PDF reflects print version of the catalogue (beginning to Economics)Graduate Degrees
The Department of Psychology offers an M.A. in Psychological Science as well as a variety of programs leading to the Ph.D. degree. They fall within six major groupings: (1) clinical, including experimental psychopathology, assessment and intervention, and a sub-specialization in clinical-aging and in child-family; (2) developmental; (3) adult development and aging, including a joint track in clinical and aging; (4) cognitive and behavioral neuroscience, including attention, learning, memory, perception, cognitive neuropsychology, and behavioral endocrinology; (5) quantitative, including psychological measurement and mathematical models; and (6) social, including social influences on attitudes, motivation, perception and behavior.
All of the specialty areas provide training for careers in research, teaching and applied work
Admission Requirements.
Psychology courses required for admission are an introductory course, a course in statistics, a course in research methods or experimental psychology and at least one of the following: comparative psychology, physiological psychology, sensation and perception, learning and memory, motivation, and emotion; and at least one of the following: developmental psychology, social psychology, abnormal psychology, personality, and history of psychology. Additional courses are desirable, as is work in the biological, physical and social sciences, in mathematics and in philosophy. Students with outstanding undergraduate records who have less background in psychology are also encouraged to apply.Students are selected on the basis of undergraduate records, scores on the Graduate Record Examinations General Test, course background, letters of evaluation, personal statement of interests and goals and evidence of research skills or interests (e.g., publications or participation in research projects).
The faculty of each specialty area select the students to be admitted in that area. Because of this procedure, applicants should designate the specialty area to which they seek admission.
Application for admission in psychology requires submission of two sets of material: special departmental forms and university application forms. Both may be secured only by writing to the Department of Psychology. Students are admitted only for study beginning in September; both sets of completed application forms must be submitted by December 1.
Degree Requirements
These degrees are under the jurisdiction of the Graduate School. Refer to the Requirements for Graduation section and the Graduate School section of the catalogue for general regulations. All courses applied toward the degrees must be courses accepted by the Graduate School.Master of Arts in Psychological Science
The M.A. in Psychological Science is designed for superior students who wish to further their research training and to acquire the methodological background and hands-on research experience to define their scholarly interests and to pursue graduate education, professional degrees or careers requiring advanced skills in research and writing. This is a terminal degree. Students who wish to pursue their doctorate at USC should apply directly to the Ph.D. program initially.Admission Requirements
A minimum 3.5 cumulative GPA in the bachelor's degree and grades of at least B+ in an undergraduate statistics and an undergraduate methods course are required for admission.This program requires a minimum of 24 units at the graduate level.
| Course Requirements | Units | |
|---|---|---|
| One statistics or methods course from the following: | ||
| PSYC 501 | Statistics in Psychological Research | 4 |
| PSYC 503L | Regression and the General Linear Model | 4 |
| PSYC 504 | Research Design | 4 |
| PSYC 616 | Research Techniques for Non-Experimental Social Science | 4 |
| PSYC 524 | Research Design in Developmental Psychology | 4 |
| Three courses, spanning at least two of the following five areas: | ||
| Cognitive | ||
| PSYC 506 | Learning and Cognition | 4 |
| PSYC 510 | Visual Cognition | 4 |
| Developmental | ||
| PSYC 531 | Psychology of Adult Differentiation and Aging | 4 |
| PSYC 533 | Cognitive Development in Children | 4 |
| PSYC 534 | Social and Emotional Development in Children | 4 |
| PSYC 580 | Seminar in Aging | 4 |
| Biological | ||
| PSYC 516 | Survey of Physiological Psychology | 4 |
| PSYC 544 | Psychophysiology | 4 |
| PSYC 545 | Neuropsychology | 4 |
| PSYC 547 | Functional Neuroanatomy | 4 |
| PSYC 555 | Introduction to Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging | 4 |
| Clinical | ||
| PSYC 514 | Psychopathology | 4 |
| PSYC 660 | Seminar in Clinical Psychology | 4, max 8 |
| Social | ||
| PSYC 512 | Seminar in Social Psychology | 4 |
The student must take 2 units of PSYC 590 Directed Research each semester.
Thesis Requirement
The student will enroll in PSYC 594a during fall semester and PSYC 594b during spring semester and will complete a final paper (either an empirical paper or an extensive review paper) that is written in publication format. The student will submit the thesis to the faculty mentor and two other psychology faculty members by May 1 and will schedule a one-hour committee meeting to defend the master's thesis prior to graduation.Master of Arts in Psychology
The department does not admit students whose objective is this master's degree. However, if a student accepted in the program does not have a master's degree, the department strongly recommends completion of the requirements for the M.A. in Psychology in the course of work toward the Ph.D. degree. This involves 24 units of course work and a thesis.Doctor of Philosophy in Psychology
Course Requirements
Each student must take at least 36 substantive units in psychology at USC during the first three years. Within the first three semesters, each student must complete one statistics course and either a second statistics course or a research design course. Students must also complete a set of core courses that cover topics in brain and cognitive sciences and clinical, developmental and social areas, the specifics of which are provided in the department's handbook for graduate students. Additional course requirements vary according to specialty area.Research Requirement
During the first and second year, students work on either a master's thesis or a research report of comparable scope and quality. A research project done at USC is required of all students (by the conclusion of the student's second year), regardless of prior graduate work.Internship Requirement
The equivalent of three years' graduate status is required in all Ph.D. programs by the Graduate School. Students in the clinical (and clinical-aging) program must complete, in addition, at least one full year of internship at a facility approved by the clinical faculty.Screening Procedure
The student's ability to master graduate-level course material is evaluated after completion of no more than 24 units, and not later than the third semester of graduate work at USC. This evaluation is based on the student's performance in courses taken and on an evaluation of the student's research competence as reflected in the second year research report. The guidance committee is responsible for this evaluation.Guidance Committee
A five-person guidance committee is appointed after the student passes the 24-unit screening procedure. This committee directs the student's program of studies and evaluates research competence. The committee continues to serve until after the qualifying examination has been passed, the dissertation topic approved, and the student admitted to candidacy for the Ph.D. At that time it becomes known as the dissertation committee and is usually reduced to four members.Qualifying Examination
The qualifying examination concentrates on the student's ability to demonstrate a grasp of the major area of interest chosen and its relation to other areas of training offered in the department. Partly written and partly oral, the examination is comprehensive and designed to test the student's ability to meet the demands and standards of the profession. Part of the examination is a dissertation proposal. The qualifying examination is planned, administered, and graded by the student's guidance committee.Doctoral Dissertation
A student is expected to engage in research activity throughout his graduate career, leading up to and culminating in the Ph.D. dissertation. The dissertation is based on an original investigation, usually involving experimental design.Defense of the Dissertation
The defense may be either a defense oral, based on an approved preliminary copy of the dissertation, or a final oral, subsequent to final typing.Advisement
The graduate advisor is Dr. Franklin R. Manis. Each student has a major advisor who is usually in the specialty area. It is especially important that the guidance committee be formed as soon as the 24-unit screening is completed.Doctor of Philosophy in Psychology (Clinical) and Master of Public Health (Health Promotion)
Application deadline (for Ph.D.): December 1The Ph.D./M.P.H. dual degree combines knowledge of clinical psychology research and practice with an understanding of health from a population perspective. The student enrolls primarily in the clinical psychology doctoral program. During the second and subsequent years, course work is taken in both programs. The dissertation is undertaken through the Department of Psychology.