Psychology | Barnard College

Our program offers a rigorous exposition of the study of the mind in action. In classroom courses, in instructional laboratories, and in research conducted with the faculty, students explore intellectual perspectives and empirical methods expressed across the discipline of Psychology. The Department also connects our students to many forums in the College and at Columbia University for discussion and refinement of scientific work.

Fall 2026 Information for Current Students

Fall 2026 information for current students, including the block schedule, course listings, and details, has moved to Portal.

Going forward, the Portal will be the primary place for schedule updates and announcements, so we recommend bookmarking it and checking in regularly.

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Student Learning Outcomes

Describe the historical foundations and contemporary problems in psychology;

Portray the sub-disciplines in psychology;

Explain the application of psychological knowledge to questions of behavior and mental processes;

Identify and assemble current research literature about a topic within psychology;

Critique a psychological theory and the evidence offered to secure its premises;

Design a study to test a psychological hypothesis;

Weigh the strengths and weaknesses of a research design and method;

Perform basic descriptive and inferential statistical tests to summarize measures and to identify reliable results;

Communicate theories, hypotheses, empirical methods, and research findings in written and spoken form.

About our Department

Psychology is the study of behavior and experience, from love to aggression, from the first babbling of infants to creativity, from sexuality to the physiology of taste.

Faculty members in Psychology have a wide range of research interests, including social and cognitive development, memory, language, animal learning, social stereotyping, the self-concept, the resolution of conflict, and behavioral neuroscience. Common to all areas of psychology is a concern with adequate and appropriate method of inquiry.

Students will encounter many perspectives on psychological evidence and technique through lecture, laboratory, and seminar courses, as well as opportunities available for supervised research, teaching, and field experience.

Our Faculty

Lisa Son

Ann Whitney Olin Professor and Chair of Psychology

Department Chair

Erica Musser

Assistant Professor

Department Vice Chair for Student Advising

Peter Balsam

Samuel R. Milbank Professor

Neuroscience and Behavior & Psychology

Rae Silver

Mark N. Kaplan Professor Emerita of Natural and Physical Sciences

Neuroscience and Behavior & Psychology

Michelle Greene

Assitant Professor

Psychology

Colin Wayne Leach

Barbara Silver Horowitz Professor of Psychology & Africana Studies, Barnard College, Columbia University

Psychology

Koleen McCrink

Professor of Psychology

Psychology

Robert Remez

Professor of Psychology

Psychology

Ann Senghas

Claire Tow Professor of Psychology; Director, Program in Cognitive Science; Director, Language Acquisition and Development Laboratory

Psychology

Anna Shusterman

Professor of Psychology & Director of the Center for Toddler Development

Psychology

Katherine Thorson

Assistant Professor

Psychology

Kate Turetsky

Assistant Professor of Psychology

Psychology

Tara Well

Associate Professor of Psychology

Psychology

Michael G. Wheaton

Associate Professor of Psychology

Psychology

Lecturers

Senior Lecturers

Alexandra Horowitz

Associate Professor of Professional Practice in Psychology

Ken Light

Senior Lecturer (Neuroscience & Behavior, Psychology)

Kathleen Taylor

Senior Lecturer of Psychology

Lecturers

Robert Brotherton

Lecturer

Armita Ghobadi

Lecturer

E’mett O. McCaskill

Lecturer (Neuroscience & Behavior, Psychology)

Mariel Roberts

Lecturer in Psychology

Antonio Viera

Lecturer of Psychology

Annie Vu

Lecturer of Psychology

Term Lecturers

Svetlana Komissarouk

Term Lecturer

Isabelle Portelinha

Term Lecturer

Angelika Seidel

Term Lecturer

Adjunct Faculty

Elisabeth Mah

Adjunct Associate

Julia Sheehy

Adjunct Assistant Professor

Emeritus Faculty

Susan Riemer Sacks

Professor of Psychology Emerita, Professor of Education Emerita

Field Experience

The Department of Psychology highly recommends that students interested in clinical psychology participate in field work while at Barnard. Living in New York City affords students a tremendous number of opportunities for research and professional placements and we encourage students to take advantage of this while they can. Through these types of experiences, students can learn what type of work they like and don't like, what professional environments best suit them, and with what populations they might like to help treat. Additionally, research and "real-life" experience is very important to have when applying to PhD programs; and working with a mentor or supervisor in a practical setting gives you a great potential source for a letter of recommendation.