Doctor of Philososphy [Ph.D] [Psychology] From University of Iowa

The Doctor of Philosophy program in psychology requires a minimum of 72 s.h. of graduate credit. Students entering without previous graduate work usually require at least four years to complete the program; those entering with previous graduate training usually require three to five additional years in the department, depending on the nature of the earlier preparation.

The Ph.D. program places strong emphasis on preparation for research, teaching, and scholarly endeavor, whether in academic settings or in industrial, governmental, or medical institutions. The intent is to produce graduates who are deeply committed to the study of psychology, familiar with fundamental knowledge about psychological processes, well-trained in the methods and techniques for careful investigation of basic and applied problems, and determined to make contributions to the discipline of psychology and to society.

Graduate training is organized in six broad areas: behavioral and cognitive neuroscience, clinical psychology, cognition and perception, developmental science, health psychology, and social psychology (see "Graduate Training Areas" below). Entering students are expected to identify one of these as their primary area and to follow a program that develops thorough understanding of the substantive material and methods of investigation central to that subdiscipline. While pursuing specialty training, all students must meet course requirements in statistics and research methods and in content areas other than their primary one.