What is Psychobiology?

Psychobiology is a subject that combines the disciplines of Biology and Psychology. It is a relatively new field and it occasionally appears under the rubric of "Biopsychology", or sometimes even "Neuroscience". All these names refer to roughly the same thing, although the emphasis is often slightly different.

While Biology majors typically take courses in both Zoology and Botany, Psychobiology majors - being more interested in animal and human physiology than in plants - select Zoology over Botany courses. They also take a number of psychology courses, since they are interested in human and animal behavior: learning, thinking, feeling, as well as overt behavior.

The ultimate scientific quest - to understand the human brain and mind - forms the basis for a Psychobiology program.

Historical Perspective

Psychology has been a discipline for a little more than one hundred years. Biology has been in existence for centuries. Psychobiology is about three decades old. The subject arose from the identification of brain areas involved in certain behaviors and emotions; from the discovery in the 1950's that some psychological problems can be treated chemically; and from the subsequent identification of chemicals, called neurotransmitters, that pass neural messages from one brain cell to the next.

Psychobiology at Southampton

Only a small percentage of colleges have a Psychobiology major. The Southampton program is one of the oldest in the state of New York.

The course requirements for a Psychobiology major are relatively modest: just 64-66 credits of required courses out of a total of 128 needed to graduate. This allows each student the leeway to select an individual combination of courses. Some emphasize Psychology, others Biology.

Student Research

Two of the required courses consist of a sequence in original research. Freshman may also do research in our lab in their first semester. Many of Southampton's Psychobiology students have had research papers read at scientific conferences: an experience that is not only gratifying, but one that is particularly impressive on a resume when applying to graduate school or for a job.

Career Opportunities

There are outstanding career opportunities for Psychobiology graduates. Medicine, nursing, clinical psychology, social work and counseling are just a few of the occupations for which Psychobiology is an excellent preparation.