Predoctoral Interdisciplinary Research Training Program

About our Graduate Students

Course listing

Funding

Frequently Asked Questions

Psychology Programs in other Departments/Colleges

Teaching Opportunities

The present-day Department of Psychology at Florida State University is organized into five doctoral programs that reflect the mainstream emphases in the field. The programs are in Clinical Psychology (the study of determinants of pathological behavior in children and adults with emphasis on biological, cognitive and environmental factors), Cognitive Psychology (the study of how humans process complex information received by the senses), Developmental Psychology (the study of physical, cognitive and social change throughout the life span), Neuroscience (the study of the biological bases of behavior), and Social Psychology (the study of how we think about, influence, and relate to one another).

The primary goal of doctoral study in Psychology at Florida State University is to produce scholar-researchers with sufficient breadth and depth to permit successful independent and significant research. While major emphasis is given to the preparation for research, an organized and concerted effort is also made to give students the necessary background for teaching, applications of psychological science, or any combination of these fields. In these endeavors only students whose intentions are to achieve the doctoral degree during full-time study are accepted to the graduate programs. Students may receive the master's degree at an appropriate stage in their education, but this is regarded as incidental to the Ph.D. program to which they are admitted.

Research training in all doctoral programs begins in the first year with a research apprenticeship in a supervising professor's laboratory or research setting. Each student works closely with a faculty member who is conducting research in an area of interest to the student. This collaborative work typically evolves into a master's thesis during the second year for students who seek this degree. Research training continues throughout the student's graduate education, culminating in a doctoral dissertation. The continued opportunity to associate with, and participate in, research is regarded as an activity of central professional and educational importance. Students are highly successful in publishing their research in refereed journals and presenting their work at national conferences. Recent student publications and presentations, as well as recent thesis and dissertation titles, may be viewed on this website.

The general requirements of the department and of the Graduate School are kept to a minimum in order to encourage students to be educated in accordance with their own interests and career goals. The basic requirements are: (1) a research apprenticeship, (2) a preliminary doctoral examination, (3) a dissertation research project, and (4) an internship for clinical students. Program areas and students' supervisory committees may establish additional requirements, including specific courses and a master's degree. Students work closely with their supervisory committees to develop an optimum combination of course work, research experience and, when applicable, applied experience to meet their professional goals.
 
To enhance the intellectual atmosphere, the department sponsors a colloquium series. Each program also holds regular meetings and seminars on research and professional issues relevant to their areas.

About Our Graduate Students

The department attracts a bright, motivated and diverse student body. Across the five doctoral programs, approximately 26 graduate students are admitted each year out of approximately 350 applicants. Currently the department has close to 100 doctoral students. Recent classes have been strongly committed to research and scholarship and have had an average undergraduate GPA of 3.7 and an average combined score of 1250 on the verbal and quantitative sections of the GRE. Over the past five years, the entering class averaged 18% from underrepresented groups, 35% were male, and 3% were international students. Twenty-two percent of these students were from Florida, with the remaining 78% coming from every corner of the USA including California, Washington, Wisconsin, Texas, and Massachusetts. The average age of the most recent entering class was 25, ranging from 21 to 35.

Graduate Student Advisory Committee

The Graduate Student Advisory Committee (GSAC) has been established by the department's by-laws. The committee consists of six elected full-time graduate students in the department, and one elected minority member, at large. Students are elected to one-year terms with an option to serve for a second year if the person desires. The committee elects its own chair on an annual basis.

The committee discusses issues relevant to graduate students and graduate education in the department and serves as an advisory body to the chair and department. The committee meets with the chair at least once in each of the Fall and Spring semesters.

Research Support Facilities

The Department of Psychology has extensive research and computing facilities available to faculty, staff, graduate and undergraduate students:

Computing Resources
Electronics Shop
Instrument Shop
Histology Laboratory
Molecular Laboratory
Technical Support Group

Teaching Opportunities

Preparation for teaching is identified among the general goals of graduate education in psychology at FSU. We believe that the teacher training program available to our students is among the very best in the country. Currently directed by Dr. Mark Licht of the Clinical area, this program requires that any student wishing to assume responsibility for teaching an undergraduate lecture course must first complete a two semester-long practicum in teaching psychology. The first semester includes such exercises as extensive analytic observation of teaching by others, didactic instruction in pedagogy, practice lectures with peer and student feedback and coaching, and interviews/discussions with award-winning instructors. The second semester involves preparation of the syllabus, lectures, and other course materials under the supervision of a faculty mentor. Once the student begins teaching, s/he continues to be involved in the practicum so that refinements can be made and learning can be passed on to others. Teaching assistants typically teach General Psychology. Other courses taught by graduate students have included Social Psychology, Approaches to the Study of Behavior (research methods) and Abnormal Child Psychology.

Graduate student teaching assistants also teach one-credit laboratory courses in Approaches to the Study of Behavior, Cognitive Psychology, Conditioning and Learning, Physiological Psychology and Sensation and Perception. Each laboratory section is linked with a corresponding lecture course. Teaching assistants prepare to teach a laboratory course by observing a section of that particular laboratory for a semester prior to teaching.

Our teaching assistants do an outstanding job and many have won university-wide awards for excellence in teaching.

Teaching assistants may participate in Preparing Future Faculty, a nationally-based program designed to prepare students for the full range of faculty roles subsumed by the terms of teaching, research, and service. Participants observe and experience how these responsibilities can be carried out at academic institutions with varying missions and diverse student bodies.

The department annually awards a scholarship in the name of Joseph H. Grosslight, a former chairperson, to recognize and encourage excellence in undergraduate teaching. The department provides funding for the recipient of the scholarship to attend a regional or national teaching conference.

The university provides exceptional resources to enhance the quality of teaching at FSU. Online resources may be viewed at http://learningforlife.fsu.edu/online/index.cfm. In addition, workshops are presented on a regular basis. Instructors can obtain assistance in designing and delivering courses, assessing student performance, and integrating technology into the classroom.

University Information

FSU Graduate Student Information

FSU New Graduate Student Checklist

FSU Black Graduate Student Orientation Program

FSU Graduate Bulletin

FSU Graduate Student Handbook

FSyou! Students First

Online Registration for Classes

Current Graduate Student Resources:

Departmental Resources/Forms

Graduate Program Guidelines

Clinical Guidelines

Thesis Defense Forms & Resources

Prelim Exam Forms & Resources

Dissertation Forms & Resources

Program Curriculum Checklists

Faculty holding Graduate Faculty Status

Course Waiver Memo

Graduate Courses 2009-2010

 
 

University Resources

Blackboard Access

Blackboard User Manual

Computing and Networking Services

Computer User Services

Congress of Graduate Students

Student Mental Health and Health Related Services

Financial Aid

FSU Black Graduate Student Association

FSU Student Housing

International Center

Office of Admissions

Office of Graduate Studies

Office of Multicultural Affairs

Registrar's Office

Student Disability Resources

Student Rights and Responsibilities

Psychology Programs in other Departments/Colleges

Counseling Psychology

School Psychology

Sports Psychology

Marriage & Family Therapy