Experimental Psychology Curriculum
The current curriculum is designed to be completed in four to five years. A strong undergraduate psychology major is expected of most applicants. Should a student lack a strong background in measurement, statistics, research design, or other areas judged relevant by the faculty, he or she may be required to complete the undergraduate requirements for such courses prior to obtaining classified graduate student status. These students might take more than five years to complete the program.
The required course work for the Ph.D. program is intended to provide students with a general knowledge of the field of experimental psychology, and the necessary academic background to propose and complete a thesis and dissertation. Elective course work permits the student to specialize in an area of psychology. All students must complete 67 credits of required courses and electives:
Given the Graduate School's continuing registration requirement, once a student initiates thesis or dissertation research, at least one (1) academic credit is required each semester, including the summer semester, and until degree completion.
| Methodology and Statistics (6 credits) | |
| PSYC 6627 Statistics and Research Design I | 3 cr |
| PSYC 6632 Statistics and Research Design II | 3 cr |
| PSYC 6637 Multivariate Statistics and Research Design | 3 cr |
| Research (28 credits) | |
| PSYC 5583 and/or PSYC 6641 Special Problems | 10 cr |
| PSYC 6650 Thesis | 6 cr |
| PSYC 8850 Dissertation | 12 cr |
| Core areas courses (12 credits) | |
| Students must also complete four courses from the following core areas of psychology: | |
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Students can choose between ONE of the following courses to satisfy ONE core course: PSYC 5531 Behavioral Neuroscience I (3 cr) PSYC 5532 Behavioral Neuroscience II (3 cr) PSYC 5537 Cognitive Neuroscience (3 cr) PSYC 5539 Social Neuroscience (3 cr) |
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| PSYC 5570 Advanced Topics in Learning | 3 cr |
| PSYC 6642 Cognitive Psychology | 3 cr |
| PSYC 6643 Advanced Social Psychology | 3 cr |
| PSYC 6644 Advanced Developmental Psychology | 3 cr |
| PSYC 6647 Advanced Personality | 3 cr |
In addition, students must complete 18 credits of elective classes. Up to nine credits of these electives may be taken from outside of the Psychology Department. Electives should be approved by the student's faculty advisor.
Students entering the doctoral training program at Idaho State University with a master's degree from another institution will receive full or partial credit, based on an examination of completed course work and research. The Department Chair, the Director of Experimental Training, and the departmental subject matter expert(s) will review all relevant documents and determine the course work and research, if any, that will be required to compensate for omissions and/or non-equivalency. Students may be admitted to candidacy for the doctoral degree upon satisfactory completion of the Master of Science degree (or its equivalent) and the Qualifying Exam. Candidates for the doctoral degree may not propose a dissertation (PSYC 8850) until admitted to candidacy.
Research Development: Upon completion of Area Requirements plus PSYC 6627 and PSYC 6632, and the thesis prospectus, doctoral students are required to pass a Qualifying Exam to be admitted to doctoral candidacy. The exam samples each student's integrative writing skills and conceptual abilities. Students write independently on integrative topics from across the foundational areas of general psychology or from an individualized and focused area of scholarly research.
A five-member doctoral committee will be formed by the student and his/her advisor. Three members of the doctoral committee must be full-time equivalent faculty members of the Department of Psychology, including at least one clinical and one experimental faculty member. The fourth and fifth members must meet Graduate School requirements and include the Graduate Faculty Representative. Students will present findings and implications of the dissertation to departmental faculty, students, and community members at an open forum.
Minimum Credits: Including requirements of the Master of Science Degree, the minimum total credits required for the Doctor of Philosophy in Experimental Psychology is 64.