Graduate Program - Overview

The Department of Psychological Sciences offers doctoral degrees in the following areas: Behavioral Neuroscience, Clinical, Cognitive, Developmental, Industrial-Organizational, Learning and Memory, Social, and Quantitative-Mathematical Psychology. Our graduates have positions in many fields including academia, the government, the military, and industry. We have many world class researchers who are interested in wide ranging questions from how infants learn, to obesity and eating to interpersonal violence, just to name a few. Go to the various departmental areas on the web page to get information on the exciting research that is being carried in each area. If you are interested in becoming researcher in new and exciting fields, you should apply online to the graduate program in the department of psychological sciences at Purdue University.

Judith Conger
Director of Graduate Studies

Degree Program

Typically, it takes five or six years to complete requirements leading to the Ph.D. degree. The Master of Science degree with thesis is required for all students who intend to earn the Ph.D. The Master of Science without thesis is available, but usually is taken only by those students who, for various reasons, desire not to continue toward the Ph.D. degree in this department. These degrees require 24 and 36 semester hours of course work, respectively. The Ph.D. program is research-oriented and requires a dissertation. It usually takes two to three years beyond the M.S. degree for completion.

The number of semester hours of course work required is flexible, subject to approval by the student's advisory committee. The student can take all course work in psychology or elect appropriate courses in areas outside psychology. Flexibility of individual programs is stressed, with required courses being left to the discretion of the area of specialization and/or the advisory committee. There is no foreign language requirement.

Detailed information concerning course and area requirements can be found in the Graduate Handbook.

Research Facilities

Research and training facilities include laboratories in clinical, developmental, educational, and social psychology; learning and memory; psychobiology; human learning and information processing; perception; psychoacoustics; and visual and auditory psychophysiology. In addition to multiple computer systems within the department, the resources of the University Computer Center are available.

Clinical training and research opportunities exist within the department's Psychological Services Center. Through the Committee on Institutional Cooperation, research opportunities in cooperation with 10 other Midwestern universities are available.

Student Population

Over 100 graduate students participate in the department's programs. Over 90 percent of the graduate students receive full financial support, with most others receiving partial support. About 5 percent of the graduate students are from foreign countries. Students come from colleges and universities nationwide.