The Department of Psychology offers the Doctor of Philosophy and Master of Arts degrees in Psychology and Industrial & Organizational Psychology. The Master of Arts degree in Psychology is available only to students who have been admitted to the doctoral program and are working toward their Ph.D. degree.
Program Leading to the Master of Arts Degree in Industrial & Organizational Psychology
The Industrial & Organizational Psychology master’s program serves students who desire either predoctoral training or practitioner-oriented training and operates within the broader structure of the current doctoral program in I & O psychology. A minimum of 36 credits of approved coursework is required for the degree. Two tracks are offered to students: a thesis and non-thesis track. Students choosing the thesis option will write a master’s thesis that reports the results of a scholarly investigation of a phenomenon of importance to the field of I & O psychology. This option is targeted at those who anticipate further training at the doctoral level. Students in the non-thesis track will take internship credits or additional coursework instead of completing a thesis. The non-thesis option is targeted at those seeking a career in applied or organizational settings. All students will be required to complete satisfactorily a written comprehensive examination covering the field of I & O psychology. The exam will cover topics and issues that are of substantive relevance to all I & O psychologists, irrespective of their individual interests.
Program of Study (36 credits minimum)
1. Statistical Methods and Research Methodology (6 credits, required): Psy
510 and Psy 511
2. Core Content Courses ( 18 credits, required): Psy 641, Psy 751, Psy 752,
Psy 753, Psy 754 and Psy 781
3. Out of Area Electives (6 credits): Psy 603, Psy 604, or Psy 605
4. Six (6) credits of Thesis (Psy 699), Supervised Internship (Psy 756), or
Advanced Coursework (Psy 613, Psy 644, Psy 668, Psy 736 or Psy 780)
5. Satisfactory completion of a written comprehensive examination
Program Leading to the Master of Arts Degree in Psychology
Program of Study (30 credits minimum)
Program of Study and Research
(66 credits, minimum)
The general aim of the doctoral program is preparation of students to become productive scholars in the psychological sciences through coursework and research experience leading to the doctoral dissertation. It is the aim of this graduate program to provide a course of study which provides a foundation in psychology and to meet individual objectives in an area of specialization.
Departmental Requirements
In the first year of doctoral studies, students take the two-semester sequence of statistics courses, Psy 510 and 511. A student who receives a grade lower than B in Psy 510 or 511 must repeat the course. (Students who earn less than a B in 510 cannot enroll in 511.) First-year students are expected to take at least 12 hours per semester. First-year students also take Psy 600A,B, which is a two semester course.
Outside-of-Area Courses
Students are expected to gain knowledge of psychological research by taking courses in most of the department's specializations. Breadth of knowledge in these areas is accomplished with courses recommended by the student's advisor. Each student is required to take a minimum of four courses outside her or his own specialization. The four courses must be selected from at least two different areas of specialization within the Ph.D. program. Such courses would typically include Psy 601, 602, 603, 605, 606, 640, or 641, although other courses (including courses from other departments) may be used to satisfy this requirement. Each area of specialization may identify particular courses for its students to take.
All graduate students must maintain a B average among the four courses outside their own specialization. If a student earns less than a C in one of these courses, and is still retained in the program, the student will repeat the course regardless of the student's overall average.
Psy 600 Project Research Competency Paper
Satisfactory completion of the Psy 600 A and B courses requires a research competency paper similar in scope to a paper submitted to peer-review journals. This paper will include a substantive review of relevant literature; detailed description of methods and materials used to generate empirical data; fully documented data analyses; and a discussion of issues raised by the results. Projects limited to qualitative literature reviews are not acceptable. This paper must be written entirely by the student, and must bear the written approval of the student's advisor and the department chair. This paper is expected to be completed by the end of the student's second year of graduate study.
Research Tool Requirement
Every student must present evidence of the satisfactory completion of the research tool requirement. Only one tool is required.
The department defines the research tool as a course or area of study involving both a skill component and an execution component which will aid students in their dissertation and future research endeavors. The tool subject must be satisfied following admission to and in addition to the student's program of study in psychology.
The following areas are set forth as illustrative only, as possible areas to fulfill the research tool requirement: computer programming, mathematics, electronics, biochemistry, histological techniques, foreign language, pharmacology, and advanced statistics.
The actual area to be studied, the work to be completed, and the method of evaluation must be approved by the student's advisor.
Departmental Examinations
The department qualifying examination consists of a demonstration by graduate students that they are prepared and qualified to perform independently and professionally within their area of specialization.
Before the end of the fourth year of study, a student must have completed the doctoral qualifying examination. All graduate students will be required to complete the Psy 600A,B project before they may take the qualifying examination. The department qualifying examination consists of a prepared and qualified to perform independently and professionally within their area of specialization. This demonstration will require broad-ranging mastery of conceptual and methodological issues in the area, and is exemplified by a comprehensive test, an integrative review article, or a grant proposal. The specific format will be determined by the student's Qualifying Examination Committee, which must include at least three area faculty. It is the student's responsibility to consult with his or her advisor about examination format, committee membership, and time line. If a student fails the qualifying examination, he/she may take it once more. Failure on the second occasion constitutes a basis for dismissal from the program.
Dissertation
Students must submit an acceptable dissertation which demonstrates that they are capable of doing independent scholarly work and are able to formulate conclusions which should modify or extend previous knowledge. Students must be formally admitted to candidacy before the dissertation proposal can be accepted and approved.
Full Time Study in Residence
Each student in a doctoral program must engage in full-time study beyond the master's degree or equivalent at the University in at least two sessions after admission to the advanced program. This requirement is designed to insure for each doctoral student a sustained period of intensive intellectual growth. For this purpose a student will enroll in full-time study (12 credits) taken in each of two sessions, or in a regular session and a summer session, not necessarily consecutive, which must be completed satisfactorily, except as indicated here:
A student is admitted to candidacy for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy upon the following:
All courses used to satisfy degree requirements (other than Psy 899) must have been completed no more than eight years prior to the semester in which the degree is officially granted by the University. This limitation also applies to all courses taken at other institutions for which transfer credit has been granted by the University.
Requirements Specific to Biopsychology
First-year students are required to take Psy 601 and 602. In addition to meeting department and university requirements for the Ph.D., students enrolled in the biopsychology area are required to complete the following courses during the first four years of study: Psy 514 Hormones, Brain, and Behavior (3); Psy 722 Comparative Behavior (3); Psy 723 Behavior- Genetic Analysis (3); Psy 745 Psychopharmacology (3); Psy 779 Current Topics in Biopsychology (1) (to be taken each semester through the third year for a total of 6 credits).
Each student must select one of the following courses: Psy 713 Advanced Biopsychology (3); Psy 735 Animal Learning (3).
Students specializing in biopsychology must satisfy department requirements for courses outside the area in part or in whole by work in other departments as approved by the advisory/dissertation committee.
Requirements Specific to Clinical Psychology
First-year students in the clinical area are required to take the following specific proseminar courses: Psy 601, Psy 602 or Psy 603, and Psy 605.
In addition to meeting department and university requirements for the Ph.D., students enrolled in the clinical area are required to complete the clinical core. The clinical core consists of the following: Psy 640 Survey of Psychopathology (3); Psy 670 Clinical Methods I: Assessment (3); Psy 671 Clinical Methods II: Psychotherapy and Behavior Change (3); Psy 672 Clinical Methods III: Psychotherapy and Behavior Change (3); Psy 673 Clinical Methods IV: Child Psychology (3); Psy 675A Introduction to Clinical Psychology: The Scientist-Practitioner (2); Psy 675B Practicum in Clinical Assessment (2); Psy 676A,B Practicum in Assessment Intervention (3,3); Psy 677A,B Practicum in Professional Issues and Current Directions in Clinical Psychology (3,3).
Psy 640, 670 and 675A,B are taken the first year. Psy 671 and 672 are taken with concurrent practica, Psy 676A,B, in the second year. Psy 673 is taken with concurrent practica, Psy 677A,B, in the third year.
A predoctoral internship is required of all students in the clinical area. It may take the form of a full calendar year spent in a local or distant agency.
Requirements Specific to Cognitive Psychology
In addition to the departmental course requirements, course requirements specific to the Cognitive Psychology program are as follows: Students must take Psy 603 and are ordinarily expected to take Psy 565 Psychology and Language, Psy 721 Complex Mental Processes, Psy 624 Human Memory, and Psy 625 Information Processing/Perception. Students are also encouraged to complement their courses in psychology with courses in other departments such as computer science, statistics, linguistics, and educational psychology and will be expected to take an active role in colloquia and other related programs offered by faculty in the Linguistics and Cognitive Science Program.
Requirements Specific to Industrial and Organizational Psychology
In addition to meeting department and university requirements for the Ph.D., students in the Industrial and Organizational (I&O) area are required to complete the following courses within their first four years of study: Psy 613 Multivariate Analysis (3); Psy 641 Survey of Organizational Psychology (3); Psy 736 Research Methods in Psychology (3); Psy 751 Work Motivation (3); Psy 752 Personnel Psychology (3); Psy 753 Psychometric Theory and Research (3); Psy 754 Training, Development, and Evaluation in Organizations (3); Psy 780 Current Readings in Industrial and Organizational Psychology (3); Psy 781 Topics in Industrial and Organizational Psychology (1 credit per semester for each of the first 6 semesters).
Students must also complete at least two of the following courses (6 credits minimum): Psy 614 Meta-Analysis (3); Psy 756 Practicum in Organizational Research (3-6); Psy 765 Interpersonal Relations and Group Processes (3); Psy 780 Diversity in Organizations (3).
In general, during their first year in the program, students in the I&O area are expected to complete the following area-specific courses: (a) Psy 752, (b) either Psy 641 or Psy 751, and (c) Psy 736. This set of courses prepares students for more advanced study in the I&O area.
Requirements Specific to Social-Personality Psychology
The student must successfully complete six courses outside of the Social- Personality Area. Social-Personality students must successfully complete a minimum of two of the following as out-of-area courses: Psy 601, 602, 603, 604, 610, or 641. (Of the remaining four outside courses, a maximum of two may be courses given in other departments with the prior approval of the student's advisor.)
The student must take the introductory social course (Psy 605) and the introductory personality course (Psy 606) in the first year of study.
The student must complete the following advanced courses within four years of study: Psy 730 Attitudes and Social Cognition; Psy 737 Research Methods in Social and Personality Psychology; Psy 755 Personality Processes and Individual Differences; Psy 765 Interpersonal Relations and Group Processes.
A student in the social/personality area of concentration is expected to demonstrate competence in a research area which has been chosen in consultation with an advisor and a faculty member from the department. Possible projects might include a major authorship on a paper of social psychological research accepted for journal publication, an evaluative review of a research area, or preparation of a real or simulated three- year grant proposal.
Graduate Certificate in Autism
This certificate is a three course (9 credits) sequence that focuses on the education and treatment of individuals with autism and related disorders. This certificate allows persons to sit for the examination "Certification as an Associate Behavior Analyst in New York".
Required Courses:
Psy 519 (3) Autism I
Psy 520 (3) Autism II
Psy 521 (3) Autism III