Learning Outcomes:

  1. Foundational Understanding in Area of Research Specialization and Additional Subfields of General/Experimental Psychology. a) Identify key theories and research findings that have shaped the student’s area of research specialization; b) Understand the breadth of theoretical and empirical approaches in General/Experimental psychology and related fields, including foundational knowledge and research in areas outside of the student’s area of specialization; c) Identify interrelations among subdisciplines of General/Experimental psychology and related fields.
  2. Development of Strong Research Skills. a) Recognize excellent research in the literature, including critiquing methodological strengths and weaknesses; b) conduct literature reviews that synthesize theoretical perspectives and empirical findings; c) conceptualize and design research, conduct research, and analyze research data; and d) understand and adhere to ethical principles in scientific research.
  3. Develop Effective Skills in Communicating Psychological Science. a) Communicate research orally to multiple audiences; b) communicate research in writing to multiple audiences; c) develop interactive teaching skills.

The Ph.D. is a research degree, and students should keep this in mind during their time in the Genera/Experimental Ph.D. Psychology program. The minimum requirements of the General/Experimental Psychology program are:

  • 30 credits of graded coursework
  • 15 credits of PSYS 391 – Master’s Thesis Research
  • 20 credits of PSYS 491 – Doctoral Dissertation Research
  • 25 additional credits, which may be graded, ungraded, or Doctoral Dissertation Research credits

Minimum Expectations:

  • Students will attend Cluster meetings each semester for the entirety of their enrollment in the program.
  • Students will be continuously involved in research, typically for 20 hours per week, including writing and submitting work for publication.
  • Students will regularly attend departmental events, such as departmental colloquia and the Data Blitz.
Biobehavioral Cluster
 Courses
Required Graded Coursework 304 - Advanced Statistical Methods I
305 - Advanced Statistical Methods II
315 - Biobehavioral Proseminar (see note 1)
311 - Seminar in Learning Theory
316 - Neuropsychopharmacology
319 - Neurobiology of Learning & Memory
330, 350, or 3XX – A breadth course (3 credits) from a core area of General/Experimental Psychological Science outside of your area of specialization. This may be fulfilled by Proseminar in Experimental Social Psychology, Developmental Proseminar, or an approved social or developmental graduate seminar (please contact the course instructor to verify suitability of any non-Proseminar courses).
3XX - Three electives (3 credits each): Including Psychological Science 390D: the Teaching of Psychology
Required Additional Credits393 -Advanced Professional/Research Seminar (Biobehavorial Cluster; 8 semesters of 1 credit/semester)

 

Developmental Cluster
 Courses
Required Graded Coursework 304 - Advanced Statistical Methods I
305 - Advanced Statistical Methods II
350 - Developmental Proseminar
315 or 330, or 3XX - A breadth course (3 credits) from a core area of General/Experimental Psychological Science outside of your area of specialization. This may be fulfilled by Biobehavioral Proseminar (see note 1), Proseminar in Experimental Social Psychology, or an approved social psychology graduate seminar (please contact the course instructor to verify suitability of any non-Proseminar courses).”
303 - Seminar in Psychological Research Methods
3XX - One additional advanced statistics course (e.g., 306 or 307)
3XX - Two additional Developmental seminar courses
3XX - One elective (3 credits): for those interested in honing their teaching skills, Psychological Science 390D: the Teaching of Psychology
Required Additional Credits393 -Advanced Professional/Research Seminar (Developmental Cluster; 8 semesters of 1 credit/semester)

 

Social Cluster
 Courses
Required Graded Coursework304 - Advanced Statistical Methods I
305 - Advanced Statistical Methods II
330 - Proseminar in Experimental Social Psychology
315 or 350, or 3XX - A breadth course (3 credits) from a core area of General/Experimental Psychological Science outside of your area of specialization. This may be fulfilled by Biobehavioral Proseminar (see note 1), Developmental Proseminar, or an approved developmental psychology graduate seminar (please contact the course instructor to verify suitability of any non-Proseminar courses).
3XX - One additional advanced statistics course (e.g., 306 or 307)
3XX - Two additional Social seminar courses
3XX - Three electives (3 credits each): Including Psychological Science 390D: the Teaching of Psychology
Required Additional Credits393-Advanced Professional/Research Seminar (Social Cluster; 8 semesters of 1 credit/semester)

 

General/Experimental Teaching Requirement

Each student is required to obtain faculty-approved experience teaching in psychology. The minimum way to meet this requirement is through completion of two approved teaching experiences. It is allowable for students to complete one experience twice (e.g., guest lecture for two weeks rather than one) to satisfy the teaching requirement.

If guest lectures are intended to be used as part of the teaching requirement, these must be evaluated by GE or GE associated faculty. If guest lectures are planned to take place during the summer, or at other times when GE faculty are not available, they may be recorded to be evaluated at a later date. However, this must be pre-approved by the GE Director at least 3 weeks in advance. 

If you have questions about whether a particular teaching experience fulfills the requirement, please contact the General/Experimental director.

Potential Additional Teaching Opportunities

1. Complete the UVM Graduate Teaching Program.

2. Develop an annotated course syllabus, including course assignments, policies, course objectives, and grading criteria.

3. Mentor two or more undergraduates in your lab by setting up a course of learning and a syllabus. For maximum benefit to you, this mentoring would go beyond the research supervision that typically occurs in research labs, and should include regularly scheduled meetings, a reading list, and graded academic products.

4. Complete a Readings and Research project with a faculty member focused on readings regarding teaching in psychology. The Readings and Research could involve a teaching practicum component involving guest lectures, managing discussions, and/or other teaching activities in a Psychological Science course. Note that this requirement requires significant supervision by a faculty mentor, and thus depends on faculty mentor availability and interest.

Approved Teaching Experiences

1. The equivalent of one week (i.e., 3 50-minute sessions or two, 75-minute sessions) of guest lecturing, with faculty feedback on each lecture and development of exam questions or assignments related to the lectures.

2. Serve as a Teaching Assistant in PSYS 053, PSYS 054, PSYS 304, or PSYS 305.

3. Teach or co-teach a course, with faculty feedback on at least one lecture.

Note that this is the minimal amount of teaching experience necessary to make it through the Ph.D. program. We strongly encourage you to complete more than two of the requirements listed and/or seek out more opportunities to get even more experience and make yourself more competitive on the job market. Please consult with your advisor to tailor teaching experiences to your goals and interests.