Overview

CSUN’s General Experimental Psychology Graduate Program Option provides rigorous training in advanced statistical methods, research methods and design, and theory in psychology for students who plan to pursue a Ph.D. in Psychology in a research-focused program. The Program Option is comprised of faculty who are active researchers in their fields, and who are dedicated to training and mentoring students who plan to pursue academic and/or research careers in an array of basic and applied areas of psychology. The application requires applicants to indicate which faculty they would be interested in working with as their Thesis Research Advisor. A faculty member in the General Experimental Program Option must agree to accept a student into their research lab before the Department can accept a student into the Program Option even if the applicant meets all of the other admission requirements. It is therefore advised that applicants review faculty research interests prior to submitting an application.

Program Requirements

A. Procedures and Requirements for Admission:

For Fall admission, the Department deadlines for applications are:

General Experimental Psychology: March 1

In addition to University admission requirements, the Psychology Department requires:

1. Submission of a Psychology Department Graduate Program Application (available from the Psychology Graduate Office or www.csun.edu/psychology) to be submitted to the Psychology Graduate Office by the above deadlines;
2. Transcripts;
3. Letters of recommendation; and
4. GRE scores.

Note: General Experimental Psychology requires consent of a faculty member to serve as research advisor for admission.

Early application, careful study of the Department of Psychology Graduate Handbook and of the University Catalog, and consultation with the graduate advisor of the Graduate Program Option of interest are strongly recommended.

B. Classified Admission and Conditionally Classified Admission:

Participation in any of the Graduate Programs offered by the Department of Psychology is limited to Classified and Conditionally Classified graduate students. Conditionally Classified admission, used sparingly by the Department, is for students who have met all requirements for admission to the Graduate Program except for completion of a course or examination. The Department specifies the conditions to be fulfilled before Classified standing is awarded. Normally, these conditions must be met within the first semester of graduate training.

C. For Admission to Classified Graduate Status

1. Admission to any of the four Graduate Program Options, except as noted in the Department of Psychology Graduate Handbook, generally requires an Undergraduate Degree in Psychology. Applicants who do not have a Degree in Psychology are required to complete certain undergraduate courses prior to acceptance to Classified status. Those who do not have a Degree in Psychology should study the Graduate Handbook and consult with the appropriate Graduate Option Program Coordinator about these requirements.
2. A GPA of 3.0 is required except on approval by the Graduate Committee of the Program Option to which admission is sought. Enrollment is limited. It is not possible to admit all of the qualified students who apply.
3. Completion of the General Test and the Advanced Psychology Test of the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) is required, with satisfactory scores as prescribed by the Graduate Committee of the Option in which Degree work is to be taken. In certain Options, persons with appropriate undergraduate preparation may request waiver of the requirement for the Advanced Psychology Test.
4. Personal interview, prior experience in applied work and satisfactory letters of recommendation are required by some programs. Consult the Department of Psychology Graduate Handbook for more information.
5. General University requirements also must be met. Carefully consult other sections of this catalog for details. These requirements include passing the Upper Division Writing Proficiency Exam (UDWPE) with a score of 8 or higher.

D. Program Requirements

1. Prerequisite

PSY 420/L Advanced Statistical Methods and Lab (3/1)
or PSY 485US/S Advanced Inquiry in Research and Analysis Methods and Seminar: Univariate Statistics (3/2)

2. Required Courses (23 units)

Professional Development/Research Internship (6 units)

PSY 500 Seminar in Professional Development (3-3)

Advanced Statistical Methods/Lab (8 units minimum)

Select a minimum of 8 units from the following:

PSY 520/L Multivariate Statistical Methods and Lab (3/1)
PSY 524/L Multivariate Analysis Computer and Lab (3/1)
PSY 534/S Latent Variable Analysis and Seminar (3/2)

Advanced Research Methods (3 units)

Select 3 units from the following:

PSY 514 Advanced Experimental Psychology (3)
PSY 692A Seminar in Research Methodology (3)

Advanced Psychological Theory (6 units)

Select a minimum of 6 units from the following:

PSY 512 Seminar in Developmental Psychology (3)
or PSY 612 Advanced Developmental Psychology (3)
PSY 525 Advanced Psychological Testing (3)
PSY 540 Seminar in Social Psychology (3)
or PSY 640 Advanced Social Psychology I (3)
PSY 591A Seminar in Cognitive Psychology (3)
or PSY 691A Advanced Cognitive Psychology (3)
PSY 591B Seminar in Emotion and Motivation (3)
or PSY 691B Advanced Emotion and Motivation (3)
PSY 690A Advanced Sensation and Perception (3)
PSY 690B Advanced Conditioning and Learning (3)

3. Electives (6 units)

Students must take a minimum of 6 academic elective units at the 400-, 500- or 600-level. Courses at the 400-level must be preapproved by the student’s graduate advisor prior to enrollment.

4. Thesis (6 Units)

PSY 696 Directed Graduate Research (3)
PSY 698C Thesis or Graduate Project (3)

Students are required to complete a Master’s-level Thesis or Project as part of their Degree requirements. Specific Thesis formatting information and thesis deadlines are found in the Office of Graduate Studies, located in University Hall, Room 265.

Final Oral Examination

This examination is based primarily on the thesis and is scheduled 2 weeks after the final version of the Thesis is presented to the student’s Graduate Committee.

Total time allowed for completion of the Program is 7 years from the date of acceptance. Students who intend to interrupt their Program are required to notify the Department in writing to request prior approval. Those who fail to meet these requirements or who fail to maintain a GPA of 3.0 or greater are subject to being dropped from the program.

Total Minimum Units Required for the M.A. Degree, General Experimental Psychology: 35