Psychology links

Graduate Admissions

Overview | Program of Study | Facilities | Application Materials | Financial Assistance

Program of Study

During the first two years, students participate in a program of foundation courses designed to provide broad coverage of theoretical and empirical issues in psychology. The department currently requires that all students successfully complete:

1. PSYC 504, Advanced Psychological Statistics (3)
PSYC 506, Experimental Design (3)

2. Three courses selected from:
PSYC 501, Fundamentals of Learning (3) OR PSYC 511, Cognitive Psychology I (3)
PSYC 503, Biopsychology (3)
PSYC 520, Experimental Social Psychology (3)
PSYC 541, Analysis of Behavior Pathology (3)
PSYC 565, Behavioral Development (3)

PSYC 504 and PSYC 506 must be completed during the first calendar year and the remaining foundation course requirements must be completed by the end of the second calendar year. Students are also expected to enroll in PSYC 590, Psychological Research (1-3) each fall and spring semester although these credits do not count toward the M.A. or Ph.D.

The M.A. degree requires a total of 30 credit hours. Together with the 15 hours from above, additional requirements for the M.A. include:

3. PSYC 599, Master’s Thesis (6)

4. Electives in Psychology (6)

The Ph.D. requires a total of 90 credit hours and includes the following:

5. a Master’s thesis

6. a candidacy examination (administered separately by each curricular area)

7. a research tool requirement generally consisting of four (4) statistics courses

8. a doctoral dissertation and oral defense

9. clinical and school psychology students must also successfully complete an approved internship

Beyond the foundation program, students’ course requirements are prescribed by their curricular area. Students participate in advanced courses and seminars, covering topics particular to their area of specialization and interests. All students are expected to gain research experience under the supervision of a faculty member and are encouraged to continue their research in one or more laboratories throughout their graduate careers. Throughout the year, students also attend colloquia presented by faculty and visiting scholars.