Psychology PhD

Please note that the Department of Psychology offers only a PhD. We do not admit students to a terminal master's degree; however, students in the PhD program may earn a master’s degree on the way to their doctorate.

PhD training is intended to produce high levels of expertise in developing and conducting research, analyzing and interpreting data, and interpreting existing theory and research in psychology. Consequently, our curriculum consists of hands-on research experience, graduate seminars in each student's area of interest, and graduate-level foundation courses dealing with quantitative methods and substantive areas of research and theory.

The Psychology PhD is a full-time, residential program that typically takes students five to six years to complete. All students are admitted to, and complete the curriculum for, one of our seven areas of specialization. For students in Counseling and Clinical Science & Psychopathology Research (CSPR), requirements include a pre-doctoral internship that is typically completed in year six. 

All students in the Psychology PhD program complete a first-year project, preliminary written and oral examinations, and a dissertation and final oral examination in addition to required coursework and 24 thesis credits. Students in the Psychology PhD may start completing thesis credits early in their program to ensure timely progress through credit requirements for their specialization’s curriculum. 

Learning Outcomes

Research competency is foundational to all of our program goals. In broad terms, we train our students to acquire the skills to

1. Independently contribute knowledge to the discipline through research, and 

2. Synthesize and critically evaluate the key findings, concepts, methods and theories that are relevant to their research area. 

All students are expected to learn methods relevant to their research and to acquire competency in quantitative analysis of data. 

During their graduate training, students also are expected to attain competency in classroom teaching and to have experience mentoring undergraduates in research. Finally, as preparation for their future career responsibilities, students are encouraged to participate in service at the departmental, university and national levels.

Full Requirements