Behavioral and Brain Sciences

The educational goal of the doctoral program in Behavioral and Brain Sciences (BBS) is to prepare students for a successful career as a scholar in an academic or other professional setting. Although all students are expected to master at least a portion of the core areas in their respective concentrations, and meet the Masters Core requirements of the Department of Psychology, students are encouraged to devise, with the advice and consent of their Advisory Committee, a program of studies best suited to their particular needs and aspirations.  In addition to general knowledge and skills that are expected for all graduate students in Psychology, specific programs of study are expected to foster advanced expertise in a specialty area.

Areas of Research Focus

• Developmental Psychology
• Cognitive Psychology
• Social Psychology
• Personality Psychology
• Neuroscience

Brown Bag Colloqiua Series

The Behavioral and Brain Sciences program sponsors a weekly brown bag speaker series for graduate students, faculty and visiting scholars.

Entering students are assigned an initial sponsor based upon what seems to be a "best match" between the student's expressed interests and the specialty area of individual faculty. Because most new students are not familiar with specific areas of faculty interests and their research, and because it is not uncommon for students' academic research interests to undergo significant change (especially in their first year or two), the assignment of the initial advisor should be regarded as entirely provisional. Students should attempt to acquaint themselves with all faculty members in the Behavioral and Brain Sciences Program in order to secure a Major Professor who best matches their interests and ambitions. Applicants are encouraged to identify one or more potential Major Professor(s) in their applications.

M.S. Degree

Although the Psychology department does not offer the M.S. as a terminal degree, it does require that each student complete the M.S. as preparation for the Ph.D. Exceptions to this requirement may be granted, for example if the student has elsewhere obtained a M.S. degree in Psychology based, in part, upon a written thesis.

The M.S. Program of Study must contain at least 30 hours of course work.  Six of those hours must be research (PSYC 7000 or 7300) and Quantitative Psychology I (PSYC 6410 or an approved equivalent) is required. At least 9 hours must come from the following list:

• PSYC 6100 - Cognitive Psychology
• PSYC 6110 - Basic Learning Processes
• PSYC 6130 - Biological Foundations of Behavior
• PSYC 6160 - Sensory Psychology
• PSYC 6180 - History of Psychology
• PSYC 6200 - Advanced Social Psychology
• PSYC 6210 - Individual Differences
• PSYC 6220 - Developmental Psychology

Students who have taken graduate course work elsewhere, or who have had an especially good undergraduate preparation, may be able to exempt some of the specific course requirements. See your Major Professor for procedures to petition for such exemptions. Some of the requirements (e.g., PSYC6410, informally known as Quant I) may also be satisfied by analogous courses in other departments.

Ph.D. Degree

Award of the terminal doctoral degree is contingent upon (a) a minimum of 30 credit hours in a Ph.D. Program of Study, (b) satisfactory performance on both written and oral Comprehensive Examinations, (c) submission and successful defense of a dissertation prospectus, and (d) completion of a written doctoral dissertation and satisfactory defense thereof in a final oral examination.  The Ph.D. Program of Study and other Ph.D. requirements are additional requisites to those needed for the M.S. degree. 

The Ph.D. program of study must include:

• PSYC 6420 - Quantitative Psychology II
• Either PSYC 6430 (Quant. III) or PSYC 6440 (Quant. IV)

At east one additional course on research methods and/or instrumentation (such as PSYC 8330) must be chosen with the advice and consent of the DAC.  Additional courses from outside of the Psychology Department can also be chosen with the advice and consent of the DAC.

Specialty Area 

Current specializations include social psychology, developmental psychology, cognitive psychology; behavioral neuroscience, cognitive neuroscience, and visual science. Students can form a different area of specialization if it is represented by and consistent with the research of their Major Professor and other DAC members (e.g., Social Neuroscience). The concentrations provided by the department tend to be defined broadly since the foci themselves are fluid and tend to evolve according to the progression of the field.

• Application for admission
• Application-processing fee
• Transcripts. Documents must be submitted in both Russian and English. Russian documents must bear the original institution stamp. The English translations must bear the original institution stamp or the original stamp/signature of the certified translator.
• 4-5 year Diplom from a recognized institution.. An official copy of the Diplom, which bears the original stamp of the issuing institution. The English translation is required and must bear the original stamp of the issuing institution or the original stamp/signature of the certified translator.
• Entrance test scores
• Letters of recommendation
• Certification of finances forms (international applicants)
• Minimum TOEFL score requirement: overall score of 80 with at least 20 on speaking and writing
• Minimum IELTS score requirement: overall band-width of 6.5, with no single band (score) below 6.0.

Scholarships

Upon admission to the program, students are typically considered for various forms of financial support. These include teaching assistantships - students with masters degrees may teach their own courses; those with the bachelor's degree assist an instructor - and research assistantships. A limited number of research assistantships are available through the Graduate School through competitive University-Wide Fellowships, or students may be funded through a faculty member's grant. Applications for University-wide assistantships are routed through the chairperson of the Behavioral and Brain Sciences program