Resources For:

• There is PhD training in five broad areas: developmental psychology; experimental psychopathology; clinical psychology; social psychology; and cognition, brain, and behavior (CBB). Because there are differences in the curriculum for each area, the requirements for satisfactory progress are listed separately for different areas.

Advising

• Advisor assignments are made in most cases prior to the student’s entering the de­partment, though in some cases students will choose an advisor after the first several weeks of the first term once they have become acquainted with the faculty. Stu­dents in the first year must choose a mentor for their first-year research project; the mentor is frequently, though not necessarily, the advisor. In the second year students choose a research advisor for their second-year research project, and in most cases this will be the advisor.

• It is a simple matter for students to change advisors; they merely get permission from the new faculty member, inform the graduate office that they are changing their advisor, and as a courtesy, inform the former advisor. The same procedure should be used whenever a student changes advisors either because the student’s re­search interest has changed or because the advisor has left Harvard.

• While the Psychology department does not have formal “rotations” in different labs, students are strongly encouraged to work with several faculty members, and are also encouraged to take advantage of the wealth of opportunities to work with research­ers at other Harvard or Boston-area institutions. However, students are also expected to form a close relationship with their advisor, who must be a member of the depart­ment faculty. The advisor is expected to remain in close touch with the student’s progress and will serve as spokesperson to the Committee on Higher Degrees (CHD) for that student should questions about academic progress arise. Thus, it is important that the advisor always be aware of, and approve, the student’s academic activities. The advisor is required to meet with the student and to sign the student’s study card each term. The advisor may be changed at any time until the dissertation prospectus.

• Advising committees: G2 students will be required to select a secondary advisor who will also serve as a second reader on the second-year project. The student is expected to meet with both advisors, either individually or together, to discuss the overall pro­gram of study as well as specifics of the second-year project. During the third year students are also expected to select a secondary advisor; it may be the same mentor as during the second year or someone different. Once more, students are required to schedule at least one meeting, either individually or together, with the advisors to dis­cuss research and academic plans and progress. During the fourth year students will select two committee members in addition to the primary advisor, subject to CHD ap­proval, and this group of three will serve as the dissertation prospectus committee. Not more than one member may be from outside the Psychology department.

• By the time a student has reached the prospectus stage, a close relationship should be formed with the advisor. The advisor serves as chair of a student’s dissertation committee and must be a department faculty member. In cases where the student works under the close research supervision of an outside scientist, such as a faculty member of the Graduate School of Education or the Medical School, that person will be appointed to the student’s dissertation committee. However, the student must have a regular department member as the advisor of record and the chair of the committee.

COGNITION, BRAIN, AND BEHAVIOR

• The CBB program includes cognitive psychology, cognitive neuroscience, behav­ioral neuroscience, visual perception, and behavior and decision analysis.

The First Two Years

• PSY 2010, Contemporary Topics in Psychological Research (the Proseminar); B+ or better. Fall term of first year.

• PSY 1951, Intermediate Quantitative Methods or PSY 1950, Intermediate Statisti­cal Analysis in Psychology. B+ or better. Fall term of first year.

• PSY 1952, Multivariate Analysis. B+ or better. Spring term of first year.

• PSY 2020ab, Experimental Psychology Proseminar. B+ or better. Spring term of first year. This requirement is in lieu of a general examination.

• First-year project: Students in the first year are required to select a faculty mentor who will help the student select a research project (either part of ongoing faculty re­search or research initiated by the student and approved by the mentor). A proposal of the project is submitted in late fall for approval by the CHD. A scholarly report is required and will be evaluated by the mentor and completed by May of the first year.

• Second-year project. Students should begin work as early as possible under the su­pervision of a faculty member and secondary advisor on a theoretical or empirical inquiry of their own devising that must be completed and written up in the style of a journal article prior to the end of the spring term of the second year.

Additional Requirements

• Faculty advisors may require students to take courses that provide them with the skills necessary for specific research areas.

Dissertation

Dissertation Prospectus

• By May 15 of the third year, students will complete the design for an original project (it often grows out of the second-year research study) that will culminate in the dis­sertation. The design is submitted to a prospectus committee, appointed by the CHD, made up of three faculty members, including at least two from the Psycholo­gy department, interested in the topic; the suggested faculty will be chosen by the student and advisor for the contributions they can make to the committee, and the committee must be formally approved by the CHD. The prospectus committee must approve the plan, and its members ordinarily continue to work closely with the stu­dent. A period of at least nine months must pass between prospectus approval and scheduling of the oral dissertation defense.

Dissertation and Oral Defense

SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY

• This program, leading to the PhD in social psychology, is designed to offer broad and eclectic training in the field. It recognizes the value of a wide range of method­ological and conceptual orientations, of research addressed to theory building as well as to the solution of social problems, and of interactions between social psy­chology and other disciplines. Within the broad limits of the curriculum, however, the programs of individual students may vary in keeping with their particular back­grounds, interests, and preferred styles of work.

The First Two Years

• PSY 2010, Contemporary Topics in Psychological Research (the Proseminar); this is a survey of the several areas of study covered by the department. B+ or better. Fall term of first year.

• PSY 1951, Intermediate Quantitative Methods or PSY 1950, Intermediate Statisti­cal Analysis in Psychology. B+ or better. Fall term of first year.

• PSY 1952, Multivariate Analysis. B+ or better. Spring term of first year.

• PSY 2100, Research Methodology. Covers all major steps in conducting an empir­ical research project, with emphasis on studies that involve human participants.

• PSY 2500, Advanced Social Psychology. B+ or better. This course will provide in­tense coverage of topics that reflect the breadth of modern social psychology. The course will be taught each year and will include a serious and rigorous examination.

• PSY 3420, Research Workshop in Social Psychology (full year course), first year.

• First-year project. (See Cognition, Brain, and Behavior for description.)

• Second-year project. (See Cognition, Brain, and Behavior for description.)

The Core Seminars

Students will be required to take three Core seminars from three different members of the social psychology faculty. Two of these seminars must be completed before the end of the student’s second year, and the third seminar must be completed by the end of the student’s third year.

The Progress Report

Students will submit a progress report at the end of their second year describing their research accomplishments, their professional goals, and other relevant information upon which they wish to be evaluated.

The Second-Year Evaluation

At the end of a student’s second year, the social psychology faculty will evaluate him or her. These evaluations will be based on three criteria: (a) the student’s research involvement and productivity, (b) the student’s competence in methods and statistics, and (c) the student’s demonstrable knowledge of social psychology. The faculty will adduce these by examining the student’s performance in the advanced social psychology course, the Core seminars, the methods and statistics courses, and the student’s second-year progress report.

Dissertation

Dissertation Prospectus

• By the end of the first term of the fourth year students will complete the design for an original project (it often grows out of the second-year research study) that will culminate in the dissertation. The design is submitted to a prospectus committee, appointed by the CHD, made up of three faculty members, including at least two from the Psychology department, interested in the topic; the suggested faculty will be chosen by the student and advisor for the contributions they can make to the com­mittee, and the committee must be formally approved by the CHD. The prospectus committee must approve the plan, and its members ordinarily continue to work closely with the student. A period of at least nine months must pass between prospec­tus approval and scheduling of the oral dissertation defense.

Dissertation and Oral Defense

• Two additional faculty are added to the prospectus committee to form the oral de­fense committee: a moderator, who oversees the proceedings, and an outside exam­iner, who is from an area outside the area of the dissertation. The completed dissertation must be prepared as described in The Form of the PhD Dissertation, de­fended at an oral examination, and approved by the department faculty. These re­quirements must be satisfactorily completed by the end of the fifth year.

EXPERIMENTAL PSYCHOPATHOLOGY

The First Two Years

• PSY 2010, Contemporary Topics in Psychological Research (the Proseminar); this is a survey of the several areas of study covered by the department. B+ or better. Fall term of first year.

• PSY 1951, Intermediate Quantitative Methods or PSY 1950, Intermediate Statisti­cal Analysis in Psychology. B+ or better. Fall term of first year.

• PSY 1952, Multivariate Analysis. B+ or better. Spring term of first year.

• PSY 2040, Contemporary Topics in Psychopathology. B+ or better. Required of first- or second-year students in psychopathology.

• First-year research project. (See Cognition, Brain, and Behavior for description.)

• Second-year project. (See Cognition, Brain, and Behavior for description.)

General Examination

Dissertation

CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGY

The clinical psychology program is based on a clinical scientist model of training. The program is committed to educating academic and clinical research psychologists who will be able to integrate research and clinical work and help advance theory and practice in the field. Clinical students will be required to meet the course requirements of the APA and the state of Massachusetts licensing board. However, at the present time, the program does not have APA accreditation. The program, which is research-focused, and which emphasizes research and clinical work with patients with severe psychopathology, provides training through class work, research seminars, and clinical practica. A one-year clinical internship is required of all students. Students are expected to complete all of their departmental requirements before they begin their internship.

The First Two Years

• PSY 2010, Contemporary Topics in Psychological Research (the Proseminar); this is a survey of the several areas of study covered by the department. B+ or better. Fall term of first year.

• PSY 1951, Intermediate Quantitative Methods or PSY 1950, Intermediate Statisti­cal Analysis in Psychology. B+ or better. Fall term of first year.

• PSY 1952, Multivariate Analysis. B+ or better. Spring term of second year.

• PSY 2040, Contemporary Topics in Psychopathology. B+ or better.

• First-year research project. (See Cognition, Brain, and Behavior for description.)

• Second-year project. (See Cognition, Brain, and Behavior for description.)

• PSY 2050, History of Psychology. B+ or better. To be completed by the end of the fourth year.

General Examination

• A six-hour examination covering in considerable depth the literature in the area of psychopathology and clinical psychology. The examination is taken in the summer before the start of the third year.

Dissertation

• See description under “Social Psychology.”

DEVELOPMENTAL PSYCHOLOGY

The First Two Years

• PSY 2010, Contemporary Topics in Psychological Research (the Proseminar); B+ or better. Fall term of first year.

• PSY 1951, Intermediate Quantitative Methods or PSY 1950, Intermediate Statisti­cal Analysis in Psychology. B+ or better. Fall term of first year.

• PSY 1952, Multivariate Analysis. B+ or better. Spring term of first year.

• Two graduate-level courses in developmental psychology, including the Core course PSY 2170, Developmental Proseminar.

• Students in cognitive development or developmental cognitive neuroscience will take PSY 2020ab, the CBB Proseminar; students in social development must take PSY 2500, Advanced Social Psychology, plus a social program Core course; stu­dents in developmental psychopathology must take PSY 2040, Contemporary Top­ics in Psychopathology, plus an additional upper-level psychopathology course. B+ or better, by the end of the second year.

• First-year project. (See Cognition, Brain, and Behavior for description.)

• Second-year project. (See Cognition, Brain, and Behavior for description.)

Dissertation

• See description under “Social Psychology.”

Suggested Program

The program of coursework and requirement completion will vary depending upon RTG/program. Students should seek advice from their advisor and other faculty and students within their RTG/program. Many requirements can be completed before the deadlines stated above, i.e., some areas allow the major examination to be taken at the beginning of the second year.

Master of Arts (AM)

Students may be recommended for the non-terminal degree of Master of Arts upon completion of the relevant GSAS residence requirements and the following depart­mental requirements, which are detailed above.

a) PSY 2010, Contemporary Topics in Psychological Research, B+ or better.

b) For CBB students, the intensive CBB Proseminar.

c) First-year research project.

d) The two quantitative methods courses, B+ or better.

e) Second-year research project.

f) For students in psychopathology and clinical, the general examination.

g) For social psychology students, the Research Methodology course, and the
Advanced Social Psychology course, B+ or better, and two core courses, B+
or better.

h) For developmental students, the two graduate courses in developmental psy­
chology plus the sub-area specific courses. 

Required Teaching

It is our expectation that most graduates of our program will go on to have academic careers. Hence, experience in teaching is an integral part of the graduate training program. This teaching is expected of all students regardless of their source of funding.

Duration of Program

• Four or five years is deemed an adequate time to meet the requirements for the PhD. The department’s requirements for good standing state that a student should have an approved prospectus by the middle of the fourth year. Students who do not have an approved prospectus will be withdrawn.

• Prospectus meetings and oral defenses may not be held during the summer months.

• A period of at least nine months must pass between prospectus approval and schedul­ing of the oral dissertation defense.

• A student’s status will be listed as “unsatisfactory” if the prospectus has not been approved by the start of the spring term of the fifth year. Students in unsatisfactory status may not receive financial aid such as tuition grants, and may not hold teaching fellowships.

• Students who have not finished and who wish to register for a sixth year are required to petition the CHD. It will be assumed that students will be in good standing and can demonstrate good progress by having an approved prospectus and the support of the advisor. Permission to register beyond the sixth year is rarely granted and will be considered only in very extraordinary cases. Students who have not finished in six years must withdraw and may petition for readmission when they are ready to defend the dissertation. Students who seek readmission more than eight years after initial matriculation 1) must find an advisor willing to work with them; 2) will be given an oral examination covering the area covered by the general examination or Core cours­es in their area. Readmission will be contingent upon passing this oral examination.