Program Overview

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Doctor of Philosophy in Cognitive Psychology

Program Overview

The Doctor of Philosophy in Cognitive Psychology program at the University at Albany is designed to provide students with a comprehensive education in the field of cognitive psychology. The program focuses on the scientific study of mental processes, including perception, attention, memory, language, problem-solving, and decision-making.

Program of Study

The program of study for the PhD in Cognitive Psychology includes:

• Foundation courses in cognition and statistics
• Advanced seminar classes in the student's area of specialization
• Two courses from two different areas of specialization within Psychology PhD programs
• A weekly seminar where students and faculty present their current work to receive critical feedback from researchers in other labs
• Statistics/method courses, including Statistical and Experimental Methods I and II
• An initial research project that often serves as a Master's thesis
• A research tool requirement, demonstrated proficiency in one of the following:
  • Master a technique, statistical or otherwise, in the process of conducting the Initial Research Project or another research project
  • Pass a foreign language test
  • Pass a course in computer programming, mathematics, or advanced statistics
• A qualifying examination, preparing a critical review paper on a topic of the student's choice with input from their exam committee
• A dissertation, an opportunity for students to learn how to pose questions and conduct independent scholarly work that has the potential to extend previous knowledge in their field

Research and Applied Learning

The program provides students with research opportunities throughout their graduate study, beginning in their first year with the Initial Research Project and culminating in their doctoral dissertation. Students will collaborate with active faculty mentors whose research interests span topics including human memory, visual attention, auditory and visual word recognition and reading, and second language processing and bilingualism.

Additionally, students will have access to equipment and software to conduct a wide range of experiments, including behavioral studies with visual and auditory stimuli, EEG/ERPs, eye tracking, and computational modeling.

Career Outcomes

After earning a degree from the cognitive psychology PhD program at UAlbany, most students secure tenure-track faculty positions at universities around the world. The program's strong focus on research training also prepares students for non-academic careers as industry researchers in related fields.

Potential careers for graduates include:

• Professor
• Researcher
• Legal consultant
• Data analyst
• Experiment designer
• Marketing researcher
• Human factors consultant
• Human-computer interaction designer

Admissions Requirements

• Deadlines: January 15 for Fall admission
• Required application materials:
  • Transcripts from all schools attended
  • Three letters of recommendation
  • Statement of goals
• The GRE general test is not required but may be considered.
• The SUBJECT GRE exam is not required, but is strongly recommended.

Student Learning Objectives

The program has the following student learning objectives:

1. Students will be able to conduct original research and effectively communicate its results in written journal article format.
2. Students will be able to effectively communicate research results in an oral presentation.
3. Students will demonstrate an ability to conduct a comprehensive literature search on a somewhat general topic in cognitive psychology and to effectively synthesize the results in that literature.
4. Students will have the ability to use existing software and data bases specific to creating experimental materials, collecting data in various paradigms in cognitive psychology, and statistically evaluating those data.

Supplemental Degree Programs

Graduate students can typically request a supplemental degree in one or more subordinate degrees without needing to go through the full admissions process again. Supplemental programs available with this degree include:

• Africana Studies CGS
• Autism CGS
• Community College Leadership CGS
• Demography CGS
• International Education Management CGS
• Psychology MA