Programs by Campus

Bloomington

Psychological and Brain Sciences
College of Arts and Sciences

Departmental URL: www.psych.indiana.edu

Departmental E-mail: psych [at] indiana [dot] edu

Curriculum

Curriculum
Courses
Faculty

Special Departmental Requirements

(See also general University Graduate School requirements.)

Admission Requirements

Recommended Undergraduate Background: To prepare for graduate work in psychological and brain sciences at Indiana University, students should have a general background in psy­chology consisting of approximately 20 credit hours in psychol­ogy, including laboratory work in psychology and statistics. Undergraduate course work in mathematics and in the biologi­cal and/or physical sciences is desirable. While it is expected that students will have a substantial background in psychology, students with backgrounds in other areas, for example, biology or mathematics, will be considered for admission on an equal basis with those students who have majored in psychology.

Grades

An average of at least a B+ (3.3) must be maintained in all course work. No grades below B– (2.7) may be counted toward degree requirements. Students with a GPA below 3.3 or receiving more than one grade below B– (2.7) may be subject to academic probation and dismissal. 

Master of Arts Degree

Normally the department accepts only Ph.D. students, but under unusual circumstances, applicants are considered for a M.A. degree only. Students accepted for a M.A. normally are not provided with financial support by the department. Students completing the M.A. program are not ensured accep­tance into the Ph.D. program and will be evaluated in compari­son with all other applicants to the Ph.D. program. No training program in clinical psychology is offered at the master’s level. 

Course Requirements

A total of 30 credit hours including a core consisting of P553 and P595, and one graduate course in each of four areas of specializa­tion in the department. A GPA of at least 3.3 must be main­tained (see general department guidelines for grades above).

Master’s Thesis

Required. Students must be consistently involved in productive research throughout their course of graduate study. Students who are determined, by their faculty advisory committee, not to be making adequate research progress may be subject to academic probation and dismissal.

Doctor of Philosophy Degree

Research 

To remain in good standing, students must be consistently involved in productive research throughout their course of graduate study. Students are judged on research potential and productivity, as well as on course work. All students are ex­pected to develop research skills appropriate to their programs through a combination of course work, individual study, and experience. One substantial research project must be complet­ed and formally approved by the student’s advisory commit­tee before the end of the third semester. A second substantial research project must be completed and approved by the end of the fifth semester. Student research progress will be evalu­ated annually by the student’s advisory and research commit­tees, which will examine progress on first and second research projects, the dissertation research project, and involvement in other research projects. Students who fail to make adequate research progress at any point may be subject to academic probation and dismissal.

Course Requirements

A total of 90 credit hours, including dissertation. Students must complete the department core courses: P595, P660, P553, and a second statistics course. Also required are course selections from the student’s area of specialization, usually consisting of approximately 12 credit hours from a selection of core courses in a student’s ma­jor area of study. Unless pursuing a double major, the student is also required to complete a minor. In addition, students are expected to complete one graduate course in two areas outside the student’s specialization and minor areas (or outside both majors, in the case of a double major). Up to two additional courses may be specified by the student’s advisory committee at any time before the Qualifying Exam has been successfully passed.  

In addition, students completing the APA approved Program in Clinical Psychology must complete two clinical elective cours­es, at least 6 hours of P690 (practicum training), a one-year internship approved by the clinical science program, and must demonstrate competence in APA specified areas of broad and general training in psychology.

Failure to complete required courses within a timeframe speci­fied by the student’s advisory committee may make a student subject to academic probation and dismissal.

Minor

Doctoral students pursuing a single major may choose to minor outside of the department or to take an in-depth minor within the Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences. If a minor outside the department is elected, the requirements are speci­fied by that unit. An in-depth minor within the department consists of 9 credit hours of graduate course work in an area of psychological and brain sciences other than that of the major. The specific courses making up such a minor must be approved by the student’s advisory committee. Students pursuing a double major are not required to complete a minor (see Gen­eral Requirements section of the Graduate Bulletin).

Other Provision

Before being nominated to candidacy, all students are required to take P660 (as noted under “Course Requirements”) and lead at least one lab section of P211 (under the supervision of the P211 instructor and gathering end of the semester teach­ing evaluations; the graduate student does not need to be the instructor of record for the lab section) or obtain equivalent teaching experience as approved by the Director of Graduate Studies or the department chair.  The competency of the gradu­ate student’s teaching will be evaluated by a faculty member teaching supervisor and if not adequate, the student will be asked to take remedial action, which may include additional training in teaching and an additional teaching assignment.

Qualifying Examination

Written and oral portions of the qualifying exam must be suc­cessfully passed by the beginning of the fifth regular semester of residency. Students with a double major may request one additional year before they take the qualifying examination and must successfully pass the exam by the beginning of the sev­enth regular semester of residency (see General Requirements section of the Graduate Bulletin). Students who do not pass the qualifying exam will be given an opportunity to retake the exam within one semester (i.e., by the end of the fifth semes­ter or for double majors by the end of the seventh semester). Students who do not successfully pass their second attempt at the qualifying examination will be subject to dismissal.

Advisory and Research Committees

Students must identify a major advisor and have an advi­sor throughout the course of their graduate studies. Student must form an advisory committee by the end of their second semester; later in their course of study, students must form a research (dissertation) committee. The student’s committee (advisory or research) shall consult with the student, at least once per year, to help determine the student’s course of gradu­ate study, develop a research program, approve the student’s course selections, and review the student’s progress in all areas (for example, but not limited to: completion of required courses, course grades, adequacy of teaching, and research progress). The student’s committee will determine whether or not the student is making adequate progress in all areas. Should the advisory (or research) committee determine that a student is not making adequate progress in any area, this may be grounds for eliminating a student’s department funding, probation, or dismissal from the program.

Ph.D. Minor in Psychological and Brain Sciences

Doctoral students in other departments may elect psychologi­cal and brain sciences as an outside minor. A minimum of four courses at the graduate level is required. The student must achieve a grade of at least B– in each course and an overall grade point average of at least 3.0. The specific courses must be approved by a faculty advisor who is a faculty member within the Psychological and Brain Sciences department and may include no more than one research course (P895). 

Accreditation Status

The Clinical Science Program in the Department of Psychologi­cal and Brain Sciences at Indiana University has been accred­ited continuously since 1948 by the American Psychological Association Committee on Accreditation. For further informa­tion on the program’s status you may contact: Committee on Accreditation c/o Office of Program Consultation and Accredita­tion Education Directorate American Psychological Association 750 First Street NE Washington, DC 20002-4242, (202) 336-5979 

Academic Bulletins

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