Nov 25, 2024  
2009-2011 Graduate Catalog 
    
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2009-2011 Graduate Catalog ARCHIVED CATALOG: CONTENT MAY NOT BE CURRENT. USE THE DROP DOWN ABOVE TO ACCESS THE CURRENT CATALOG.

Psychology Ph.D.
 
The Graduate Faculty of the Department of Psychology is comprised of a group of dedicated individuals who have received their training at outstanding graduate programs. We continue to recruit accomplished scholars who will enhance the quality and diversity of the graduate experience available to our students. The department is committed to providing our graduate students with a high quality program balanced across classroom, laboratories, and other research settings; and for clinical students, various practicum placements.The department currently offers M.A. and Ph.D. degrees through the Clinical and Experimental Psychology programs.

 

Doctoral Program in Clinical Psychology

The UNLV Clinical Psychology Doctoral Program prepares students to address human concerns through both scholarly research and the application of psychological knowledge and skills. We recognize psychology as an empirical science and expect students to have a broad understanding of existing psychological knowledge. We guide students to base their scholarly and professional activity on the scientific foundation of psychology. Through an integration of didactic study, supervised clinical activity, and mentored scholarly research, we prepare students as generalist scientist-practitioners to conduct scientific research and clinical interventions with children and adults.

The program is fully accredited by the American Psychological Association. The Clinical Psychology program currently admits only students seeking a doctoral degree. The program admits students for matriculation only in the fall semester. The application deadline is January 2 prior to the fall for which matriculation is being requested. Applicants will be notified of their status prior to December 15. We anticipate entering classes of 5-8 students each year. Typical admitted students have GPAs of 3.7 and GRE scores of 600 (see http://psychology.unlv.edu for more information).

Admission Requirements

  1. A bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution or a master’s degree or equivalent from an accredited institution. We strongly recommend that applicants have a degree in psychology. Applicants should have completed at least 18 hours of undergraduate psychology courses including statistics, abnormal psychology, and experimental psychology.
  2. Satisfactory scores on the Verbal, Quantitative, and Advanced Psychology sections of the Graduate Record Exam (GRE).
  3. Three letters of recommendation.
  4. A statement of purpose written by the applicant.
  5. A personal interview with members of the program faculty is required for finalists in the selection process.

We will notify applicants if they are finalists in February under most circumstances. If a personal interview is not feasible, a telephone interview may be substituted. In unusual circumstances, students who do not meet these admission requirements may be admitted.

Degree Requirements: Clinical Psychology

The doctoral degree in clinical psychology requires a minimum of 96 credits. En route to doctoral candidacy the student must complete the requirements for a master’s degree in psychology according to the following:

Master’s Degree:  48 Total Credit Hours

          
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  (required credits: 6)
  (required credits: 6)

Doctoral Degree:  48 Total Credit Hours

A master’s degree in psychology equivalent to the above and the following 48 credits:

  (required credits: 12)

  (required credits: 12)
The dissertation must be orally proposed and defended.

 

Psychology Electives Credits: 6
Biological aspects of behavior Credits: 3*
Cognitive and affective aspects of behavior Credits: 3*
Social aspects of behavior Credits: 3*
Human development Credits: 3*

Note:  *Courses must be chosen from approved list in the Student Handbook or be approved by petition of the Clinical Program Committee.

Comprehensive Examination

The Comprehensive examination for the doctoral program will consist of an examination administered once each year. Students may take the exam after they have completed 66 credits and the Master’s thesis.

Other Requirements

Electives consist of any 700-level psychology course. 700-level courses offered by other departments may fulfill the elective requirement with approval of the student’s advisor and the Clinical Program Committee.

Students must obtain a grade of B- or better in each course taken for that course to count toward the degree. One grade below a B- (i.e. C+ or lower) will result in probation. Once on probation for receiving a grade below a B-, a second grade (in the same or different classes) below a B-, will result in immediate separation from the program. If a student re-takes a course in which s/he received a grade lower than a B- (i.e. C+ or lower) and earns a B- or better, s/he will be removed from probation. A student may only be on academic probation twice during their graduate career in Psychology; a third probation will result in separation from the program. No student shall be allowed more than two simultaneous grades of incomplete, except in the case of a documented and approved medical leave.

Students must conform to all policies of the UNLV Graduate College, as stated in the UNLV Graduate Catalog, those stated in the UNLV Clinical Psychology Doctoral Program Student Handbook, and the American Psychological Association Code of Ethics. Students will be evaluated at least yearly in the following five areas: (1) academic performance; (2) scholarly research activity; (3) clinical knowledge and skill; (4) ethical behavior and professional conduct; and (5) assistantship performance, if applicable. Inadequate performance in one or more of the five areas of functioning may result in the imposition of additional requirements, loss of Graduate Assistantship, probation, or separation from the program.

Transfer Credits

Admitted clinical students may waive credits or transfer credits from graduate studies in other programs contingent upon departmental approval and in accordance with Graduate College policy.

Doctoral Program in Experimental Psychology

The UNLV Experimental Psychology Doctoral Program trains research psychologists for employment in academic and nonacademic settings. The objective is to produce graduates who will be prepared for a variety of research settings, with a strong emphasis on statistical and methodological skills that can be applied to real world problems. This is a mentored program. Each admitted student will work directly with a specific faculty member who will oversee his/her training. The Experimental Psychology program currently admits only students seeking a doctoral degree. The program admits students for matriculation only in the fall semester. The application deadline is January 15 before the fall for which matriculation is being requested. Review of completed applications will continue until all positions are filled. Applicants are encouraged to submit their materials as early as possible.

Admission Requirements

  1. A bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution with a minimum GPA of 3.20 (A = 4.00) or a master’s degree or equivalent from an accredited institution with a minimum GPA of 3.50. Applicants with a bachelor’s degree must have completed at least 18 hours in undergraduate psychology courses including Statistics and Research Methods or their equivalents.
  2. Satisfactory scores on the Verbal and Quantitativesections of the Graduate Record Examination (GRE).
  3. Three letters of recommendation.
  4. A statement of purpose written by the applicant.
  5. Admission to the program will be based on a mentoring model. Students under serious consideration for admission to the Experimental Program are required to have a personal interview with the sponsoring faculty member and at least two other program faculty members. If a personal interview is not financially or pragmatically feasible, a telephone interview may be substituted.

Note: Strong applicants who fail to meet one of the Experimental Program admission requirements may still be considered for admission.

Degree Requirements: Experimental Psychology

Master’s Degree: 33 Total Credit Hours

As a milestone en route to doctoral candidacy, the student must fulfill the following requirements. Upon satisfactory completion of these requirements, a master’s degree shall be awarded. A minimum of 33 credits in graduate psychology that include the following:

General Emphasis

 

 

 

 

  (6 credits). Course is repeated each semester during the first two years of study.

  (minimum 2 semesters, 6 credits). The thesis must be orally proposed and defended.

Two of the following courses (6 credits)

 

 

 

 

Three (3) Elective Credits

Cognitive Emphasis

 

 

 

 *

 *

*Students lacking sufficient background in cognition will also take PSY 703: Cognitive Psychology prior to taking these core courses.

 

  (6 credits). Course is repeated each semester during the first two years of study.  

 

  (minimum 2 semesters, 6 credits). The thesis must be orally proposed and defended.

Three (3) Elective Credits

Neuroscience Emphasis

 

 

 

 *

 *

*Students lacking sufficient background in Neuroscience will also take PSY 701: Biological Bases of Behavior prior to taking these core courses.

 

  (6 credits). Course is repeated each semester during the first two years of study

  (minimum 2 semesters, 6 credits). The thesis must be orally proposed and defended.

Three (3) Elective Credits

Developmental Emphasis

 

 

 

  (6 credits) Students are to repeat the course within consecutive semesters.

 

 

  (minimum 2 semesters, 6 credits). The thesis must be orally proposed and defended.

 

Three (3) Elective Credits

Doctoral Degree: 39 Total Credit Hours

In addition to a master’s degree in psychology equivalent to the one previously described, a minimum of 39 semester hours in graduate psychology is required for the doctoral degree. Required courses for the General, Cognitive, Neuroscience and Developmental Emphases differ somewhat. In each emphasis, the doctoral student will be required to complete a Qualifying Paper before proposing a Dissertation. This paper must present an extensive review of a topic within experimental psychology. When completed, the student presents the paper to her/his committee, and an open discussion and question-answer session follow. 

General Emphasis

Two of the following courses that have not been applied to the student’s master’s degree (6 credits):

 
 
 
 

Psychology Electives (21 credits)
Electives consist of 700-level psychology courses. 700-level courses offered by other departments can fulfill the elective requirement with prior approval of the student’s advisor. 600-level courses offered by other departments require prior approval of the student’s advisor and concurrence by the Experimental Program Director.

Two electives that are typically taken by students are:

 
 

  (minimum four semesters which can include summers, 12 credits). The dissertation must be orally proposed and defended.

Cognitive Emphasis

Two of the following cognitive seminar courses (6 credits):

 
 
 

Psychology Electives (21 credits)
Electives consist of 700-level psychology courses. 700-level courses offered by other departments can fulfill the elective requirement with prior approval of the student’s advisor. 600-level courses offered by other departments require prior approval of the student’s advisor and concurrence by the Experimental Program Director.

Two electives that are typically taken by students are:

 
 

  (minimum four semesters which can include summers, 12 credits). The dissertation must be orally proposed and defended.

Neuroscience Emphasis

Psychology Electives (27 credits)
Electives consist of 700-level psychology courses. 700-level courses offered by other departments can fulfill the elective requirement with prior approval of the student’s advisor. 600-level courses offered by other departments require prior approval of the student’s advisor and concurrence by the Experimental Program Director. Two electives that are typically taken by students are:

Two electives that are typically taken by students are:

 
 

  (minimum four semesters which can include summers, 12 credits). The dissertation must be orally proposed and defended.

Developmental Emphasis 

Three developmental seminar courses (9 credits):

 

Two of the following courses that have not been applied to the student’s master’s degree (6 credits):

 ,   or  
  or  
 

Psychology Electives (12 credits)
Electives consist of 700-level psychology courses. 700-level courses offered by other departments can fulfill the elective requirement with prior approval of the student’s advisor. 600-level courses offered by other departments require prior approval of the student’s advisor and concurrence by the Experimental Program Director.

Two electives that are typically taken by students are:

 
 

  (minimum four semesters which can include summers, 12 credits). The dissertation must be orally proposed and defended.