College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences

PSY Faculty win 7 of 14 CSUMB 2024 Academic Senate Awards!

Congratulations to seven CSUMB Psychology Faculty members for winning awards this academic year from CSUMB's Academic Senate! The following winners were announced at the May 2024 Academic Senate meeting:

• Dr. Mrinal Sinha (Outstanding Department Chair with Sustained Impact)
• Dr. Christine Rosales (Advocate for Social Justice with Sustained Impact)
• Dr. Zurine De Miguel (Outstanding Mentoring with Immediate Impact)
• Dr. Renee Penalver (Outstanding Community Service and Professional Application with Immediate Impact)
• Dr. Jennifer Lovell (Outstanding Community Service and Professional Application with Sustained Impact)
• Dr. Justin Matthews (Outstanding Teaching with Immediate Impact)
• Dr. Katie Grobman (Outstanding Teaching with Sustained Impact)

We are incredibly proud and fortunate to have these outstanding folks in our department serving the needs of the largest major on campus. Congratulations!

PSY Alum has First-Author Paper in Archives of Sexual Behavior

Congratulations to CSUMB Psychology alum Nikole Babcock who has a newly released first author publication in the highly reputable journal Archives of Sexual Behavior! This paper reflects some of the work Nikole did as an undergrad in Dr. Shannon Snapp's lab. We are so very proud of her for this incredible accomplishment!Nikole is in her first year of a PhD program at University of Connecticut in Human Development and Family Sciences. Congratulations Nikole & Dr. Snapp!

Three CSUMB students receive prestigious Goldwater scholarships

From left, Efrain Ramirez, Annie Hansen and Oscar Murillo-Espinoza are all winners of Goldwater scholarships. | Photo by Mark Muckenfuss

CSUMB Psychology Ranked in Top Bachelor's Degree Programs in California

Congratulations to our Department on being ranked on the Top 25 Bachelor's in Psychology Programs in California list by Psychology Degree 411.  The ranking table compares the top 25 Psychology programs offered by not-for-profit institutions in California based on a graduation rate above 55%, and an annual net price below $20,000. Psychology Degree 411 is a comprehensive informational resource for prospective students interested in pursuing a degree in psychology.

Dr. Matthews Honored by Fresno State Department of Psychology

Congratulations to Dr. Justin Matthews for being selected as the 2023-2024 California State University, Fresno Department of Psychology Alumnus of the Year! He was selected for his “outstanding performance as both an undergraduate and a graduate student in the department, …service to Fresno State, …important ongoing work as a professor and role model for the students of CSU Monterey Bay, and …commitment to serving the communities [he has] lived in.” 

After earning Associate’s degrees at College of the Sequoias, he went on to earn Bachelor’s and Master’s Degrees in Psychology at Fresno State ahead of his doctoral-level training at the University of California, Merced.

Notably, Dr. Matthews continues to support Fresno State student researchers by reviewing abstracts and serving as a conference judge for Fresno State’s annual Central California Research Symposium as well as offering Fresno State students science communication workshops (as he also does for students here at Cal State Monterey Bay). We are fortunate to have in our department a commendable scholar so dedicated to involving students in his research efforts and building up their research expertise! Thanks for your dedication, Dr. M!

The award will be presented on the Fresno State campus during this year's Fresno State Department of Psychology Awards Ceremony on April 30th.

Dr. Burchett Awarded 2023-24 CSUMB President's Medal

Dr. Burchett holding her CSUMB President's Medal

Congratulations to Dr. Danielle Burchett on being named this year's President's Medal Award Recipient! Each year, three university employees are selected to receive this honor (a staff member, a faculty member, and a member of management). Each person is selected based on their performance over the course of their career at California State University, Monterey Bay based using the following criteria:

• Teaching as demonstrated by exceptional ability to educate, mentor, and inspire students;
• Scholarship and Professional Application as demonstrated by scholarly/creative accomplishments and the application of one’s expertise to the local, regional, and/or national community; and
• Service and Citizenship as demonstrated by contributions to the achievement of CSUMB’s founding vision and through demonstrated encouragement, mutual respect, and active support of an inclusive campus environment.

Congratulations are also in order for Dr. Justin Matthews for being nominated in the Faculty category this year.

The medal was presented at the Staff and Faculty Appreciation Breakfast on January 17, 2024, in the University Center Auditorium.

Need Funding for Conference Travel or for Capstone Research?

Please use this form to request funding from the psychology department. There are three kinds of funding you can request:

1. Funding to travel to a conference. You may be given preference if you're presenting, but you don't have to be presenting to request funding. We recognize the utility of students and faculty attending conferences to network and support peers even if they're not presenting.
2. Funding to conduct your capstone project. You may need funding to compensate participants, purchase supplies to run your study or some other need.
3. Funding to support your teaching or research. This is typically for faculty who need materials and supplies to support their teaching or research.

Funding requests will be reviewed by the Psychology Budget Committee and Department Chair. Due to our limited budget, some requests may need to be denied or offered partial funding.

Our Amazing Alumni!

Current Psychology Related Research

Interested in PSY related research having to do with current events? Check out our new "Current PSY Research" page where we link to articles and commentaries on current events from a Psychological perspective.

Apply for Scholarships here!

The scholarships listed here are offered by various colleges, departments, and community members. Click on the link below to learn more about these opportunities.

Applying to Graduate School?

If you are, take a look at Dr. Burchett's helpful website detailing the ins and out of program selection, application, and preparation. Dr. Burchett even lists out opportunities to conduct research through a variety of summer internships and trainings. The website also provides information on psychology-related career paths that you might have not thought of... take a look!

Want to take part in research? Log in to SONA for research opportunities.

Questions or comments about this page?

Contact the department webmaster Dr. Justin Matthews.