Psychology Degrees

As a Psychology major at NWU, you’ll study the most fascinating thing on the planet: the human mind. It’s about understanding how we behave. How we learn. How we make decisions and cope with their consequences.

NWU Psychology is also about how we serve. How we care for ourselves. Our families. Our neighbors. Our patients.

If the idea of understanding ideas makes you excited, then a NWU Psychology degree is for you. This is the campus for your curiosity. Your research. Your service. And your ideas.

Get amazing results.

Four out of five NWU psychology majors go immediately into graduate school or psychology-related careers after graduation. They study in top programs like the Chicago School of Psychology, the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC), and the University of Nebraska-Omaha.

Our majors regularly present their research to groups like the Midwestern Psychological Association. And they publish work in media like the Psi Chi Journal of Psychological Research and the Journal of Psychological Inquiry.

You can study how people learn through the Xtreme Rat Challenge, a psychology project where students train rats to compete in athletic events. (ESPN, Modern Marvels and NPR have all covered this fun and unique NWU Psychology tradition.)

Psychology faculty

NWU Psychology has professors with a wide variety of specialties, giving you an excellent range of teachers and researchers to work with. That includes a social psychologist who has studied romantic attraction and a behavioral neuroscientist who plays drums in a rock band and researches how wilderness experiences impact creativity.

NWU tradition returns with Psychology Department's Xtreme Rat Challenge

One of Nebraska Wesleyan University’s most unique traditions recently made its return to Acklie Hall of Science.

December 5, 2025

Students crack “missing mascot” case in hands-on crime investigation activity

First-year students in NWU’s True Crime Casebook and Let’s Crack Open a Cold Case courses put their investigative skills to the test during a “Missing Mascot” crime case designed by Matt Flores, assistant professor of education, and Amber Johnson, assistant professor of psychology.

November 24, 2025

From grief to growth: Student finds healing and purpose at NWU

Transfer student Marielle Wilson’s story is one of strength, perseverance and the power of art to heal.

October 22, 2025

Where science meets flavor: Students collaborate to brew the best coffee

In an innovative course at Nebraska Wesleyan University, students with different majors are coming together to master an unlikely subject: coffee brewing.

November 12, 2024

Peace Corps Director inspires NWU students to serve during Curtis Lecture on Public Leadership

The director of the United States Peace Corps recently issued Nebraska Wesleyan University students to challenge boundaries: geographic and personal.

Carol Spahn said stepping outside of comfort zones helps promote transformational, lasting change through service. “I can't imagine anything more powerful to do than serve,” she said.

September 26, 2024

Nguyen receives Gilman Scholarship to study in South Korea

A Nebraska Wesleyan University student will study abroad this fall in South Korea after receiving the Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship.

CeCe Nguyen (’25), a psychology major from Lincoln, Neb., will study at Ewha Woman’s University in Seoul as part of the International Student Exchange Program (ISEP).

May 15, 2024