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Curriculum The curriculum of the graduate program is intentionally very flexible so as to allow for tailoring to each student's background and interests. There is not a fixed sequence of quantitative courses that all students in the program must follow, although there is a general framework described below. The Psychology Department has several course requirements that students in all programs must satisfy. In addition, students may choose to complete a minor course of study in some area outside of Psychology. Typically, a formal minor program requires 5 courses. Each semester all students in the Quantitative Psychology program register for Psychology 280, the Quantitative Psychology Forum. The Forum is a weekly meeting of all faculty and graduate students in the program, with meetings consisting of research presentations and discussion of professional development issues such as ethics, seeking research funding, reviewing, etc. The general course of study typically proceeds as follows: Year 1: The first year curriculum is designed to provide foundational knowledge in statistics and quantitative methods, to get some exposure to topics outside of the quantitative area, and to begin to become involved in research activities with one or more faculty members. Depending on background, students typically take several quantitative courses (e.g., Statistical Methods in Psychology I and II, Test Theory, Multivariate Analysis, Computational Statistics), and usually take one or two courses in Psychology outside of the quantitative program (History of Psychology, and other substantive courses). In addition, students may begin coursework in a minor program. Students might also register for thesis or research credit. Year 2: Students continue to pursue considerable coursework in the quantitative program, strengthening their foundational knowledge and taking advanced courses to develop special interests. Requirements for other courses in Psychology are typically completed during the second year, and coursework in the minor program is continued. Students also register for thesis credit and should complete the Masters Thesis by the end of the second year. Year 3: Students take advanced courses in quantitative psychology and in their minor program or other areas of interest. A major activity during the third year is preparation for and completion of Comprehensive Exams. In addition, students typically get much more involved in more advanced research projects. Years 4-5: Students take a few advanced courses of particular interest, but the focus now is on research. Students are typically involved in several research projects and in developing and pursuing a dissertation topic. |
