GRADUATE PROGRAM |
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Graduate Program Overview
The School of Psychology trains researchers for employment in academic, industrial, and government settings and awards doctorate (PhD) degrees in five programs:
Cognition and Brain Science. The Cognitive and Brain Science specialty area for the Psychology Ph.D. program trains students to develop a thorough understanding of diverse aspects of cognition. Students learn about theories of cognitive phenomena and about the neurobiological bases of cognition and behavior. Students study the major methods used to measure various components of cognition. These components include attention, sensation and perception, working memory, episodic memory, cognitive control, language, metacognition, spatial cognition, and problem solving. Faculty research interests include these areas of cognition as they exist in humans, as well as aspects of comparative psychology (animal behavior and cognition). Some faculty members’ research interests include human cognitive neuroscience, measuring brain activity during cognition with electrophysiological or imaging techniques in persons with or without neurological dysfunction. The program is closely connected to faculty with interests in the Cognitive Aging program, including an emphasis on understanding effects of aging on cognitive mechanisms and how aging influences neural functioning and cognition.
Cognitive Aging. The Cognitive Aging specialty area in the Psychology Ph.D. program emphasizes training students about cognition in adulthood. Students gain an understanding of the biological, psychological, and social aspects of aging as they relate to cognitive development over the adult life span. Areas of interest of the faculty include age differences and age changes in basic cognitive mechanisms (such as working memory, episodic memory, attention, speed of processing, and language), higher-order cognition (including adult intellectual development), and practical and contextual aspects of cognition (such as knowledge acquisition, skill development, everyday problem solving, metacognition, emotion regulation, and social cognition). The program is closely connected to faculty with interests in human factors and aging (in the Engineering Psychology program), cognitive neuroscience of aging (in the Cognitive and Brain Sciences program), and aging issues in work and careers (in the Industrial/Organizational Psychology program).
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.
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 five 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.
For more information
- Visit the Graduate Student Handbook
- Look into the Frequently Asked Questions section
- Contact the
Ask a graduate student
While we tried to anticipate all your questions when designing this home page, we realize we may have left some things out that are important to you in making your decision to attend Georgia Tech.
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.
