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: applied cognitive psychology (with specific emphasis on perception and memory); applied social psychology (with specific emphasis on social cognition, attitudes, and forensic psychology); applied developmental psychology (with specific emphasis on adjustment in adolescent and aged individuals); applied behavioral neuroscience (with specific emphasis on testing potential pharmacotherapies for neurodegenerative diseases, such as Huntington's and Parkinson's diseases); behavior analysis (with specific emphasis on applied behavior analysis, behavioral pharmacology, and the experimental analysis of behavior); and applied personality psychology (with specific emphasis on personality testing).

Admission Requirements, Retention & Termination Standards

Admission Requirement Snapshot

Application Deadline: January 1 (Fall)
See Admission Requirement Details Below

Admission requirements and a detailed description of the Applied Experimental Ph.D. program can be obtained from the Department of Psychology website. In addition to grades, the admissions committee is very attentive to letters of recommendation, statement of research interest, and relevant professional experiences. 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.