thesis

purdue university phd clinical psychology

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
  • Report a Concern
  • Graduate Program Contacts
  • Calendar of Events, Dates, and Deadlines
  • Current Graduate Students
  • Alumni and Giving
  • System-Wide Graduate Programs
  • Graduate Degree Programs
  • Certificate Programs
  • Interdisciplinary Graduate Programs (OIGP)
  • University Academic Catalog
  • Course Information
  • Publications
  • Graduate Programs Office
  • Office of Graduate Assistance (OGA)
  • Guidelines for Graduate Student Mentoring and Advising
  • Prospective Students
  • Preparing for Graduate Studies
  • Graduate Program Requirements
  • Why Choose Purdue?
  • Tuition & Fees
  • How to Apply
  • Check Application Status
  • Transcript Upload Tips
  • Admitted Students
  • Graduate Student Ambassadors
  • Visit Campus
  • Purdue Graduate Student Center
  • International Students
  • Request Information
  • Fellowships
  • Professional Development
  • Information Management and Analysis
  • Data Requests
  • Database Project
  • Purdue West Lafayette (PWL)

Clinical Psychological Sciences

Supported Degree Objectives

  • Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Required Supporting Documents

  • Transcripts
  • Recommendation Letters
  • Academic Statement of Purpose
  • Personal History Statement
  • 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: 80 Minimum section requirements:

  • Reading: 19
  • Listening: 14
  • Speaking: 18
  • Writing: 18

Doctoral Degree Program Requirements

  • 3.0 or equivalent (A=4.0)
  • Not required

Application Deadlines

Program Contact Information

Additional Information

  • We are currently only recruiting students for the PhD program. Please view our graduate program website for additional 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.

Purdue West Lafayette campus