The General/Experimental Program

Close Faculty/Student Mentoring

Students are accepted into the General/Experimental Program with the expectation that they will work closely with a particular faculty member. This is often, although not always, the faculty member who is in contact with the student during the time the student is deciding whether or not to accept our offer of admission to the program. Since particular attention is focused between a student's interests and plans and the expertise of our Department, that particular faculty member's scholarly interests generally match those of the student. It is critical that students' educational objectives can be met by the Psychology Department. Students always have the option of changing mentors during their early career should their interests change. In addition to 11 full-time General faculty and 4 faculty in the Human Behavioral Pharmacology Laboratory, there are, in any given year, about 10 adjunct, joint, and research faculty associated with the program, mainly on a part-time basis.

Academic Program and Research Plans

Students are expected to take responsibility for developing a research plan and a studies program to meet their individual needs during their first year of study. The advisor reviews the student's academic training and background, assists the student in developing her or his academic program, and determines whether there are general areas of psychology in which the student lacks exposure. Students then take courses in any such areas as part of their early graduate training.

Applications

The General/Experimental Program receives overt 50 applications each year and admits about five to six of those students. Of the students who have enrolled in our program, approximately 90 percent have stayed and completed their Ph.D. here.

Faculty/Student Mentor Relationship

When you apply, you must specify the names of one or two faculty members you wish to do research with, since particular attention is paid to the match between a student's interests and the plans and the expertise of our Department.

Last modified March 20 2013 01:24 PM