The psychology department at New Mexico Highlands university offers students the opportunity to pursue a bachelor of arts or a bachelor of science degree in psychology. Additionally, we house a graduate program with both a general track focused on preparing students for PhD programs and a Masters of Clinical Counseling preparing scientist-practitioners to assist clients in New Mexico and beyond.
Undergraduate Programs
Students completing a major in psychology will complete 36 credit hours within the major, including psychological research methods, statistics, and a core series of courses in psychology including social, cognitive, abnormal, and developmental. Students completing a B.S. in psychology will also work with faculty complete a research project in psychology and a science minor. For both degrees, our psychology program and faculty emphasize the science of psychology and provide a strong background in research and statistics. Across courses, the faculty encourage students to think critically about material and to apply concepts learned in the classroom to understanding everyday life experiences. Notably, our department strives to offer all courses in the psychology major both in-person and through a number of online modalities.
Graduate Programs
The department offers two tracks that lead to a Master of Science degree in psychology: a General Psychology track and a Clinical/Counseling Psychology track. Both options emphasize the science of psychology and prepare students for continued study in psychology at the doctoral level. The Clinical/Counseling track also prepares students for licensure as a master’s level clinician. Students will be expected to graduate from the program with the skills and knowledge necessary to plan, conduct, analyze, and report sound scientific research.
Dr. David Pan, Chair
Lora Magnum Shields Building, Room 249
Phone: 505-454-3375
E-mail: dpan@nmhu.edu
Psychology Department News
2024
NMHU Psychology Department launches research website to highlight student and faculty work: https://sites.google.com/view/nmhusocialpsychology/active-research
2023
The NMHU chapter of the Psychology International Honor Society, Psi Chi, celebrates 75 years.
2021
Two new faculty have accepted tenure-track positions with the NMHU Department of Psychology! We welcome Dr. Sarah Tracy and Dr. Thomas Brooks!
2018
Three NMHU Master’s Degree in Psychology graduates accepted in Ph.D. programs
Two NMHU Psychology professors earn tenure
Mission of the Department of Psychology
The mission of the Department of Psychology is to provide psychological and sociocultural service and expertise for the region, as well as the greater global community, and to contribute to meeting the educational needs in psychology, the career needs in psychological services and research, and the training for careers in education engineering, physical and biological sciences, medicine, and other science fields.
Faculty
Tenure/Tenure-track Faculty*
Thomas Brooks, Ph.D. (Psychology, Experimental Social-Cognition)
Assistant Professor of Psychology, Texas A&M – Commerce
Main Campus – Las Vegas | CV
Email: trbrooks@nmhu.edu
Research interests: Human sexuality, death and dying, fandom studies, trauma-informed care and education
Daniel Chadborn, Ph.D. (Experimental Social Psychology)
Assistant Professor of Psychology, Texas A&M – Commerce
Main Campus – Las Vegas | CV
Email: dchadborn@nmhu.edu
Research interests: Social identity, internet fan communities, self-categorization, folklore, sense of community
Lara Heflin, Ph.D. (Clinical Psychology)
Associate Professor of Psychology, University of Southern California
Main Campus – Las Vegas | CV
Email: lheflin@nmhu.edu
Research interests: Neuropsychology, health psychology, stress and coping, cancer, brain and head injury
David Pan, Ph.D. (Clinical Psychology)
Associate Professor of Psychology, University of Southern California
Email: dpan@nmhu.edu
Main Campus – Las Vegas | CV
Research interests: Treatment outcomes, anxiety and mood disorders, behavioral interventions, cultural identity, cultural adaptations
Sarah Tracy, Ph.D. (Counseling Psychology)
Assistant Professor of Psychology, New Mexico State University
Email: stracy@nmhu.edu
Farmington Center & Online | CV
Research interests: PTSD and general trauma, depressive disorders, mindfulness, and psychopathy
*Only tenure/tenure-track faculty members can serve as research advisors for Masters students
Contingent/Visiting Faculty
Nariman Arfai, Ph.D. (Cognitive Behavioral Neuroscience – Experimental Psychology)
Instructor of Psychology (Undergraduate), University of New Mexico
Email: narfai@nmhu.edu
Rio Rancho Center & Online | CV
Mathais Stricherz, Ph.D. (Clinical Psychology)
Adjunct Professor of Psychology, Texas Tech University
Main Campus – Las Vegas | CV
Email: mstricherz@nmhu.edu
Research interests: disaster mental health, violence in the workplace, death and dying, psychotherapy, and alcohol and drugs
Linda LaGrange, Ph.D. (Experimental Psychology)
Professor of Psychology, University of Alberta
Main Campus – Las Vegas | CV
Email: lagrange_l@nmhu.edu
Research interests: Hepatoprotective and fetoprotective properties of flavonoids in treatment of alcohol abuse; identification of biological markers of excessive alcohol consumption; biochemical correlates of personality traits/pathology
Affiliated Faculty
Leon Bustos, M.S. (General Psychology), Director of Health Education and Wellness, New Mexico Highlands University
Email: leonbustos@nmhu.edu
Main Campus – Las Vegas | CV
Jean Hill, Ph.D. (Emeriti)
Ian Williamson, Ph.D. (Associate Vice President of Academic Affairs)
Graduate Program Data and Frequently Asked Questions
Mission
It is the mission of the Master of Science program in psychology at NMHU to train master’s level psychologists who can utilize critical thinking skills, an understanding of the scientific method, and knowledge of major disciplines of psychology to their work as teachers, researchers, or practitioners. The program is designed to prepare students for either work as master’s level clinicians or continued study in psychology at the doctoral level. This mission is achieved through a high level of professor-to-student interaction, ample opportunities for research and practical experience, and exposure to a multicultural community setting.
MPCAC Accreditation
The Clinical/Counseling Track is MPCAC (Masters in Psychology & Counseling Accreditation Council) accredited. The MPCAC accredits programs that have a strong emphasis on science-based and culturally-responsive education and training, consistent with the values and mission of our program at NMHU. The MPCAC also works to ensure its standards are consistent with the requirements for licensure as a master’s-level clinician.
Graduate Program Data (Clinical/Counseling Track)
Academic Year 2022-2023:
Number of applicants: 18
Number of students admitted: 11
Number of students admitted who accepted offer of admission: 6
Total number of students enrolled in the program/track: 24
Number of students who graduated: 2
Graduate Program Data (General Track)
Academic Year 2022-2023:
Number of applicants: 10
Number of students admitted: 7
Number of students admitted who accepted offer of admission:5
Total number of students enrolled in the program/track: 11
Number of students who graduated: 8
FAQ
Q: When are the application deadlines?
A: We recommend applications be submitted by April 8th. Any applications received before April will be reviewed as they come in. As a department we review applications once a month on a rolling basis.
Q: Is your graduate program available online?
A: While some of our faculty do teach online over Zoom or asynchronously, portions of our program are in-person on the Las Vegas campus. Many of these are tied to statistical methods and assessment techniques that require more hands on training. With this in mind, our department strives to schedule our classes to reduce commute times from outside of Las Vegas.