Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences

Psychology

Graduate Degrees

The Department of Psychology offers an M.S. in Applied Psychology as well as a variety of programs leading to the Ph.D. degree. Programs leading to the Ph.D. degree fall within five major groupings: (1) clinical science, including specializations in adult clinical, clinical-aging and child and family; (2) developmental psychology, including child and adolescent development and adult development and aging; (3) brain and cognitive science, including cognitive neuroscience, behavioral neuroscience, clinical neuroscience and behavioral genetics; (4) quantitative methods; and (5) social psychology.

All five specialty Ph.D. areas provide training for careers in research, teaching and applied work.

Admission Requirements

Psychology courses required for admission to the Ph.D. program are an introductory course, a course in statistics, a course in research methods or experimental psychology and at least one course from each of the following lists: (1) one or more of comparative psychology, physiological psychology, sensation and perception, learning and memory, motivation, and emotion; and (2) one or more of 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 less background in psychology but outstanding undergraduate records in related fields 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. Students are admitted only for study beginning in the fall semester; both sets of completed application forms must be submitted by December 1 for admission the following fall.

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 this catalogue for general regulations. All courses applied toward the degrees must be courses accepted by the Graduate School.

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 doctoral 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.

Master of Science in Applied Psychology

Program Director: Ellen L. Leggett, Ed.D.

The Master of Science in Applied Psychology program (MAP) is designed for individuals who wish to pursue or advance a career in a non-academic field where knowledge of human behavior is essential to effective job performance. The program stresses practical applications of psychological principles related to social influence, human motivation, interpersonal dynamics, decision-making, and performance improvement.

The program is especially appropriate for those who have majored in a behavioral science field, e.g., psychology, sociology, political science or anthropology. These applicants must have received their baccalaureate degree by the semester in which they begin the program.

Applicants must apply for admission to the Graduate School, and satisfy all requirements for admission. Details on the method for applying, admission criteria and deadlines can be found at dornsife.usc.edu/map.

Thirty-four units of course credit is required for the MAP degree. These units are taken from an inventory of courses that are specified for the MAP program. All students are required to take PSYC 505, PSYC 550ab, PSYC 552, PSYC 565, 4 to 8 units of PSYC 591, and 2 units of PSYC 592. The specific number of PSYC 591 units taken in a given semester will depend in part on what options are available from internship sponsors. In addition, students choose from the following courses to focus on either organizational psychology or on consumer psychology: PSYC 513, PSYC 517, PSYC 556, PSYC 622. MAP students may take up to 4 units of PSYC 590.

Based on the student’s academic background, work experience and career goals, substitutions of up to two courses may be made from other courses eligible for graduate credit.

The program for a given cohort of students begins in the fall semester. The normal expectation is that full-time students will complete the program in two semesters plus the summer. Part-time students will generally take one or two courses per semester, and must complete the program within five years.

The Master of Science in Applied Psychology program is also available as a part-time, online degree. Students may enter this program in fall, spring or summer terms.

Doctor of Philosophy in Psychology

Residency Requirement

A minimum of 24 graduate units at USC is required for the doctoral degree.

Course Requirements

Each student must take at least 36 substantive units in psychology at USC during the first three years. Students must complete one statistics and/or research methods course as well as 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 summer following the student’s second year), regardless of prior graduate work.

Screening Procedure

The student’s ability to master graduate-level course material is first evaluated after completion of no more than 24 units, and not later than the third semester of graduate work at USC. The final screening procedure is the successful completion of a second-year project requirement. 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 project. The project is evaluated by a committee of three faculty, including the student’s primary adviser.

Additionally, students are evaluated each year based on adviser input, course work and research progress.

Qualifying Exam Committee

In preparation for the qualifying examination, each student assembles a five-person qualifying exam committee to direct the student’s program of studies and evaluate 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 the student assembles a dissertation committee of four or more members (usually consisting of members of the qualifying exam committee, one of whom must be a faculty member from outside the department), who advise on and evaluate the dissertation.

Qualifying Examination

The qualifying examination evaluates the student’s ability to conduct independent scholarship and research. The student is evaluated based on oral and written presentation of two elements: a written review paper or written exam and the dissertation proposal. The qualifying examination is planned, administered and evaluated by the student’s qualifying exam committee. It should be taken no later than during the fifth semester.

Doctoral Dissertation

A student is expected to engage in research activity throughout his or her graduate career, leading up to and culminating in the Ph.D. dissertation. The dissertation is based on an original investigation, usually involving empirical data.

Defense of the Dissertation

The student’s doctoral dissertation is defended at either a defense oral, based on an approved preliminary copy of the dissertation, or a final oral, based on the final version of the dissertation.

Advisement

Each student has a major adviser who is usually in the specialty area. The qualifying exam committee should be formed at least one semester before the student takes the qualifying examination. Advisement concerning graduate school requirements may also be sought from the staff graduate adviser and the faculty member serving as director of graduate studies.

Internship Requirement

Students in the clinical science Ph.D. program need a minimum of three full-time in-residence academic years of graduate study plus one full year of internship at a facility approved by the clinical faculty.

Doctor of Philosophy in Psychology (Clinical) and Master of Public Health (Health Promotion)

The Ph.D./MPH 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 science doctoral program, while taking additional course work for the MPH. During the second and subsequent years, course work is taken in both programs. The dissertation is undertaken through the Department of Psychology.

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