Applied Experimental Psychology, Ph.D.

Minimum Totals for Graduation: 54 hours

The objective of the Ph.D. program in Applied Experimental Psychology is to develop individuals with strong applied experimental research skills for positions in business, industry, allied health, government agencies and in academia. The program is designed to provide advanced training in psychological processes (e.g. biological, cognitive, behavioral, social, personality) and quantitative-methodological procedures (e.g. statistics, experimental design, computer applications) and their utilization in an applied setting. The program will provide students with specialized applied training, including a pre-doctoral internship. The program uses a mentor system, matching students with faculty members who have interest in closely related areas. The current areas of training include: human factors (ergonomics, psychophysiology, attention and perceptual processes); behavioral medicine (with emphasis on developmental disabilities and infant disorders); applied cognitive science (with special emphasis on memory, cognitive modeling, decision making, forensic psychology); applied social psychology (social cognition, personality judgments, individual differences, and attitudes); applied developmental psychology (with emphasis on adjustment in adolescent and aged individuals); and applied behavioral neuroscience (with specific emphasis on testing potential pharmacotherapies for neurodegenerative diseases, such as Huntington's and Parkinson's diseases); and behavior analysis (with special emphasis on applied behavior analysis, behavioral pharmacology, behavioral pediatrics, organizational behavior management and the experimental analysis of behavior).

Admission Requirements, Retention & Termination Standards

Admission Requirement Snapshot

Entrance Exam: GRE

Application Deadline: January 1 (Fall)

See Admission Requirement Details Below

Applicants to the Program are expected to have a baccalaureate degree and at least 15 hours of psychology. The foundation of the program is the M.S. Program in Experimental Psychology. The first two years of the program are identical to those of the M.S. Program in Experimental Psychology. Students accepted into the program must complete all of the requirements of the M.S. Program in Experimental Psychology or its equivalent. The emphasis in third and fourth years is on advanced specialized training, including generating high quality applied research and gaining practical experience through internships.

Program Requirements

Admission to doctoral candidacy is based on satisfactory grades, completion of thesis requirements, and passing a comprehensive examination over PSY 800 project at the end of the third year. Before applying for pre-doctoral internship training, students must have a doctoral dissertation proposal accepted by their dissertation committee. The doctoral degree is awarded upon successful completion of a pre-doctoral internship, as well as the successful defense of a doctoral dissertation.

Program Requirements

Required Courses (30 hours)

PSY 789	Seminar in Applied Experimental Psychology	1-9(Spec)
PSY 800	Research in Applied Experimental Psychology	1-12(Spec)
PSY 898	Doctoral Dissertation: Design	1-12(Spec)
PSY 899	Doctoral Dissertation: Implementation	1-12(Spec)

Note: A minimum of 15 credit hours from the combination of PSY 898 and PSY 899 is required.

Required Courses II (6 hours)

Select one of the following:

PSY 990	Internship A: Professional Services	1-6(Spec)
PSY 991	Internship B: Professional Services	1-6(Spec)

Note: A minimum of 6 credit hours is required.

Electives (18 hours)

Select 18 hours of PSY courses in consultation with advisor.

Total: 54 semester hours (minimum hours for third and fourth years)

Note: The requirements for the first two years in the Ph.D. program in Applied Experimental Psychology are identical to those required for the M.S. degree in Experimental Psychology.