The Department of Psychology at North Dakota State University is accepting students for the doctoral program in psychology. This program has two tracks of study: Cognitive Neuroscience and Health/Social. The program is designed to produce graduates with strong research skills who will be competitive in the academic job market as well as in public and private applied research settings. The program includes coursework to provide a solid grounding in the content of one's chosen area as well as in research methods and statistics, laboratory experience in an apprenticeship model of research training, and teacher training which culminates in the students' preparation and teaching of their own courses.
Our program is strongly based on a mentorship model of training in which a student is expected to work closely with a specific faculty member in his or her specialty area. All of our faculty are active in research and publication, with productivity comparable to that of the top quartile of doctoral-level psychology programs surveyed by the National Research Council (Research-Doctorate Programs in the United States, 1995).
We expect to accept up to four students a year. We also expect to support most of our students through teaching or research assistantships. Assistantships up to $18,000 a year are available, accompanied by tuition and fee waivers. All assistantships are half-time (20 hours a week) positions. Students accepted into the program with a bachelor's degree should expect to take 4-5 years to complete the Ph.D. Those entering with a master's degree in psychology can expect to take 2-3 years to complete the Ph.D.
Program Requirements: Students must complete at least 90 hours of graduate credit, including those completed for the master's degree. At least 30 hours of graduate credit must be in approved didactic courses. Other requirements include attendance in our graduate seminar and colloquium series, teaching one undergraduate course under the supervision of a faculty member, a major area paper which will serve as the comprehensive exam, and completion of an empirically based doctoral dissertation.
Application Procedures: Application forms can be found in the Graduate Bulletin, which can be obtained from the Graduate School, North Dakota State University, Fargo, ND 58105. Forms can also be obtained at the NDSU Graduate School web page. Applications must include: a completed application form, a statement of what the applicant hopes to learn and accomplish in graduate school, three letters of recommendation, transcripts from previous institutions of higher education, and general GRE scores. Applicants from non-English speaking countries must also report scores from the Test of English as a Foreign Language.
To have the best consideration for support, please apply before February 15. Applications will continue to be considered after this date as space remains available.
NDSU offers the masters degree in clinical psychology. The graduate program at NDSU is distinguished from many other master programs in it's emphasis on providing students with substantial experience in research and clinical activities.
An analysis by Gordon published in Professional Psychology Research and Practice (February, 1990) ranked NDSU as the best masters-level department in the nation in terms of research productivity. Students interested in applying can examine the faculty research programs, publications, and other information about the department on this web site.
Although we realize that not all of our graduates will become researchers, we feel that an understanding of experimental methodology is important regardless of the settings in which one works. Our 14-member faculty provides individualized attention in clinical and research endeavors.
Along with the application form and fee (form and fee information), we require the following: 1) official transcript from all the institutions attended since high school; 2) official scores on the general portion of the GRE. ; and 3) three letters of recommendations from individuals who have knowledge of your potential for graduate study in psychology. Students are admitted to the program only during the fall semester of each year.
To receive full consideration, completed applications should be received by February 15. Applications will continue to be considered after this date as space remains available. We typically accept six to eight students a year.
Application forms may downloaded from the NDSU Graduate School web page.
All applicants are automatically considered for financial assistance. We have been fortunate to be able to support all of our students. Teaching and research assistantships provide a monthly stipend and are accompanied by a tuition wavier.
Our master's program combines firm grounding in research skills with training and supervised practice in clinical behavior therapy skills. The program is suited to people who wish to work in a supervised practice setting immediately after graduation, or students who wish to pursue doctoral study after receiving the M.S. Our behavior therapy orientation stresses the integration of the concepts and procedures of the researcher with the clinical skills of the therapist. An emphasis is placed on the clear specification of problems, treatment and results. Although operant conditioning is an integral part of our program, we are more aligned with social learning and cognitive-behavioral approaches. Experiences and training are available in several sub areas including the following:
Behavioral Medicine/Health PsychologyThe application of behavioral concepts and techniques to prevention, treatment and rehabilitation of health-related problems(e.g., addictions, cancer, eating disorders, headache, hypertension, neuropsychology and pain management).
PsychopathologyBasic research methods are taken from the biological, cognitive, or social psychological sciences and applied to the study of psychological disorders. The purpose is to learn more about the nature of these disorders, including their etiology and course. Students can be involved in research on addictions, anxiety disorders, eating disorders, and depression.
Psychotherapy/InterventionAdult and child behavior therapy with general clinical populations. Specialized training is available through practical and clinical research programs (e.g. services for adult psychiatric patients, victims of rape and child abuse, assessment and treatment of depression).
Clinical students are required to take a variety of clinical courses, courses in basic experimental psychology, and practica. The first year of the program is fairly structured and is intended to provide students with the basic skills and knowledge required of behavioral therapists. The second year of the program is much more flexible and allows the students to individually tailor their training through the selection of practicum placements, elective courses and thesis topics.
Clinical courses consist of a sequence of behavior therapy and behavioral assessment courses, Applied Research Methods, Advanced Psychological Assessment, Advanced Psychopathology, and Child Psychopathology and Therapy. Other specialized seminars are frequently available as electives (i.e. Health Psychology, Behavior Analysis in Developmental Disabilities). Clinical courses are designed to provide a knowledge of the current research literature in various areas and "hands on" experience and training in behavior therapy procedures through lab work and projects.
Core courses in psychology are intended to ensure that our graduates have a strong background in general psychology including, memory, psychobiology, perception, personality, social and developmental psychology. The orientation of the department is distinctly behavioral and empirical. All students also take a one-hour seminar each term. As a part of this course, we bring in nationally-known speakers to present their research and stimulate thinking on current topics.
Practicum training begins immediately in the first term and increases in time, complexity and responsibility over the two years of study. Early training, supervised primarily be North Dakota State University faculty, includes didactic and experiential training in general clinical and interviewing skills and basic behavioral assessment and treatment techniques. Later practica involves expanding and practicing these basic skills in service settings primarily under the supervision of adjunct faculty and other mental health professionals working in those settings. Practicum settings include a regional human service center; community-based out-patient mental health facilities that provide counseling and psychological services to children, adults, couples and families; the public schools; two general medical hospitals; a neuropsychiatric institute; an inpatient psychiatric unit; a Veteran's Administration Hospital and two college counseling centers.
A data-based thesis is required of all students. In conjunction with their advisor, students write a thesis proposal, carry out the project, analyze the data, and write the thesis manuscript. An oral defense is required for the proposal and final manuscript.
Two additional requirements are an area paper and criterion performance on the Advance Psychology GRE. The area paper, written at the end of the first year, is a conceptual review of a specific area of research chosen by the student. It can serve to set the stage for a thesis project. Students who did not score at or above 620 on the Psychology Subject Test of the GRE prior to admission are required to retake the exam and pass it at this level.
Since the restructuring of our graduate programs in 1979, all of our graduates, depending on their individual goals, have been successful in obtaining relevant employment or admission into doctoral programs. While no promises of employment or Ph.D. placement can or should be made, we have reason to be optimistic.
Our recent graduates have been accepted into doctoral programs in a wide range of specialties. Our graduates have gone to schools as diverse as West Virginia, Western Michigan, Tennessee, Texas A&M, Montana, Purdue, Oklahoma State, University of Florida, University of Nevada, University of Kansas, Washington State and the University of North Dakota. Students who did not enter doctoral programs are working as M.S. level psychologist in the region and throughout the nation
For more information E-mail: Paul Rokke
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