Experimental Psychology Curriculum

Experimental Psychology Doctoral Program Requirements

Course Number Title Semester Credit Hours

A. Take all of the following:

PSYC 7100	History of Ideas in Psychology	3
PSYC 7110	Ethics & Problems	1
PSYC 7120	Teaching of Psychology	2
PSYC 7130	Research Seminar	1
PSYC 7140	Learning & Conditioning	3
PSYC 7150	Biological Psychology	3
PSYC 7160	Developmental Psychology	3
PSYC 7190	Cognitive Psychology	3
STAT 7000	Experimental Statistics I	4
PSYC 7270	Experimental Design in Psychology	4
PSYC 7990	Research and Thesis	4

B. In consultation with supervisory committee, select additional courses amounting to at least 29 additional Graduate Level (6000 or above) credit hours. A partial list of courses that students might consider to fulfill this requirement follows:

PSYC 6610	Behavioral Effects of Environmental Contaminants	3
PSYC 6620	Behavioral Pharmacology	3
PSYC 7120	Teaching of Psychology	2
PSYC 7200	Animal Cognition	3
PSYC 7210	Animal Behavior	3
PSYC 7230	Psychometric Theory	3
PSYC 7240	Methods of Studying Individual Behavior	3
PSYC 8250	Multivariate Methods	4
PSYC 8260	Analysis of Time-Related Data	3
PSYC 8470	Behavioral Economics of Substance Abuse	3
PSYC 8500	Experimental Psychology Seminar	1
PSYC 8510	Context and Consequences of Behavior	3
PSYC 8520	Conceptual & Theoretical Analysis in Psychology	3
PSYC 8540	Behavioral Pharmacology	3
PSYC 8550	Applied Behavior Analysis	3
PSYC 8560	Human Operant Behavior	3
PSYC 7900	Independent Study	3
PYC 7970	Research in Special Topics	3
PSYC 8970	Special Topics	3
PSYC 8990	Research and Dissertation (Required)	10 (req)

Notes:
1. Master's Degree: We do not offer a terminal Master's degree program in Experimental Psychology. However, students in the doctoral program do complete a thesis and earn an M.S. degree as part of the doctoral program. The Graduate School requires 30 hours of graduate level coursework for the Master's degree. Completion of the coursework and thesis listed in section A above fulfills this requirement. The thesis must be an experimental study. Rules relating to thesis committee membership may be found at Department of Psychology Rules and Regulations . In addition, at least one member of the thesis committee must be a member of the experimental faculty.

2.The Graduate School requires 30 hours of graduate level coursework beyond the master's degree for the Ph.D. Completion of the coursework and dissertation outlined in section B above fulfills these requirements for the Ph.D. Rules relating to doctoral committee membership may be found at Department of Psychology Rules and Regulations .


3. The Graduate School requires satisfactory completion of the General Doctoral Exam. In Psychology this may be fulfilled by completion of either a written doctoral preliminary examination or a Major Area Paper, followed by successful oral defense of the written component. These requirements are explained in greater detail at http://www.auburn.edu/psychology/gs/doctoral/administrative/mappol2.htm and at http://www.auburn.edu/psychology/gs/doctoral/administrative/rules_and_regs.htm.

4. Exemption from Required Courses: Students may request exemption from specific required courses based upon the completion of similar graduate level work at Auburn or elsewhere. Approval of substitutions/exemptions is secured via an "Exemption from Departmental or Program Requirement" form signed by your major professor, program director, the teacher who most recently taught the course from which you seek exemption, and the department Chair. Students seeking this exemption must provide an official transcript showing completion of the course(s) upon which they are basing their exemption request and must demonstrate mastery of the required subject matter in a manner to be determined by the relevant faculty members.

5. Exemption from the Master's Thesis: Students who enter the program with a Master's Degree and Master's Thesis from another program may request exemption from the thesis requirement. Students seeking such exemption should discuss it with the program director during their first semester in the program and should secure approval as soon as possible (but no later than the end of their second semester) via an "Exemption from Departmental or Program Requirement" form signed by your major professor, program director, and the Department Chair. Students seeking this exemption must provide an official transcript demonstrating that they earned the Master's degree and secured official approval of the thesis upon which they are basing their exemption request. The suitability of the thesis as a basis of exemption from our thesis requirment will be assessed in a manner to be determined by the relevant faculty members.

6. These requirements are subject to change but students retain the option of graduating under the curriculum that was in place at the time they initiated the program.

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Last updated on August 14, 2007