Graduate Areas of Concentration

Applied cognition, engineering psychology, health psychology

The MS and Ph.D. program is a doctoral program with a Master's degree component that is obtained en route to the Ph.D. The MS portion of the program assures that students have experience designing and conducting research prior to the dissertation stage. The program has a strong research component, ensuring that graduates have the tools to tackle a variety of applied problems. This entails both classwork in research methods and statistics and a continuing emphasis on student research.

The program’s general focus is on the application of psychological research methods, theories, and principles to solving practical problems. The program has three areas of concentration: applied cognition, engineering psychology, and health psychology.

Applied cognition is the application of research on thinking, learning, decision-making, perception, social judgment, and other cognitive processes to applied issues. Examples of relevant application areas include the psychology of teaching and learning, the effects of contemplative practice, and risk perception.

Engineering psychology refers to research at the intersection of psychology and technology. Relevant topics include such things as the improvement of technology, human-machine interfaces, transportation, information systems, and work and living environments.

Health psychology concerns the relations between psychological factors (e.g., cognition, motivation, individual and interpersonal behavior, emotion) and physical and mental health and wellness in diverse populations with regard to age, gender, ethnicity, socioeconomic background, and health status.

Admission Requirements

Bachelor's or Master’s degree from an accredited institution; minimum undergraduate GPA of 3.2/4.0 or graduate GPA of 3.5/4.0; GRE; TOEFL score of at least 600 (paper exam), 250 (computer exam), or 100 (internet exam); three letters of recommendation; personal statement.

Major Code: 9700

MS

• Conduct research or produce some other form of creative work.
• Demonstrate mastery of subject material.
• Conduct scholarly or professional activities in an ethical manner.

PhD

• Produce and defend an original significant contribution to knowledge.
  • Conduct independent research resulting in an original contribution to knowledge in psychology, including all steps from generating an original question to writing a manuscript describing all aspects of the study.
• Demonstrate mastery of subject material.
  • Demonstrate broad knowledge of psychology, advanced knowledge in a specialized area, and knowledge of statistics and methods used in psychology research.
• Conduct scholarly activities in an ethical manner.
  • Articulate principles of ethical and socially responsible behavior by psychologists, including in the context of human diversity; conduct research that is ethical and socially responsible.
• Demonstrate skill in educating and mentoring individuals from a variety of backgrounds.
• Demonstrate effective written and oral communication skills appropriate for the field of psychology.
• Acquire knowledge and professional skills necessary for careers in psychology.

The Psychology PhD program requires a minimum of 111 credits, including at least 36 credits of dissertation. The program is organized into core requirements for all students, along with additional work in a concentration area composed of electives, the nature of which is defined primarily by the student’s research focus.

The core requirements are in research methods, professional issues, and basic content in psychology. The required core curriculum provides a critical foundation in quantitative and research methods, core theory in psychological science, ethics, and professional issues.

No more than 15 credits of blanket-numbered classes, excluding dissertation, thesis, or internship credit, may be used towards the 111 credit minimum.

Major Code: 9700