Requirements for the Doctoral Degree

The requirements listed here are intended merely as a rough guide; the formal statement of requirements is in the Department's Graduate Student Manual, available to accepted students, in manuals prepared by the various doctoral programs, and in other University publications.

Seventy-two (72) credits of coursework including:

  • two courses in graduate statistics (PSY 607 and PSY 608 - 3 credits each)
  • at least one approved distribution course from each of the department's four areas of study (Behavioral Neuroscience, Clinical, Cognitive, Social-Personality; 3 credits each)
  • elective content (57 credits of graduate courses and research)
  • The student must obtain
    • letter grades of B- or higher in statistics and distribution courses
    • at least a B average across all courses (3.0 GPA)
  • Major Projects:
    • second year independent research project
    • written and/or oral preliminary exams
    • dissertation
    • oral dissertation defense

All doctoral students are expected to be engaged in the department's activities and to be involved in research, so consequently are expected to attend full-time. In general, four years are required to complete the requirements, including the dissertation. Credits may be transferred from other programs and institutions only upon approval, and may not constitute more than half the total credits for the Ph.D.

For students in clinical psychology, there are additional requirements, including a one-year internship.