Graduate Program Overview
The School of Psychology trains researchers for employment in academic, industrial, and government settings and awards doctorate (PhD) degrees in four programs:
Engineering psychology focuses on understanding the capabilities and limitations of human performance from the perspective of perception, cognition, and movement control and applying this knowledge to the design of systems and environments that accommodate those capabilities and limitations. To see Engineering psychology - research.
Experimental psychology at Georgia Tech is the scientific study of the basic processes of behavior, with a quantitative emphasis. Faculty in the Experimental area does research in a wide range of topics. Specific sub-areas are animal/behavioral psychology, cognitive aging, and cognitive psychology. To see Experimental psychology - research.
Industrial/Organizational psychology (I/O): The I/O program concentrates on research related to the psychology of work and the workplace. Students develop specialized I/O knowledge, skills, and experiences through an individually tailored program of seminars, elective courses, participation in laboratory and field-based research projects, and training in local organizations. To see Industrial/Organizational psychology - research.
Quantitative psychology: The Quantitative Psychology Program emphasizes the interface between quantitative methods and psychological issues. Graduates will be trained as quantitative specialists, with a substantial background in psychology. The exact focus of the student’s studies depends on the current interests of the faculty and the student. Current faculty interests and course offerings include psychometric methods, item response theory, structural equation modeling, multivariate statistics, factor analysis and multilevel modeling as well as many other topics in psychological methods and statistics. To see Quantitative psychology - research.
The School of Psychology does not admit students for a terminal masters program. Rather, all students are admitted with the expectation of pursuing a doctoral degree in psychology. However, many of the faculty participate in the masters program in Human-Computer Interaction offered by the College of Computing.
Graduate Curriculum
The graduate curriculum in all four programs share a core curriculum in general psychology and quantitative methods. Most students require three calendar years to complete course requirements and thesis for the master's degree. The doctoral program consists of additional coursework, programs of individual study, and research culminating in the dissertation. Most students entering the program with a bachelor's degree require at least five years to complete a doctoral degree.
Alumni of the graduate program
Graduates of the psychology program at Georgia Tech are employed at universities and companies across the United States and abroad.
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We also know that sometimes the best way to get a real "feel" for a school or program is to go directly to the experts - the graduate students. So if you have a specific question about a program area, contact any student in that area.
Graduate Students