Programs by Campus
Bloomington
Psychological and Brain Sciences
College of Arts and Sciences
Departmental URL: www.psych.indiana.edu
(Please note that when conferring University Graduate School degrees, minors, certificates, and sub-plans, The University Graduate School’s staff use those requirements contained only in The University Graduate School Bulletin.)
Curriculum
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. Students will present this project as a poster at a department research symposium. 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 or a methods course as approved by the advisory committee. Also required are course selections from the student’s area of specialization, usually consisting of approximately 12-24 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 an individualized or external minor as approved by the advisory committe. Occassionally, additional courses may be specified by the student’s advisory committee at any time before the Qualifying Exam has been successfully passed.
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 individualized 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 individualized minor within the department consists of at least 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. The individualized minor must also be approved by the University Graduate School. 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. International students must meet the department's English proficiency requirements before teaching. Please see the Director of Graduate Studies or Academic Services Coordinator for more information.
Qualifying Examination
Written and oral portions of the qualifying exam must be successfully passed by the beginning of the fifth regular semester. 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 (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 dismissed.
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 first year; 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). Following each yearly meeting a written report of the meeting must be filed with the Director of Graduate Studies. 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 (12 credit hours) 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