Ph.D. in Psychological Science

Program Requirements

The Ph.D. program requires a minimum of 62 credit hours of graduate level coursework. The required coursework is designed to provide students with a strong foundation in statistics, research methods, and teaching, and the elective coursework provides overviews of specific content areas. An Overview of the Ph.D. Program in Psychological Science can be found at the  Course Catolog page for Psychology, and the Department of Psychology page.

Required CoursesCredits
PSYX 501Adv Rsch Design & Analysis3
PSYX 502Advanced Design/Stat I3
PSYX 505Teaching of Psychology1
1 additional graduate-level research methods/statistics course from either the Psychology department or outside the department with approval of the mentoring committee. 3
Elective Courses24
Students must complete 8 courses (24 credits) of elective courses. Up to 6 of these elective credits can be taken outside of the Psychology Department. Electives must be approved by the students faculty advisor.
Research
PSYX 590Master's Thesis10
PSYX 690 Doctoral Thesis There is no credit limit for PSYX 690, however the Graduate School recommends students take between 18-28 of these dissertation credits.18
Total Credits62

Below are courses we typically offer:

PSYX 502Advanced Design/Stat I3
PSYX 501Adv Rsch Design & Analysis3
PSYX 503Structural Equation Models3
PSYX 505Teaching of Psychology1
PSYX 510Topics in Psychological Science3
PSYX 539Physiological Processes3
PSYX 541Cognitive Processes3
PSYX 542Learning3
PSYX 543Memory3
PSYX 544Social Psychology3
PSYX 546Social Cognition3
PSYX 562Psychology of Prejudice, Stereotypes, Discrimination and Stigma3
PSYX 575Professional Paper and Project1-6
PSYX 589Graduate Consultation3
PSYX 590Master's Thesis1-10
PSYX 591Special Topics1-4
PSYX 592Independent Study1-3
PSYX 594Seminar3

                                                                                      
We plan to add several new elective courses over the next few years. EXAMPLES of POSSIBLE Future Elective Courses include:

Anxiety and Emotion Regulation
Attention & Cognitive Control
Attitudes & Persuasion
Cognitive Aging
Collective Memory
Developmental Psychopathology 
Disparities In Mental & Physical Health
The Self