master’s degree in Counseling and is now a Pre-Licensed Professional Counselor in the process of gaining hours toward a Counseling license. His son Richie graduated with a History major at JBU and is now in a Master’s program in Military History. His youngest daughter Laura is a dual major in Psychology and Spanish at JBU who is excited about using her JBU education cross-culturally. Dr. Froman and his wife are trying to adjust, with difficulty, to a much quieter home life but they take every opportunity to visit with their children through Facebook and phone calls.
Professor of Psychology; Program Director, Online Undergraduate Psychology
Chris is a Licensed Professional Counselor and a Nationally Certified Counselor. He taught Psychology at Southwest Baptist University for 16 years prior to coming to JBU. Chris is married to Ashley, and they have one daughter, Robin, who is a high school student at Arkansas Arts Academy. His professional interest is in building quality marriages, especially the application of grace and forgiveness in marriage.
Professor of Psychology
Equip yourself for a successful career and a life of purpose.
John Brown University
2000 W. University St., Siloam Springs, AR 72761
479-524-9500 jbuinfo@jbu.edu
JBU does not unlawfully discriminate based on race, color, national or ethnic origin, sex, age, disability, marital status, military status, or age in the administration of its educational policies, admissions, financial aid, employment, educational programs, or activities.
John Brown University is a leading private Christian university, training students to honor God and serve others since 1919. Arkansas’ top-ranked university (The Wall Street Journal) and top-ranked regional university (U.S. News), JBU enrolls more than 2,200 students from 37 states and 42 countries in its traditional undergraduate, graduate, online and concurrent education programs. JBU offers more than 50 undergraduate majors, with top programs including nursing, psychology, construction management, graphic design, family and human services, and engineering. Eighteen graduate degrees are available in business, counseling, cybersecurity, and education.