Graduate programs in Psychology  provide professional training leading to the doctor of philosophy degree.

Doctoral programs are offered in four broad areas:

(1) animal learning/physiological psychology (with concentrations in animal learning/behavior or physiological psychology/behavioral neuroscience)

(2) cognitive and human factors psychology (with concentrations in psycholinguistics, judgment and decision making, human factors/engineering psychology, or 
     sensation and perception)

(3) social-personality (with concentrations in social, personality, or developmental psychology)

(4) industrial/ organizational (with concentrations in human-resources/personnel issues and procedures, organizational behavior and theory)

All doctoral candidates, regardless of special areas of interest, are expected to obtain a thorough grounding in general psychology, including theory, content, and methods. Such grounding is accomplished in part by requiring all students to take a series of basic core courses in both quantitative and substantive areas of psychology. The first two years of graduate study are typically devoted to a broad survey of the major areas of psychology and the acquisition of certain basic research techniques. The first year of this period is spent primarily in basic courses. During the second year, students begin to satisfy related requirements, complete work on their master’s thesis, and begin to develop a major area of professional interest. The third and fourth years of the doctoral program constitute a period of special training during which students are occupied to an increasing extent with pursuing their special research and professional interests. Most of their time is spent in small seminars and directed study. During this time, students must pass a final written examination that covers their major areas of interest, and complete a doctoral dissertation that constitutes an original contribution to the research literature in those areas.

Our graduate training includes an opportunity to gain supervised experience in teaching at the college level. This program provides both course work on pedagogical methods and supervised experience as an instructor for introductory level psychology courses and, later, one or more of the department’s core or service courses. Close interaction between the graduate student and a skilled faculty member is maintained to provide an optimum learning environment. Because most academic positions taken by our graduates involve teaching to a greater or lesser extent, this type of formal training makes our students highly competitive in the job market. 

Students who complete the doctoral program are eligible for a variety of teaching, research, and professional positions in colleges and universities, governmental agencies, and business and industry.