Kwantlen Polytechnic University (KPU) hosted its second annual Psych Day event at KPU Surrey this month, encouraging psychology students to explore available programs and the wide range of career paths available.
Students listened to a panel of speakers, participated in activities and had the opportunity to talk one-on-one with instructors and alumni from the psychology department.
“There were so many people having conversations about what they’d heard in the panel. After talking one-on-one with presenters, students felt like they had a much clearer picture of what they wanted to do next,” says instructor Kristie Dukewich.
KPU offers three psychology degree programs: Bachelor of Arts in Psychology, Bachelor of Science in Applied Psychology, Bachelor of Arts in Human Behaviour and Applied Psychology. An Associate of Arts Degree in Psychology is also available to students, along with an honours program.
The goal of Psych Day is to align the students’ career interests with the program they’re registering in.
“Having three degree programs means they are quite specific and quite unique. We want to help students recognize we have these different programs and guide them to one that aligns with their interests,” says Dukewich.
Dukewich says sometimes students don’t always recognize their future goals and working backwards will help them figure out their pathway.
“I think there’s a lot of students who come into psychology at any institution and just assume they’re going to get a bachelor of arts, but it doesn’t necessarily have to be the basic bachelor of arts. There are options,” says Dukewich.