Departments & Programs
Department of Psychology
Graduate Programs
The department offers Purdue University Master of Science (M.S.) and Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) degree programs and one Indiana University Ph.D. degree program. At the M.S. level, a program is offered in industrial/organizational psychology. At the Ph.D. level, programs are offered in addiction neuroscience, applied social and organizational psychology and clinical psychology.M.S. Program
Industrial/Organizational Psychology
The Industrial/Organizational Psychology M.S. program is designed to prepare individuals for positions in industry or for entry into an industrial/ organizational doctoral program. Students are familiarized with the scientist-practitioner model, which emphasizes both research and the application of problem-solving skills to organizational problems. Students in the Program are taught analytic methods for diagnosing work-related problems, developing solutions, and evaluating the effectiveness of those solutions. The curriculum focuses on both the traditional personnel psychology areas of selection, training, compensation, and performance evaluation as well as topics of organizational psychology such as decision-making, motivation, leadership, and organizational effectiveness. The M.S. degree must be completed on a full-time basis and normally takes two years to finish. A minimum of 30 credit hours is required including departmental core, area core, and elective courses.
Ph.D. Programs
Addiction Neuroscience
The Addiction Neuroscience Ph.D. program is designed to promote a comprehensive understanding of the neurobiological bases of behavior, with an emphasis on the behavioral and neurobiological aspects of drugs of abuse and addictive behaviors. General goals of the Program are to develop knowledge and expertise in the neurobiological mechanisms of behavior, develop skills in applying methods of behavioral neuroscience research to the problems of alcohol and drug abuse and addiction, and train competence in communication and teaching of knowledge and research skills. Students will obtain broad training in the combined disciplines of the neurosciences (e.g., behavioral and developmental neuroscience, psychopharmacology, and neurobiology) and the behavioral sciences (e.g., experimental psychology, cognitive psychology, learning, experimental design and analysis, and animal models of drug abuse and addiction). A minimum of 85 credit hours (post-baccalaureate) are required, plus approval of the plan of study by the student’s advisory committee. The Program intends to train students seeking careers in teaching and/or research in academic environments, medical institutions, pharmaceutical firms, and governmental agencies.
Applied Social and Organizational Psychology
The Applied Social and Organizational Psychology (ASOP) Ph.D. program subscribes to the scientist-practitioner model and is designed to train researchers and practitioners to address societal and organizational issues using theories and methods from social and industrial/organizational (I/O) psychology. Graduates will be prepared for the unique challenges associated with today's increasingly global and diverse workplace through the infusion of diversity throughout our curriculum as well as an innovative concentration in Diversity Science. Diversity Science utilizes social science methods to examine the creation and maintenance of group differences as well as the consequences (e.g., psychological, organizational, and societal) of those differences. The ASOP curriculum integrates aspects of social and I/O psychology, including attitudes and social cognitive processes, staffing and development, and organizational issues at the micro, meso, and macro levels, with a heavy emphasis on quantitative methods and supervised research. As an Indiana University degree program, students must also complete a 12-14 credit hour minor (e.g., in Mixed Methods in Data Analytics for Social/Behavioral Sciences or a customized minor as approved by faculty committee). Graduates will be prepared for faculty positions in Social or I/O Psychology or related sub-disciplines of Psychology or Management. In addition, they will be prepared for management, consulting, diversity specialist, or research positions in profit, not-for-profit, or governmental agencies. The program is full-time, requires a minimum of 91 credit hours, and is expected to take approximately five years to complete.
Clinical Psychology
The Clinical Psychology Ph.D. program is designed to integrate the assessment and intervention strategies of empirically-based clinical psychology with health/rehabilitation psychology's emphasis on optimizing the adaption of people with chronic, disabling medical conditions. The Program addresses the psychological and social consequences of physical and mental conditions. As scientists, we study behaviors, experiences, and attitudes of people with chronic physical and/or mental health conditions and their families, and evaluate the effectiveness of treatment interventions. The Program emphasizes the acquisition of the methods, theories, and knowledge of behavioral science along with the practitioner skills of clinical psychology. As practitioners, we assess individuals and their environment, plan and implement psychosocial interventions, and monitor their progress over time. The Program focuses on a wide variety of social, psychological, and practical problems, such as social functioning, emotional well-being, family relationships, activities of daily living, employment, and independent living. As a Program, we offer specialization training in three areas within clinical psychology: clinical health psychology, severe mental illness/psychiatric rehabilitation or substance use. Within these areas, there is a strong emphasis on research. The range of populations subsumed is broad and includes such populations as people with severe and persistent mental illness, cardiovascular disease, chronic pain, cancer, and substance use disorders.
The Program adheres to a clinical science model of training. As such, students seeking strong research training in conjunction with clinical training with an emphasis in clinical health psychology, severe mental illness/psychiatric rehabilitation, or substance use would be the best fits for this program.
Graduates of the Program will be qualified to assume positions as academicians, evaluators, researchers, trainers, planners, consultants, and direct clinical service providers. The Program emphasizes rigorous academic training, which is combined with practical application in a wide variety of clinical settings in Indianapolis and elsewhere. Full-time study and a minimum of 90 credit hours (post-baccalaureate) are required, and it is expected that it will take five to six years to complete the Program. The Program includes a diverse training in psychology, including a psychology core, statistics and measurement, clinical psychology, internships and practica, and an empirical thesis and doctoral dissertation. Clinical specialty courses in Health Psychology, Substance Use, and Psychiatric Rehabilitation are offered. A course in ethics is also required.
Financial Support
Financial support for eligible graduate students at both the M.S. and Ph.D. levels is available through teaching and research assistantships, tuition stipends, and fellowships. Full assistantships require a minimum of 20 hours of work per week and include at least partial tuition remission in addition to salary.
Admission Requirements
Industrial/Organizational Psychology
Undergraduate training in psychology, mathematics, and the sciences is highly desirable though not required; we will consider applicants with bachelor's degrees in similar areas with coursework in social science statistics and research methods. To be competitive, applicants should have (a) an undergraduate (and graduate if applicable) grade point average of 3.00 or higher on a 4.00 scale, (b) three favorable letters of recommendation, ideally from faculty or others who can speak to the applicant's preparation for graduate level work in psychology, (c) a personal statement expressing an interest in industrial/organizational psychology, and (d) relevant research experience, preferably in psychology or a related social science.
Addiction Neuroscience
This Ph.D. Program is designed for individuals interested in academic or research careers studying addiction neuroscience. Successful applicants typically have (a) an undergraduate and graduate grade point average of 3.20 or higher on a 4.00 scale, (b) three favorable letters of recommendation, and (c) a personal statement expressing an interest in addiction neuroscience. Students with undergraduate degrees in psychology or the life sciences (e.g., biology, chemistry, neuroscience) are encouraged to apply, although other degrees along with appropriate course work will be given full consideration on application.
Applied Social and Organizational Psychology
A bachelor's degree in psychology is highly desirable, but we will consider applicants with bachelor's or graduate degrees in similar areas with coursework in social science statistics and research methods. To be competitive, applicants should have (a) an undergraduate (and graduate, if applicable) grade point average of 3.20 or higher on a 4.00 scale, (b) three favorable letters of recommendation, ideally from faculty or others who can speak to the applicant's preparation for graduate level work in psychology, (c) a personal statement expressing an interest in applied social and organizational psychology, and (d) relevant research experience, preferably in psychology or a related social science.
Clinical Psychology
Undergraduate training in psychology, mathematics, and the physical sciences is highly desirable, though not required.
Except in unusual circumstances, students admitted to the Program are expected to have completed at least 15 credit hours in psychology.
Although there are no specific undergraduate course prerequisites for Program entry, students without coursework in the following areas will likely be at a disadvantage when taking some of the required courses and may be asked by their instructors to complete some remedial activity prior to enrolling in the graduate course (e.g., reading an undergraduate text or taking an undergraduate course):
- Test and Measurement
- Statistics
- Abnormal Psychology
The Ph.D. Program seeks talented and motivated people who have an interest in clinical health psychology, severe mental illness/psychiatric rehabilitation, or substance use and who have the potential to make creative contributions as clinical psychologists. Admission to the Ph.D. Program is competitive and only under unusual circumstances will students be considered for admission if they fail to meet the following minimum standards: (a) an undergraduate and graduate grade point average of 3.20 or higher on a 4.00 scale, (b) competitive GRE scores, (c) three favorable letters of recommendation, and (d) a personal statement expressing an interest in the field of clinical psychology. Prior research experience is recommended, but not required for admission. Scores on the Verbal and Quantitative sections at or above the 50th percentile are recommended to be competitive for admission. The Psychology GRE is recommended, but not required.
Admission Information
Students are admitted only for fall enrollment, and the deadline for receipt of application materials is specific to each graduate program:
- December 1 - Clinical (Ph.D.)
- December 1 - Addiction Neuroscience (Ph.D.)
- December 15 - Applied Social and Organizational Psychology (Ph.D.)
- February 1 - Industrial/Organizational Psychology (M.S.)
Students interested in information about admission to graduate programs in psychology should visit the Psychology Department webpage at https://science.iupui.edu/psychology/ for information on admission requirements and application instructions. Questions may be emailed to the graduate program coordinator at gradpsy@iupui.edu.
Transfer Credit
A maximum of 8 credit hours can be transferred into the M.S. program, and a maximum of 30 credit hours can be transferred into the Ph.D. program. Transfer hours will be accepted only if they are appropriate and judged acceptable by the student’s plan-of-study committee. For full information regarding transfer of credit, please see the Policies and Procedures webpage at: https://bulletins.iu.edu/iu/gradschool/2021-2022/policies/credit.shtml.
Temporary Student Status
A student may enroll in some graduate courses without formal admission into a Psychology graduate program; however, the student must be admitted by the IUPUI Graduate Office into the Graduate Non-Degree Program. No more than 12 hours of credit may be applied to an advanced degree program if an individual is later admitted as a regular graduate student. However, if an application to a regular degree program is approved during the session in which a person is enrolled for the 12th credit hour as a non-degree registrant, then all credits taken before and during that term will be eligible for inclusion in a plan of study for a degree program. For inclusion, the courses must be appropriate to the degree program and acceptable to the department and the graduate school. No course in which a grade of less than B (e.g., B-) has been received will be permitted in a plan of study if the course was taken while the student was enrolled as a non-degree registrant. Non-degree registrants may be required to secure consent from each of the departments in which they would like to register for courses
Research Facilities
The Department of Psychology has extensive laboratory and computer facilities to support faculty and student research. More than 8,000 square feet of laboratory space in the School of Science complex is devoted to psychological research in the areas of clinical psychology, industrial/organizational psychology, and social psychology life span development, and cognition. Separate animal quarters and modern laboratories are also available in the SELB Building to support research in neuroscience. Internship and practicum sites are available at the Indiana University Medical Center and with numerous other organizations in the Indianapolis metropolitan area.
Research Interests of Faculty
Major research interests of faculty include social psychology, industrial/organizational psychology, diversity psychology, measurement theory and development, program planning and evaluation, clinical psychology, health psychology, psychiatric rehabilitation, psychopathology, behavioral and psychopharmacology, developmental neuroscience, behavioral genetics, neurochemistry, animal cognition, and substance use/addiction. A more detailed listing of faculty research interests is available from the department.
