Psychology

Graduate Degree Programs

The Department of Psychology offers graduate programs leading to the degrees of master of arts, master of science, and doctor of philosophy. Doctor of philosophy programs are offered in the following areas of psychology: biological, clinical/community, cognitive, developmental, visual cognition and human performance, personality-social-organizational, and quantitative. The master of arts degree is awarded to students in the above programs as an intermediate degree. Master of science programs are offered as terminal degrees in personnel psychology, and measurement psychology.

Admission

The Graduate College admission requirements apply for all programs. All candidates for admission must have a minimum gradepoint average of 3.0 (or B) on a 4.0 scale in courses representing the last 60 hours of work completed for the bachelor’s degree. The candidate for admission to a master of arts or doctor of philosophy program should ordinarily have the following preparation: a minimum of 15 semester hours in psychology, a laboratory course in experimental psychology, a course in statistics, and a one-year course in another laboratory science. Departmental committees also consider Graduate Record Examination (GRE) scores and letters of recommendation. Of those admitted in recent years, three quarters had GPAs better than 3.66, and three quarters (including those whose native language is other than English) had GRE verbal scores greater than 578. The 25th percentile for the Quantitative, Analytical, and Advanced tests was 652, 631,and 634, respectively. Preference is given to students who have taken mathematics beyond college algebra and to those who have some research experience. Applications for admission to part-time study are usually not approved. Students are accepted only for fall admission. The application deadline is December 1.

In addition to the aforementioned criteria, applicants are evaluated on their supporting documents, career goals, career promise, and research interests. Substantial additional weight is given to the quality and extent of prior research and other relevant experience.

All applicants whose native language is not English are required to submit both the results of the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) and the Test of Spoken English (TSE). Applicants who score above 550 but below 607 on the paper-based TOEFL (above 213 but below 253 on the computer-based TOEFL), inclusive, and those who perform poorly on the TSE may be admitted on "limited status." International applicants must pass the TSE with a score of 50 or above and present documentation at the time of application.

Graduate Teaching Experience

The department requires Ph.D. candidates to gain teaching experience as part of their academic work. Such experience is considered a vital part of the graduate program and usually takes the form of a teaching assistantship for at least two semesters.

Master of Arts

The master of arts degree is awarded as an intermediate degree to candidates for the Doctor of Philosophy degree who have satisfactorily completed 32 graduate hours of graduate work including an acceptable thesis. The thesis is expected to be a report of original empirical or library research. The master of arts is not designed to prepare a student for a professional position. It is, rather, a step towards the Ph.D. Note that the department does not require that students obtain a master’s degree, but the equivalent of a master’s thesis must be submitted to the department as part of the Ph.D. program.

Master of Science

The master of science degrees in personnel psychology, and applied measurement are awarded as terminal degrees to candidates who, having followed an appropriate applied psychology undergraduate program, have satisfactorily completed 32 prescribed graduate hours of graduate work in their area. Students in personnel psychology and applied measurement are required to complete a thesis for the master of science degree.

Doctor of Philosophy

The doctor of philosophy degree is awarded to candidates who complete an approved program in their area of specialization and meet departmental and Graduate College requirements for the degree. These must include at least 96 graduate hours of graduate work; satisfactory performance in courses or examinations dealing with quantitative methods and chosen areas of specialization; a master’s thesis or equivalent; appropriate advanced courses and seminars in the area of specialization and in related and supporting areas; satisfactory performance on a doctoral qualifying examination; satisfactory performance on an oral preliminary examination; completion of an acceptable Ph.D. thesis; and satisfactory performance on an oral examination in defense of the thesis.

Medical Scholars Program

This program allows the student interested in medicine and psychology to earn both the M.D. and Ph.D. (in psychology) degrees while gaining unique multidisciplinary research experience and expertise.

Individually tailored programs of study can be developed within the general requirements of medical training and graduate study in psychology. Degree work will be arranged to accommodate the scheduling requirements of both programs, but the course of study in psychology will be equivalent to that of all other doctoral candidates. More details about the Medical Scholars Program are available through the Medical Scholars Program coordinator, College of Medicine at Urbana-Champaign, 190 Medical Sciences Building, 506 South Mathews Avenue, Urbana, IL 61801.

Research Interests

The program is designed to prepare students for academic and research-oriented careers. Students become actively involved in research during their first semester, devoting an increasing percent of time toward independent research throughout their graduate careers.

For the most part, we view graduate education as an apprenticeship. Our task is to provide an environment where mature young scholars can gain experience in research as they collaborate with faculty and with other graduate students. The program encourages interdisciplinary study both within psychology and between psychology and other fields. Faculty research interests can be reviewed at the department website and can be requested via e-mail to gradstdy@ s.psych.uiuc.edu.

Facilities

Students have everything they need, including personal office space and full access to research, library, and computing services, as well as to a large pool of research participants. The excellent cooperation between divisions in the department and with other units in the University provides access to expertise and methodology in a variety of areas including but not limited to the Psychological Services Center, Beckman Institute, Institute for Research on Human Development, Center for the Study of Reading, Institute of Communication Research, Institute of Labor and Industrial Relations, Counseling Center, Department of Computer Science, Department of Statistics, Cognitive Psychophysiology Laboratory, Aviation Research Laboratory, and the Neuroscience Program.

Financial Aid

All new and continuing doctoral graduate students in good standing are guaranteed some form of financial aid. The form that is used to apply for admission to the University also serves as the application for financial aid. This form, together with credentials submitted with the application for admission, supplies all the information required by the committees administering the various funds. All students are considered candidates for one of the following: University Fellowships, Graduate College Fellowships (for U.S. citizens who are members of a minority group), Dallenbach Fellowships (for entering or advanced graduate students engaged in basic research), research assistantships, teaching assistantships, tuition and partial fee waivers, and U.S. Public Health Service Traineeships in Psychology (biological, quantitative, and cognitive-language processing). Stipends for fellows, assistants, and trainees vary from year to year. They are competitive with stipends available at other large universities.