purdue university psychology phd

Website URL:

http://www.purdue.edu/hhs/psy/

Department/School Head:

Dr. David Rollock

Academic Programs:

Master’s and ph.d. programs.

The Department of Psychological Sciences offers six graduate majors, each culminating in the Ph.D. as listed below (not that the Department does not offer terminal master’s degree programs).

• Clinical Psychological Sciences

The Clinical Psychological Sciences major within the Department of Psychological Sciences dates to the very beginning of the sub-discipline of clinical psychology. In 1935, the American Psychological Association (APA) recommended that clinical psychologists receive specialty training.  In 1948, the Clinical Psychology Program at Purdue University was accredited by the APA and has been continuously accredited since that time.

The purpose of the Doctoral Program in Clinical Psychological Sciences is to train students who are involved in the generation of new knowledge in psychology, and competent in the professional application of clinical science to the prevention and remediation of clinical problems. A general background in general and clinical psychology is provided by didactic courses and seminars. Research expertise is honed through apprenticeship to an active clinical science researcher and the completion of a first-year project, M.S. thesis, Preliminary Exam, and Ph.D. dissertation. Clinical experience is provided by participation in both in-house and external practice. The breadth and integration of academic work, research, and clinical training are consistent with standards set forth by the American Psychological Association (APA).

• Cognitive Psychology

The graduate major in cognitive psychology is primarily oriented toward doctoral training. All students are required to complete a master’s thesis leading to an M.S. degree before continuing the doctoral program. The normal time course for a master’s degree is two years, with two additional years for the doctorate. The term “cognitive psychology” encompasses most topics in human experimental psychology. The interests of the faculty in this area include sensory processes, perception, information processing, memory, attention, judgment, thinking, problem-solving, and human factors. Faculty specializing in mathematical psychology, behavioral neuroscience, and animal learning also participate in the cognitive graduate program.  Human factors is an interdisciplinary area of interest that focuses on the systematic application of knowledge about human sensory, perceptual, mental, psychomotor, and other characteristics to the design of the many human-made facilities of our current civilization.

• Industrial-Organizational Psychology

Purdue’s Industrial and Organizational (I-O) psychology major is among the oldest in the world, conferring its first degree in 1939. The program has graduated more PhDs, and produced more SIOP Fellows, than any other I-O program, and is among the top-ranked programs in the nation. We are primarily a Ph.D. program, and as such, training is heavily research-oriented. Students are strongly encouraged to participate in faculty research and eventually to formulate and direct their own individual research projects. Teaching experience is also provided for most students during their graduate program. Most students enter the Ph.D. program with a bachelor’s degree, although some enter with a master’s degree. Graduate students are admitted to work with one of the primary I-O faculty members who serve as their major professor.  Graduate training is based on a science-practice model, where students are trained both as researchers as well as applied scientists equipped to work with organizations on human resource issues. The current faculty has a wide range of research interests, many of which center around the psychological experiences of people at work.

• Mathematical and Computational Psychology

Mathematical psychologists and cognitive modelers develop and test quantitative theories of cognition, behavior, neuroscience, and other psychological phenomena. If you like mathematics and are looking for a challenging field in which to apply your skills, you may be interested in a career in mathematical psychology and cognitive modeling. There are quantitative theories of perception, motor performance, social interactions, memory, decision-making, learning, problem-solving, and neuroscience. These theories can take the form of mathematical equations, but also of computational models and neural network simulations. Students in the mathematical psychology program at Purdue University acquire a solid background in mathematics, psychology, and statistics to use as a basis for creating mathematical, statistical, and computational models in a wide range of psychological areas ranging from low-level perception to higher-level cognitive function such as problem-solving and reasoning. Researchers in the mathematical and computational cognitive science area use different research methodologies such as mathematical modeling, behavioral experiments, simulation experiments, and neuroimaging experiments. Psychology, of course, intersects every human activity, and students are encouraged to take advantage of the excellent opportunities at Purdue to delve into neighboring disciplines such as artificial intelligence, neuroimaging, neurophysiology, robotics, image and video processing, computer science, systems theory, and linguistics.

Neuroscience and Behavior

This program focuses on the study of brain-behavior relationships, broadly defined. It offers students exceptional flexibility to customize their graduate training and research.  The program also provides equally exceptional access to state-of-the-art techniques and technologies, such as single-cell recording, optogenetics, electrophysiology (EEG/ERP), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and computer simulation.  Problems studied by the neuroscience area include, but are not limited to: molecular and genetic determinants of behavior, physiological bases of motivated behaviors (e.g., appetitive, sexual, maternal and drug seeking behaviors), neural and hormonal bases of learning and memory, neural bases of anxiety, physiological bases of psychiatric disorders, and the underlying mechanisms of cognitive processing and social interaction.  Cognitive processes currently under investigation include associative learning, reward processing, decision-making, selective attention, and problem-solving. Clinical phenomena currently under investigation include alcoholism, anorexia, diabetes, epilepsy, obesity, depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder, and autism.  

• Social Psychology

Welcome to the Social Psychology program at Purdue University! With a long history of distinguished accomplishments, we are proud to be one of the world’s leading training programs in social psychology. Our faculty is world-renowned experts in the core areas of social psychology, including social cognition, social influence, prejudice and discrimination, group dynamics, and interpersonal relationships. Graduates from our program are leaders in the field.

Graduate Majors:

• Neuroscience and Behavior (pending approval)

Regular Graduate Faculty by Rank:

Christopher Agnew Ximena Arriaga Thomas Berndt Ehtibar Dzhafarov Christopher Eckhardt Gregory Francis William Graziano Robert Kail Jeffrey Karpicke Janice Kelly Donald Lynam Margo Monteith Terry Powley Robert Proctor David Rollock Richard Schweickert Anne Sereno Susan Swithers Peter Urcuioli Kip Williams

Associate Professor

Amy Brewster Julia Chester Daniel Foti Edward Fox Sebastien Hélie George Hollich Carolyn Jagacinski Kimberly Kinzig Thomas Redick Douglas Samuel Darryl Schneider Susan South Louis Tay James Tyler Sang Woo Barbara Younger

Assistant Professor

Yu Chin Chiu Erin Hennes Bridgette Keller Franki Kung Sean Lane Susan Sangha Chelsea Song  

• Psychological Sciences, PHD
• Psychological Sciences/Gerontology, PHD
• Psychological Sciences, MS
• Psychological Statistics Graduate Certificate
• PSY 50600 - Professional Issues And Trends In Social Psychology
• PSY 50700 - Current Readings In Social Psychology
• PSY 51100 - Psychophysics
• PSY 51200 - Neural Systems
• PSY 51300 - Introduction To Computational Cognitive Neuroscience
• PSY 51400 - Introduction To Mathematical Psychology
• PSY 51500 - Neuroscience Of Consciousness
• PSY 52200 - An Introduction To Pediatric Psychology
• PSY 54000 - History Of Psychology
• PSY 55000 - Introduction To Clinical Psychology
• PSY 55600 - Job Design
• PSY 56100 - Personality And Social Functioning In Older Adults
• PSY 57700 - Human Factors In Engineering
• PSY 58100 - Neuroethics
• PSY 59100 - Topics In Psychology
• PSY 60000 - Statistical Inference
• PSY 60100 - Correlation And Experimental Design
• PSY 60300 - Psychopharmacology
• PSY 60500 - Applied Multivariate Analysis
• PSY 60600 - Special Topics In Quantitative Psychology
• PSY 60601 - ANOVA For The Behavioral Sciences
• PSY 60700 - Scaling And Measurement
• PSY 60800 - Measurement Theory And The Interpretation Of Data
• PSY 60901 - Multilevel Modeling
• PSY 61000 - Multivariate Analysis In The Behavioral Sciences
• PSY 61401 - Special Topics In Ingestive Behavior
• PSY 61500 - Introduction To Behavioral Neuroscience
• PSY 61501 - Systems And Behavioral Neuroscience
• PSY 61601 - Neurobiology Of Brain Disorders
• PSY 62101 - Genes, Brain And Behavior
• PSY 62400 - Human Learning And Memory
• PSY 62500 - Complex Cognitive Processes
• PSY 62601 - Bayesian Statistics For Psychological Sciences
• PSY 62700 - Advanced Topics In Visual Perception
• PSY 62800 - Perceptual Processes
• PSY 62901 - fMRI Design And Analysis
• PSY 63000 - Stereotyping And Prejudice
• PSY 63100 - Multiple Regression Analysis For The Behavioral Sciences
• PSY 63300 - Seminar In Experimental Psychology
• PSY 63600 - Self And Identity
• PSY 63700 - Human Information Processing
• PSY 64000 - Survey Of Social Psychology I
• PSY 64200 - Social Influence
• PSY 64300 - Attitudes And Attitude Change
• PSY 64400 - Close Relationships
• PSY 64500 - Social Cognition
• PSY 64600 - Seminar In Social-Personality Psychology
• PSY 64700 - Group Processes And Performance
• PSY 66400 - Research Methods In Clinical Psychology I
• PSY 66700 - Clinical Assessment I
• PSY 66800 - Clinical Assessment II
• PSY 66900 - Prosocial Behavior
• PSY 67000 - Principles And Techniques Of Psychotherapy
• PSY 67300 - Psychology Of Behavior Disorders
• PSY 67400 - Structural Equation Modeling
• PSY 67800 - Seminar In Clinical Psychology
• PSY 67900 - Practicum In Clinical Psychology
• PSY 68000 - Survey Of Industrial/Organizational Psychology
• PSY 68100 - Seminar In Research Methodologies Of Industrial/Organizational Psychology
• PSY 68200 - Advanced Seminar In Industrial Organizational Psychology
• PSY 68300 - Seminar In Industrial/Organizational Psychology
• PSY 68800 - Research Methods In Social Psychology
• PSY 69000 - Individual Research In Psychology
• PSY 69100 - Readings In Psychology
• PSY 69200 - Special Topics In Psychology
• PSY 69600 - Seminar In Neuroscience
• PSY 69700 - Clinical Psychology Internship
• PSY 69800 - Research MS Thesis
• PSY 69900 - Research PhD Thesis

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Psychological Sciences

Supported Degree Objectives

• Psychological Statistics Graduate Certificate

Required Supporting Documents

• Transcripts
• Recommendation Letters
• Academic Statement of Purpose
• Personal History Statement
• Graduate Record Examination (GRE)
• Resume/Curriculum Vita

English Proficiency Requirements

• The following English proficiency minimum scores are required by this program for the tests listed below. To view additional English proficiency options accepted by this program and the Office of the Vice Provost for Graduate Students and Postdoctoral Scholars , visit the English Proficiency Requirements page.

TOEFL: Internet-Based Test (IBT): Minimum Overall Required Score: 88 Minimum section requirements:

• Reading: 22
• Listening: 22
• Speaking: 22
• Writing: 22

Application Deadlines

Program Contact Information

The following English proficiency minimum scores are required by this program for the tests listed below. To view additional English proficiency options accepted by this program and the Graduate School, visit the English Proficiency Requirements page.

Counseling Psychology

Counseling Psychology at Purdue is a scientist-practitioner program that prepares students to be both practicing psychologists and serve as professors in colleges and universities. As a result, our graduates go on to work in a variety of settings, such as higher education, private practice, counseling centers, and hospitals.

You’ll become a competent practitioner while seeing clients in the program’s  in-house clinic  and in placements in the Greater Lafayette area. Our coursework and program experience are woven with elements of diversity, ethics and professional identity, and our program is accredited by the American Psychological Association.

If you have questions about the program, please contact:

Eric Deemer [email protected]

Questions related to the program’s accredited status should be directed to the Commission on Accreditation:

Office of Program Consultation and Accreditation American Psychological Association 750 1st Street, NE, Washington, DC 20002 Phone: (202) 336-5979 / E-mail: [email protected] Web: www.apa.org/ed/accreditation

Degree Options

YOUR GIANT LEAP WITH ONE SMALL STEP

Admission Requirements

The Counseling Psychology program offers ONLY a Ph.D. doctoral degree. No master’s degree is awarded, only the doctorate. Students who are unsure that they can or will complete a doctoral program should apply to a master’s program or to a doctoral program that awards a master’s degree as a part of the doctoral requirements.

Student Handbook

December 1st is the deadline for admission consideration. We are hosting a virtual open house from for interested applicants to know more about the program before the application deadline.

Additional Requirements

All program information is available online. The faculty encourage students to inform themselves about the program. At a minimum, please check the  Student Handbook .

Your application should be submitted through the Purdue University Graduate School application portal. Please select College of Education -> Educational Studies -> Counseling Psychology to proceed with your application. We require all applicants:

• Academic Statement of Purpose The academic statement of purpose should be 300-500 words concerning your purpose for undertaking or continuing graduate study at the Purdue Counseling Psychology program, your research interests, career goals, and the faculty member(s) with whom you would prefer to work and why.
• Personal History Statement The personal history statement should be 300-500 words concerning how your background and life experiences contribute to your ability to be both persistent and resourceful in graduate school. Describe how your life experiences have prepared you to contribute to an academic community where scholars with diverse research interests, abilities, backgrounds, and experiences are supported, respected, and valued.
• Submit a Curriculum Vita. Your CV should include a section listing your experience with (a) research and statistics, including courses, (b) teaching, and (c) professional related activities (e.g., organizational leadership, social advocacy, community engagement).
• Description of Previous Program. Please print and fill out the description of previous program.
• Submit three letters of reference describing research skills and potential, counseling skills and potential, and capacity for graduate study.
• Graduate School E-mail Address: [email protected]
• Graduate School Mailing Address: Graduate Studies Office, Purdue University, 100 N. University Street, Room 3229, West Lafayette, IN 47907-2098
• International applications may be required to submit proof of English proficiency .

Admission Process

• Faculty meet shortly after the application deadline to review applications and identify candidates for admission.
• Articulate research interests and questions.
• Link their research interests to a  core  counseling psychology faculty member’s research interests and identify a primary and, perhaps, a secondary  core  counseling psychology faculty member to work with.  Currently Accepting Students: David Stanley, Eric Deemer, and Xiang Zhou .
• Faculty select and invite specific applicants to an interview. Current students are actively involved in the recruitment and interview process.

Admissions offers

• After invited interviews are completed, the faculty contact students who they recommend for admission to the program. The program recommends admission, and the Graduate School sends an offer for a position in the program.
• Because program admission is competitive, a few students are wait-listed each year. Faculty communicate with applicants who are offered positions and communicate with applicants who are waitlisted until all program positions are filled.
• By voluntary agreement, the Council of Graduate Programs of Psychology has set  April 15 th  as the  deadline for students to accept or decline offers of admission.
• If offered a position, students should read through the Counseling Psychology website, prior to accepting the position.

After you accept

• Start looking for  housing .
• Subscribe to the  COEGRAD  email list and be on the lookout for assistantship offers you may be interested in applying for.
• Master’s admits: Review the transfer credit policy and start compiling any necessary documents (e.g., syllabi).
• Keep in contact with your advisor and current students with any questions you may have before coming to campus in the fall.

Practicum Placements

Students begin the application process to off-site practicum sites following consultation with their advisor the academic year prior to starting off-site. Often this is during student’s 2nd and 3rd years. In the spring semester, the program’s Off-Site Practicum Coordinator hosts a practicum fair for students to learn more about practicum partnerships in the community. After the attending the practicum fair, students contact practicum sites they are most interested in to set up an interview. Students should not contact sites directly before the practicum fair. Below are select examples of off-site practicum locations where our students receive training.

Please note: students may need to satisfy certain eligibility requirements (e.g., background check, drug screening) for some site placements. The placements change regularly as the program adds new sites and other sites become unavailable. Some sites accept only advanced students.

Additional Information

University Counseling Centers Purdue University, Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS) – West Lafayette, IN Indiana State University Student Counseling Services – Terre Haute, IN IUPUI Counseling & Psychological Services – Indianapolis, IN Butler University – Indianapolis, IN DePauw University – Greencastle, IN

Veteran’s Hospitals VA Illiana Health Care System – Danville, IL Richard L Roudebush VA Medical Center – Indianapolis, IN

Community Mental Health Centers Indiana Women’s Prison – Indianapolis, IN Willowstone Family Services, Inc – Lafayette, IN Wabash Valley Hospital, Inc., Outpatient – Lafayette, IN Four County Counseling Center – Logansport, IN

Hospitals Wabash Valley / River Bend Hospital – West Lafayette, IN Logansport State Hospital – Logansport, IN

Funding Opportunities

Funding for Counseling Psychology doctoral students is complex and comes from multiple sources. Students generally receive in three ways, and each comes with tuition remission.

First, students find assistantships in offices across campus, including the Academic Success Center, the Military Family Research Institute, and the Center for Career Opportunities. Students must apply and interview for these positions. Faculty and peers are supportive in filtering assistantship information to students, and faculty assist students in preparing their application materials. Nonetheless, the student is responsible for following up with the information and securing the assistantship. Although our students are very competitive for these positions, the process can be stressful.

Second, students may have opportunities to teach sections of undergraduate courses. These include EPDS 105: Academic and Career Planning, EPDS 315: Collaborative Leadership – Listening, EPDS 316: Collaborative Leadership – Cross-Cultural Settings, and EPDS 317: Collaborative Leadership – Mentoring. Students have also secured teaching assistantships in the Department of Psychological Sciences.

Finally, some students obtain faculty-nominated fellowships, which guarantee funding but require 20 hours per week of work for our home department, Educational Studies. Only a few fellowships are available each year, and they are competitive.

Although funding can be stressful, all current students in the program who want funding have at least a .25 FTE appointment. Regardless, some students obtain federal or private loans to supplement their income.

Additional funding information can be found on through  College of Education graduate funding.

Our Faculty

The core faculty members have interesting and diverse research and applied interests. Even so, a common thread runs through the research programs, namely, college student development, adjustment, and well-being.  The faculty have active, programmatic research lines in culture and parenting, community-based youth development, grief and bereavement issues, multicultural and international issues, and STEM career development.

Counseling Psychology Faculty

Currently Accepting Students: David Stanley, Eric Deemer, and Xiang Zhou

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Social Psychology Graduate Program

Department of Psychological Sciences

Purdue has one of the world’s leading training programs in social psychology. Faculty in the program are world-renowned experts in the core areas of social psychology — including social cognition, social influence, prejudice and discrimination, group dynamics and interpersonal relationships.

Program Highlights

• You will work closely with one or more faculty mentors as you develop your research expertise.
• The social psychology graduate program consists of exposure to all areas of social psychology and offers flexibility in the courses and areas of research you pursue.
• Teaching experience is an important aspect of graduate training in the social psychology program, and you are encouraged to take advantage of instruction opportunities.

Potential Careers

• University faculty member
• Social psychologist

Concentrations

Once admitted to a degree program, you must file an individualized plan of study to guide your academic degree progress. The plan of study is an academic contract between you, the advisory committee faculty members and the Graduate School. You should complete your plan of study electronically via the Plan of Study Generator on MyPurdue. More information about creating a plan of study can be found in the Department of Psychological Sciences’ graduate handbook.

Program Quick Facts

Degree Type: Doctoral

Program Length : 5 years

Location : West Lafayette, IN

Department/School : Department of Psychological Sciences

The social psychology graduate program emphasizes research as a central focus for learning. You are encouraged to become involved in research at an early point in your training by participating in faculty research projects and/or by carrying out individual research projects under the guidance of faculty.

Bridge Topics

Within the social psychology program, faculty also have research interests in several bridge topics, including diversity and inclusion, individual differences, maladaptive behavior and social relationships. Social psychology faculty who study diversity and inclusion focus on a broad range of topics, from ostracism to stereotyping and prejudice to gender issues and beyond. Faculty in the program who focus on individual differences study the rewards and challenges of close relationships, differences in person-thing orientation and self-presentation in interpersonal relationships. Maladaptive behavior research spans issues from interpersonal violence to discrimination. Finally, because social relationships play such an important role in social psychology, research in this topic explore a wide range of issues related to how individuals interact with each other and the social processes at play.

Research Opportunities

• Changing insecure tendencies
• Minimizing harm from partner aggression
• Understanding relational commitment
• Christopher R. Agnew  
• Ximena Arriaga
• William G. Graziano
• Franki Y. H. Kung
• Margo Monteith
• Thekla Morgenroth

Faculty – Retired and Emeritus

• Don Carlston
• Janice Kelly
• Kip Williams

Admissions/Requirements

All students must complete an MS degree as one of the requirements of the doctoral program .

The statement of interest is particularly important to showcase a good alignment of research interests between you and faculty members. You are also encouraged to contact faculty members with whom you are interested in working.

Teaching and research assistantships are available throughout your time in the graduate program, and outstanding students are placed in competition for University fellowships.

Faculty recruiting new students for Fall 2025 admission:

Graduate Certificates

The department offers a graduate certificate in psychological statistics , available to students currently admitted to a graduate degree program at Purdue. Earning the certificate will demonstrate a broad theoretical understanding of advanced quantitative methods. You will also learn the technical skills necessary to integrate these advanced methods into their substantive research programs.

Connect with Us!

If you have questions or to learn more about this program, please contact the Department of Psychological Sciences Graduate Program Coordinator, Nancy O’Brien at [email protected] .

Nancy O’Brien Purdue University 701 Third Street West Lafayette, IN 47907

(765) 494-6067

[email protected]