A Ph.D. in Applied Psychology involves the application of science from a wide range of psychology subfields, including industrial/organizational (I-O) psychology, social psychology, cognitive psychology, human factors, health psychology, and program evaluation. Our doctoral curriculum includes two tracks: Applied Social/Industrial-Organizational Psychology and Applied Cognitive Psychology. These tracks offer a number of career opportunities and build of the research of our nationally and internationally-recognized faculty.

• Applied Social/Industrial-Organizational Psychology focuses on societal and organizational/workplace systems and structures that influence individuals, particularly employees, as well as the ways in which individuals impact and influence their organizational/workplace/societal institutions too. 
• Applied Cognitive Psychology focuses on the application of foundational cognitive processes (e.g., attention, sensation, perception, motivation, rationality, decision-making, neurological processes, etc.) to real-world challenges and solutions (e.g., by improving health, improving technology, and improving socio-technical systems such as institutions). 

The Applied Psychology Ph.D. program will require 72 hours of graduate credit. For students who enter the program directly with a baccalaureate degree, this will include a minimum of 40 credit hours of 4000-, 5000-, and 6000-level lecture courses, and a minimum of 30 credit hours of graduate research (the remaining 2 credit hours can either be research credit or curriculum credit as determined by the student’s degree plan). A minimum of 15 lecture credit hours (of the 40 total credit hours) should be completed in 6000-level courses. Students who enter with a master’s degree in a related field can receive up to 30 credits toward the 72-credit requirement. 

• Students in the Applied Social/I-O Psychology Track will complete 34 credits of foundational, core content (core content is tailorable) and methods courses, plus 6 credits of electives.
• Students in the Applied Cognitive Psychology Track will have the same concept of core content and core methods courses (22 credit hours total), plus they will choose an additional concentration (18 credit hours total) to tailor their degree plan. 

The Ph.D. program seeks students who completed a bachelor’s or master’s degree in psychology/psychological science or a related undergraduate or graduate program. Additionally, students with baccalaureate minors and/or certificates in related areas of psychology will be considered.  

• Students who have targeted their baccalaureate or master’s degrees to focus on one of the focal areas of the Ph.D. tracks (i.e., social psychology, industrial-organizational psychology, cognitive psychology, health psychology, neuroscience, human factors) are encouraged to apply, but all areas of psychology and related fields will be considered. 
• Depending on a given student’s previous preparative study, their committee will have the right to determine if additional coursework is necessary for the student to succeed in their chosen track.