Mar 28, 2024  
2021-2022 Graduate Catalog 
    
2021-2022 Graduate Catalog [ARCHIVED CATALOG]

Psychology, Ph.D.


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Return to: 3500 Department of Psychology  

The Department of Psychology offers courses of study leading primarily to the Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) degree. Doctoral-level study then provides students the opportunity to acquire the additional knowledge and skills necessary for professional careers in teaching, research, clinical service, and consultation.

The doctoral-level education of advanced graduate students focuses upon specialized coursework and supervised experiences in the department’s five program areas. The program areas are Clinical Psychology, Community Psychology, Clinical/Community Psychology, Clinical/Neuropsychology, Developmental Psychology, Concentration in Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience, and Cognitive Sciences Psychology. The areas of specialization within the programs are defined by the interests and expertise of the faculty and, thus, will change within a scholarly context that encourages diversity, growth, and change.

The facilities of the department permit work in cognition, development, behavioral neuroscience, neuropsychology, learning, infant behavior, sensation and perception, motivation, aging, social psychology, assessment, individual psychotherapy, group and family therapy, behavior therapy, and community psychology. Students may work with both human and nonhuman populations. Human populations include all age ranges and a variety of ethnic and socioeconomic backgrounds. Nonhuman populations include several rodent and primate species.

The graduate program in clinical psychology is accredited by the American Psychological Association.

Applicants may obtain additional information about the Department of Psychology by contacting the Director of Graduate Studies at the addresses above.

Policy on Non-Degree Admission

Students may take no more than six hours of coursework in non-degree status without petitioning the department for an exception to this policy. Students enrolled in non-degree status in a psychology graduate course may not at the same time be applicants to a degree program and may not apply for admission to a graduate degree program in the department for one year following the semester in which the non-degree course was taken. Applications for non-degree admission may be obtained from the College of Arts and Sciences. Application deadlines for non-degree status are the same as the general deadlines for the College of Arts and Sciences and can be found in the section of the catalog entitled “Admission Policies.”

Admission Deadlines

Applications for all programs are considered for the fall semester only. The Application for Graduate Study, $50 application fee, and all supporting materials (transcripts, GRE scores, letters, and supplemental form) must be postmarked by the posted deadline for admission the following fall.

Additional Admission Requirements

In addition to the general requirements of the College of Arts and Sciences, the Department of Psychology has the following requirements:

  1. Applicants are expected to have a background in psychology, although an undergraduate major is not required. A minimum of four courses is required: psychological statistics, a course in research methods in psychology, plus two or more content courses in psychology at the junior or senior level. It is recommended that applicants to the clinical program take abnormal psychology as one of the content courses.
  2. The applicant must submit scores that are well above average on the general test of the Graduate Record Examination.
  3. A student in possession of a graduate degree or coursework who is admitted to graduate study may be accorded advanced standing after an evaluation of previous graduate work. The evaluation ordinarily will be conducted during the first semester of enrollment. If the student’s previous graduate work did not include courses equivalent to the required core courses and a thesis, these will be required. Students given full credit for master’s work elsewhere will have one year in which to complete all work stipulated as conditions of admission or transfer of credit.
  4. Each student must fill out the Supplementary Form for Graduate Study in Psychology.

Degree Requirements


A minimum of 95 post baccalaureate hours, the majority of which must be taken at Georgia State University, are required for the Doctor of Philosophy degree. Credit for up to 30 hours is possible for students with master’s degrees from other institutions with the approval of the departmental Graduate Program Committee and the Office of Graduate Services of the College of Arts and Sciences. Upon petition, 6 hours of work may be taken at other institutions. Students meeting particular program area requirements frequently find it necessary to take more than the minimum of 95 hours of credit.

Additional requirements include:

  1. A master’s degree based on a written thesis.
  2. A minimum of one year’s full-time residence.
  3. Sixty-two credit hours of coursework beyond the master’s degree.
  4. At least nine hours of PSYC 9980 Readings for General Examination.
  5. A minimum of twenty hours of PSYC 9999 Doctoral Dissertation Research.
  6. A general examination, which consists of both written and oral parts, to be taken after the student has completed the coursework required by the program.
  7. A dissertation.
  8. A dissertation defense.
  9. Clinical and Community Psychology students: additional hours of clinical/practical training (PSYC 9950A, 9950B, 9950C, 9950D, 9950E, 9950M, 9960C, 9970C).
  10. Clinical Psychology students: one year of internship at a site approved by the American Psychological Association.
  11. Graduate assistants are required to enroll for a minimum of 18 credit hours each semester. These credit hours will consist of courses required for the prescribed program of study, as well as additional hours of general exam readings (PSYC 9980), thesis/dissertation research (PSYC 8999 and 9999), pedagogy courses, if applicable (PSYC 9900T, 9960A, and 9960B), and advanced readings/research (PSYC 9910 and 9920).

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