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Course Information

The Department of Psychology offers numerous courses on a variety of topics for graduate students to enrich their academic experience. Seminar topics rotate each semester.

The course listings here are organized alphabetically. New students should note that, for the most part, the alphabetical listings correspond to field areas within the department. For instance, all developmental courses start with DEP, and all courses starting with SOP are social courses, etc.

Students are required to take a set of courses required by their program area. Most areas list these course requirements in their section on the department website. Consult with your area director and advisor to ensure that all of these course requirements are completed in a timely fashion.

All students in the department are also required to complete 9 hours of coursework outside of their identified program area (referred to as the “outside courses” requirement). Depending on area requirements and student selection of Option A or Option B in the degree requirements, these courses can be from within or outside the department. Within the department, these credits must be earned in content-based courses that cover important topics in psychology – students cannot count research hours, methodology courses, or statistics classes within the department because the intent of this requirement is to provide students with a broad knowledge base in psychology (special topics seminars will not count if they primarily cover methods or statistics).

All courses numbered 6099 are graduate-level introductions to a field area. Depending on previous course background, most students should enroll in 6099 introductory courses outside their area to meet the “outside courses” requirement.

Dual Specialization and Integrative Programs of Study

Students typically have one primary mentor that directs their research, but may still choose to do integrated research relating to multiple program areas. Students may do this via our Dual specialization mechanism, or informally, as an integrated program of study. For the Dual specialization, students admitted into the PhD program in psychology (but not the PhD program in Counseling Psychology) may develop a co-major with another training program in the department. For example, a student in the Developmental area may pursue a dual specialization with Behavioral and Cognitive Neuroscience in order to formally define a program of study that combines training in both areas. In this case, the approval of the faculty of both areas is required, and the student’s primary mentor and a faculty member in the other area serve as co-chairs of the student’s committee.

Integrative programs of research are not formally structured. For example, a student’s dissertation might reflect a combined interest in behavioral and neuroscience issues, or a master’s thesis could cover both developmental and counseling issues. Across campus, students may get involved in many interdisciplinary institutes (e.g., the McKnight Brain Institute) which offer expanded training and research opportunities. Students may also work with the Institute on Aging of faculty or seek a co-major with the College of Education.

Course Information

The Department of Psychology offers numerous courses on a variety of topics for graduate students to enrich their academic experience. Seminar topics rotate each semester.

  • CBH 6056: Comparative Psychology – Survey of literature.
  • CLP 6169: Seminar: Psychology and Deviant Behavior – Analysis of specific deviant behaviors, with emphasis on theory and research related to diagnosis and clinical management.
  • DEP 6057: Advanced Developmental Psychology I – Surveys research literature on cognitive developmental changes during infancy and cognitive development during childhood.
  • DEP 6058: Advanced Developmental Psychology II – Surveys research literature onAdvanced coverage of child social/personality development from infancy throughand cognitive/personality development in adolescence through old age.
  • DEP 6059: Seminar: Special Topics in Developmental Psychology – Examination of theory and research in selected topic.
  • DEP 6099: Survey of Developmental Psychology – Empirical, theoretical, and methodological foundations of developmental psychology.
  • DEP 6406: Advanced Adulthood and Aging – Overview of major theories and research in psychology in relation to aging.
  • DEP 6409: Seminar: Adult Development and Aging – Topics in the psychology of aging, with emphasis on theory, research, and methodology.
  • DEP 6799: Current Research Methods in Developmental Psychology – Methods for study of development, including experimental and observational techniques.
  • DEP 6936: Current Research in Developmental Psychology
  • DEP 7608: Theories of Developmental Psychology – Theoretical perspectives and major theorists in child and developmental psychology.
  • EAB 5436: Behavioral Pharmacology – Experimental analysis of the mechanisms based on interactions of drugs with environmental variables controlling behavior.
  • EAB 6099: Survey of Behavior Analysis – Survey of basic learning and motivational processes including operant and classical conditioning. Introduction to individual-subject research methods and to applied behavior analysis.
  • EAB 6118: Theoretical Foundations of Behavior Analysis – Examination of current theoretical issues in behavior analysis, with emphasis upon systematic integration of behavior principles into general behavior theory.
  • EAB 6707: Applied Behavior I – Research methods. Measurement, reliability, experimental design, extension of basic research to applied settings.
  • EAB 6716: Behavior Analysis in Developmental Disabilities – Behavioral approaches to study and treatment of mental retardation and developmental disabilities. Acquisition techniques, assessment, and treatment of behavior disorders, program evaluation, and management.
  • EAB 6719: Seminar: Strategies and Tactics of Human Behavioral Research – Advanced study of a scientific approach to investigating human behavior in applied settings.
  • EAB 6750: Quantitative Methods – Introduction to quantitative methods in single-case research.
  • EAB 6937C: Seminar: Special Topics in Experimental Analysis of Behavior – Current research, theory, and instructional techniques.
  • EAB 6939: Seminar: Special Topics in Applied Behavior Analysis (1-3; max: 9) – Current research, technological developments, and professional issues.
  • EAB 7089: Advanced Seminar: Experimental Analysis of Behavior – Restricted areas of experimental analysis of behavior such as schedules of reinforcement, stimulus control, current issues in research methods, and complex repertoires.
  • EAB 7090: Verbal Behavior – Current empirical and theoretical issues relevant to functional analysis of verbal behavior.
  • EXP 5256: Human Factors I – Survey of human factors literature. Introduction to topics including human capabilities and human interfaces with human-machine systems.
  • EXP 6099: Survey of Cognition and Sensory Processes – Empirical and theoretical foundations.
  • EXP 6609: Seminar: Cognition – Selected topics in the areas of thinking, problem solving, and reasoning.
  • EXP 6939: Seminar: Current Issues in Cognition and Sensory Processes
  • GEY 7408: Psychotherapy with Older Adults – Psychotherapeutic interventions with older adults.
  • MHS 6430: Introduction to Family Counseling
  • MHS 6440: Marriage Counseling
  • MHS 7431: Advanced Family Counseling
  • PCO 6057: Psychology of Counseling I – Theory, research, and skills in therapeutic approaches to counseling psychology.
  • PCO 6058: Psychology of Counseling II – Theory, research, and skills in short-term approaches to counseling psychology.
  • PCO 6059: Psychology of Counseling III – Theory, research, and skills in psychodynamic approaches to counseling psychology.
  • PCO 6278: Diversity and Multiculturalism in Counseling Psychology – Overview of development of multicultural counseling (MCC) theory, research, and practice. Historical background, multicultural counseling competencies, cultural identity development and worldview, spiritual issues, understanding oppression (e.g., racism, sexism, heterosexism, able-ism), case conceptualization, MCC organizational development, ethical guidelines for working with diverse populations, and MCC skills development.
  • PCO 6316C: Psychological Assessment I – Consideration of basic assessment theory and of fundamental theories of intelligence and intellectual assessment, including practicum-type administration of intelligence tests.
  • PCO 6317C: Psychological Assessment II – Fundamental theories of personality and individual assessment of personality, including practicum-type administration of personality tests.
  • PCO 6931: History and Contemporary Issues in Counseling Psychology – Introduction to foundations of counseling psychology and its research. Contemporary literature of discipline.
  • PCO 6939: Seminar: Current Topics in Counseling Psychology – Emphasis on theoretical background and implications for applied work.
  • PCO 7217: Professional Ethics and Skills in Counseling Psychology – Professional issues, ethics, relationships, and skills pertaining to practice of counseling psychology.
  • PCO 7247: Group Counseling/Psychology – Process of group counseling and psychotherapy as well as the counselor’s role in the facilitation of group process.
  • PCO 7537: Vocational Psychology – Examines major theories and research. Emphasizes vocational assessment.
  • PCO 7944: Practicum in Counseling Psychology – For second-year doctoral students in counseling psychology, 12 hours per week of on-site clinical work plus individual and group supervision.
  • PCO 7945: Advanced Practicum in Counseling Psychology -For advanced students in counseling psychology. On-site clinical work at approved mental health agencies: 12 to 15 hours per week of work including individual and group supervision.
  • PCO 7949: Internship in Counseling Psychology – Full-time or equivalent work in a university or community agency where counseling functions are carried out under supervision. Open only to students in the counseling psychology program.
  • PPE 6059: Seminar in Personality – Personality development and dynamics.
  • PPE 6308: Research Methods II – Theoretical, methodological, and procedural aspects of research in social-personality. Emphasis on issues encountered in the design and analysis of experiments.
  • PSB 5445: Drug Use and Abuse – Objective, informational approach to the commonly used and abused drugs. Psychological, physiological, social, medical, legal, and historical aspects.
  • PSB 5935: Seminar in Physiological Psychology – Selected topics in behavioral neuroscience.
  • PSB 6082: Neuroethology – Focuses on cellular mechanisms underlying fundamental aspects of behavior, including the production and coordination of movement, sensory processing and sensorimotor integration. Electrophysiological studies of invertebrate and simple vertebrate behaviors.
  • PSB 6087: Advanced Physiological Psychology – Thorough review of basic concepts in physiological psychology, advanced concepts including methodology and recent progress in selected areas of neuroscience and psychobiology.
  • PSB 6088L: Behavioral Neurobiology – Behavioral studies involving physiological manipulations and measures, and criticism of the scientific inferences therein.
  • PSB 6099: Survey of Physiological and Comparative Psychology – Empirical and theoretical foundations of physiological and comparative psychology.
  • PSB 7248: Neurobehavioral Relations – Theories and data on the central nervous system basis for higher order function. Emphasis will be on arousal, purposeful behavior, and learning.
  • PSB 7249: Seminar in Neural Mechanisms and Behavior – Recent and specialized topics in brain-behavior relations.
  • PSY 6608: History of Psychology
  • PSY 6905: Individual Work – Reading or research areas in psychology.
  • PSY 6910: Supervised Research
  • PSY 6930: Topics in Psychology
  • PSY 6939: Seminar: The Teaching of Psychology – Examination of general techniques of teaching with emphasis on interpersonal nature of teaching, course planning, textbooks, testing and evaluation, and lecturing within the framework of general introductory psychology course.
  • PSY 6940: Supervised Teaching
  • PSY 6971: Research for Master’s Thesis
  • PSY 7979: Advanced Research – Research for doctoral students before admission to candidacy. Designed for students with a master’s degree in the field of study or for students who have been accepted for a doctoral program.
  • PSY 7980: Research for Doctoral Dissertation
  • SOP 6099: Survey of Social Psychology – Empirical and theoretical foundations of social psychology.
  • SOP 6219C: Advanced Research Techniques in Social – Personality Psychology
  • SOP 6409: Seminar: Current Topics in Social – Personality Psychology
  • SOP 6419: Seminar: Attitudes and Social Cognition – Seminar addressing topics such as attitude change, attribution, social perception, social cognition, etc.
  • SOP 6509: Seminar: Interpersonal Relations and Group Processes – Seminar addressing topics such as impression management, leadership, small group behavior, conflict and accord, and race relations.
  • SOP 6929: Colloquium in Research in Social-Personality Psychology – On-going colloquium series intended for graduate students in social-personality psychology involving the presentation and discussion of research initiatives.