Psychology

The UCLA Psychology Department offers graduate Ph.D. training (there is no separate M.A. program or Psy.D. program offered) with area emphases in Behavioral Neuroscience, Clinical, Cognitive, Developmental, Health Psychology, Learning and Behavior, Quantitative, and Social Psychology. In all of these fields, the central objective is to train researchers dedicated to increasing the body of scientific knowledge upon which the discipline of psychology rests. The program is designed to prepare psychologists to function effectively as researchers, college and university instructors, and professional research psychologists.

Rigorous scientific training is the foundation of the UCLA Psychology Ph.D. program. As part of this training, the Department encourages student participation in the activities of a number of related departments, schools, or organized research units of the University. For instance, the Brain Research Institute, the interdisciplinary Neuroscience and Cognitive programs, the Institute for Social Science Research, and the Neuropsychiatric Institute provide extensive research facilities for interested students. The Fernald Child Study Center, moreover, bolsters the department's long-standing commitment to training in childhood learning and behavioral disorders. Other departmental resources include the Psychology Clinic. Our close working relations with local hospitals (the Veterans Administration), clinics, and institutes provide a unique opportunity for year-round training and research. UCLA's exceptionally strong library system (the University Research, Biomedical and Research libraries, among others) perfectly complements the Department's scholarly activities.

Graduates are prepared for careers in both academic and applied settings including positions at universities and colleges, research and governmental organizations, business and industry, clinics and hospitals, and as professional psychologists.  

All doctoral students must complete the core program, which includes a research sequence (Psychology 251A, 251B, 251C), a statistics sequence (Psychology 250A, 250B, 250C), or a course substitute for 250C approved by the Department, and four additional core courses. Psychology 250A and 250B must be completed in the first year. Psychology 251A, 251B, and 251C must be completed by the end of the fall quarter of the second year. The four additional core courses must be completed within the first six quarters in residence. Two core courses are selected from the student's major area, and two courses are selected from two separate areas outside the student's major. Core courses can be applied toward major or minor area requirements but not both. Students must complete the core program with a grade of B or better.

Students must enroll in one independent study course each quarter, beginning with Psychology 251A in the winter quarter of the first year. Students may select from the following independent study courses: Psychology 251A, 251B, 251C, 596, 597, 599. Beginning in the second year, students must also take at least 4 units of Psychology 596 or 599 each year.

Major Area Course Requirements

Courses applied toward the major must be passed with a grade of B- or better.

Behavioral Neuroscience. Neuroscience M203 and either Neuroscience M202 or Psychology M117A are required. Students interested in molecular biology generally take Neuroscience M203 and minor in neuroscience. All majors must also take eight units from the Psychology 205 series (which are core courses for this major), three quarters of Psychology 212, and two behavioral neuroscience seminars.

Clinical. Psychology 270A, 270B, and 270C (which are core courses for this major), 271A, 271B, 271C, 271D, 273A, 273B, 273C, 277A, 277B, 289A, 289B, 289C, and two advanced clinical courses are required. Psychology 287 may not be applied toward fulfillment of the advanced clinical course. Students who wish to apply Psychology 298 courses toward this requirement must obtain departmental consent.

Prior to the clinical internship, and in consultation with program faculty, all students are required to take courses that enable them to meet the 'Broad and General Preparation' coverage (prior to January 1, 2017) or the ‘Discipline-Specific Knowledge’ required for program accreditation by the American Psychological Association.

Practicum and Internship Requirements for Clinical Students

At least 400 hours of approved, supervised, pre-internship practicum (Psychology 401) are required, of which 150 hours must involve direct clinical service and 75 hours must be formal scheduled supervision. These hours are usually completed during the second through fourth years. All advanced students working with clients must enroll in Psychology 401 (one to four units). All students must take a second‐year practicum in the Psychology Clinic as well as a practicum in the third and/or fourth years at approved practicum sites outside of the Department or within the Psychology Clinic.

All clinical training must be approved by the Director of Clinical Training (DCT) while students are enrolled in the program. Students are discouraged from making independent arrangements for clinical training and are prohibited from providing direct clinical services in clinical settings not expressly approved by the DCT, including private practice psychological assistantships.

The equivalent of one-year's full-time supervised internship (Psychology 451) in an acceptable setting approved by the faculty is required. This is usually taken in the fifth or sixth year. Students must enroll in at least 12 units of course work while on internship, including at least eight units in Psychology 451. Students should contact the Department for further information on internship, enrollment, and registration requirements.

Cognitive. Two courses from Psychology 261-264 (which are core courses for this major), Psychology 260A and 260B, and two additional cognitive area courses are required.

Cognitive Neuroscience. The following course requirements satisfy both major and minor area requirements in cognitive neuroscience: Eight units from the Psychology 205 series or four units from the Psychology 205 series and the four-unit Neuroscience 205 course (which are core courses for the behavioral neuroscience major), one cognitive area core course, and one additional core course in an area outside of behavioral neuroscience and cognitive. Students must also take Neuroscience M203, three quarters of Psychology 212, Psychology 260A and 260B, and five additional courses.

Computational Cognition. The following course requirements satisfy both major and minor area requirements for cognitive area students who elect the major area track in computational cognition: Two courses from Psychology 261-264 (which are core courses for the cognitive major), Psychology 260A and 260B, Statistics 200A, three courses in computational methods, and one cognitive area course.

Developmental. Two courses from Psychology 240A, 240B, or 240C (which are core courses for this major) and two additional developmental area courses are required. Psychology 241 must be taken every quarter.

Health Psychology. Psychology 215A and 215B (which are core courses for this major), Psychology 218, six quarters of Psychology 425, and two additional health psychology courses are required. One quarter of Psychology 425 must be taken simultaneously with Psychology 215A.

Learning and Behavior. Two courses from Psychology 200A, 200B, or 200C (which are core courses for this major) and two additional courses are required. Enrollment in Psychology 201 is required each quarter the course is offered.

Quantitative. Psychology 250C and 255A (which are core courses for this major), two additional quantitative area courses, and at least five additional courses from Psychology, Education, Statistics, or Biostatistics are required.

Social. Psychology 220A and 220B (which are core courses for this major) and two additional social area courses are required. In addition, during the first year, students must enroll in Psychology 226B during the winter quarter and one additional Psychology 226 in fall or spring quarter. During the second and third years, students must enroll in three additional quarters of Psychology 226.

Minor Area Course Requirements

All students are required to complete one minor area. An exception is made for students majoring in cognitive neuroscience and computational cognition, which have combined major and minor requirements. Courses applied toward the minor must be passed with a grade of B- or better. Students may minor in any of the areas listed below. Students may also petition for individualized minors.

The minor is normally satisfied by taking three to four specified courses as indicated below. In planning a minor, students should note that the same course cannot count toward both a student's major and minor requirements. The following is a list of courses required to complete the standard departmental minors.

• Behavioral Neuroscience. Four units of Psychology 205 and eight additional units of behavioral neuroscience and/or neuroscience courses.
• Cognitive. Three cognitive courses, two of which must be from Psychology 259 through 266.
• Computational Cognition. Two courses in computational methods and one course in statistics.
• Culture, Brain, and Development. Psychology M247, one course in culture, one course in development, and one course on the brain.
• Developmental. Two courses from Psychology 240A, 240B, or 240C, and one additional developmental area course.
• Diversity Science. Psychology 295 and two additional courses.
• Health Psychology. Psychology 215A, two quarters of 425, and two additional health psychology courses.
• Human-Computer Interaction. Psychology 298 (Introduction to User Interface Design) and two additional courses in Psychology, Information Studies and/or Design | Media Arts.
• Learning and Behavior. Two courses from Psychology 200A, 200B, or 200C, and one additional learning and behavior area course.
• Neuroscience. Neuroscience M201 and six additional neuroscience units.
• Political Psychology. Psychology M228A or M228B and two additional courses.
• Quantitative. Three quantitative area courses.
• Social. Psychology 220A, 220B, and one additional social area course.

Teaching Experience

All students are required to take Psychology 495 in the spring quarter of their first year of the graduate program and in the quarter they first serve as a teaching assistant.

Written and Oral Qualifying Examinations

Academic Senate regulations require all doctoral students to complete and pass university written and oral qualifying examinations prior to doctoral advancement to candidacy. Also, under Senate regulations, the University Oral Qualifying Examination is open only to the student and appointed members of the doctoral committee. In addition to university requirements, some graduate programs have other pre-candidacy examination requirements. What follows in this section is how students are required to fulfill all of these requirements for this doctoral program.

All committee nominations and reconstitutions adhere to the new Minimum Standards for Doctoral Committee Constitution.

The qualifying examination generally consists of three separate segments. The first is an examination administered by the major area, which examines in breadth the student's knowledge of the major field. The second segment is an individualized examination required by the Behavioral Neuroscience, Clinical, Health, and Quantitative Areas. The individualized examination assesses the student's in-depth knowledge of the area of specialization. The third segment is the University Oral Qualifying Examination. All Ph.D. requirements besides the dissertation must be completed before students are allowed to take the University Oral Qualifying Examination, which must be taken by the end of the fourth year in residence.

Advancement to Candidacy

Students are advanced to candidacy and awarded the Candidate in Philosophy (C.Phil.) degree upon successful completion of the written and oral qualifying examinations.

Doctoral Dissertation

Every doctoral degree program requires the completion of an approved dissertation that demonstrates the student's ability to perform original, independent research and constitutes a distinct contribution to knowledge in the principal field of study.

Requirements

A) Statement of Purpose:

The statement of purpose must be submitted electronically through the UCLA Graduate Division Application. We will not accept a statement of purpose that is not submitted electronically through the UCLA Graduate Division Application.  There is no minimum or maximum page limit or word limit for the statement of purpose.  Guidelines for the Statement of Purpose: Please state your purpose in applying for graduate study. Describe your scholarly and research area(s) of interest, experiences that contributed to your preparation in the field, and your plans for your future occupation or profession. Briefly describe experiences that have prepared you for advanced study or research, and provide any additional information that may aid the selection committee in evaluating your preparation and aptitude for graduate study. You are encouraged to indicate specific research interests and potential faculty mentors.

B) Three Letters of Recommendation:

It is your choice who you would like to choose as your recommenders. Three (3) letters of recommendation must be submitted electronically through the UCLA Graduate Division Application. Letter of Recommendation Services such as your school's Career Center, Interfolio.com, etc. must also submit letters electronically through the UCLA Graduate Division Application for the letters to be accepted. We will not accept letters of recommendation that are not submitted electronically through the UCLA Graduate Division Application. It is possible to submit more than three (3) letters of recommendation through the UCLA Graduate Division Application. However, only three (3) letters of recommendation are required. It is also possible to send your letters of recommendation requests to your recommenders before you submit the UCLA Graduate Division Application. The Letter of Recommendation Rating/Reference Form will only be sent to your recommenders when they submit your letters electronically through the UCLA Graduate Division Application.

C) Transcripts:

Please submit one (1) unofficial copy of your transcript electronically from each school (community college, college, university) you have attended through the UCLA Graduate Division Application.

In addition, one (1) official transcript from each school (community college, college, university) you have attended must also be mailed to the Department of Psychology to the address indicated below or submitted electronically from your university to gradadm@psych.ucla.edu by the application deadline (this includes applicants from UCLA) Applicants that have received Advanced Placement (AP) credit or Study Abroad credit or credit for advanced high school courses taken from a community college while still in high school do not need to send AP score reports or Study Abroad transcripts or a community college transcript as long as the AP courses or Study Abroad courses or advanced high school courses are indicated on their school transcript from which they receive their bachelor's degree.

D) Test Scores:

• To ensure your official test scores are properly processed, please be sure the personal information provided in the UCLA Graduate Division Application matches exactly the information provided to the testing service. Do not wait for your test results to complete the UCLA Graduate Division Application. Educational Testing Service (ETS) sends scores electronically to UCLA. The institution code for UCLA is 4837. The department/major code is not necessary.  
• Official test scores for both the General and the Psychology Subject Test cannot be more than five years old. If the GRE General and Psychology Subject Test are taken more than once, the most recent scores are considered. There are no minimum scores required for the GRE General and Psychology Subject Test.
• GRE General Test: All applicants, including applicants holding an advanced degree such as a master's degree or Ph.D. degree, are required to submit GRE General Test scores for the three sections of the test which includes verbal, quantitative, and analytical writing. If you take the computer-delivered GRE General Test, your official scores will be available in your ETS Account and sent to the institutions you designated approximately 10-15 days after your test date. Therefore, you should take the computer-delivered GRE General Test no later than two weeks before our December 1 deadline. 
• GRE Psychology Subject Test: We will accept the GRE Subject Test scores from the September 2016 and October 2016 test dates for Fall 2017 admission even if the scores are sent from ETS after our December 1 deadline. Taking the GRE Subject Test in April 2017 is too late to be considered for Fall 2017 admission. Each of our areas has their own policy regarding the GRE Psychology Subject Test.  If you are applying to Clinical, the GRE Psychology subject test is required. If you are applying to Behavioral Neuroscience, Learning and Behavior, Quantitative, or Social, the GRE Psychology subject test is NOT required. If you are applying to Health, the GRE subject test in Psychology is not required but recommended. If you are applying to Developmental, the GRE Psychology subject test is not required but is recommended for applicants who did not major in Psychology or a closely related discipline. If you are applying to Cognitive, a GRE subject test in Psychology or other fields related to cognitive psychology is not required but encouraged.
• TOEFL or IELTS EXAM: INTERNATIONAL APPLICANTS whose first language is not English must, in addition to the GREs, submit an official TOEFL (Test of English As a Foreign Language) or IELTS (International English Language Testing System) score. Applicants who hold a bachelor’s or higher degree from a university located in the United States or in another country in which English is both the primary spoken language of daily life and the language of instruction (i.e., Australia, Barbados, Canada, Ireland, Jamaica, New Zealand, United Kingdom) and the medium of instruction, or who have completed at least two years of full-time study at such an institution, are exempted from both theTOEFL/IELTS requirement and the English as a Second Language Placement Examination. The minimum TOEFL or IELTS scores are 560 on the paper and pencil test, 220 on the computer-based test, or 87 on the internet-based test (TOEFL/IBT), or overall band score of 7.0 (IELTS). TOEFL and IELTS test scores are valid for only two years. Educational Testing Service (ETS) sends scores electronically to UCLA. The institution code for UCLA is 4837. The department/major code is not necessary. Please contact the Educational Testing Service (ETS) for GRE and TOEFL test scheduling, registration, and information. Visit the Educational Testing Service web site at www.ets.org or call them at (510) 873-8100 (West Coast) or (609) 771-7100 (East Coast). IELTS is administered by local IELTS test centers throughout the world. Applicants should consult www.ielts.org for the nearest IELTS test center.