Program

The graduate program in psychology offers advanced training in the behavioral sciences with concentrations in cognition/perception, developmental psychology, neuroscience, perception/cognition, and social psychology. The department emphasizes research and students engage in research throughout their training.

Cognition/Perception: Research in the area of cognitive science offers training in the computational and experimental study of cognitive processes. The curriculum provides basic instruction in computational and mathematical modeling methods, with a focus on connectionist systems, learning, memory, and categorization. The perception specialization offers training in the experimental study of motion and color perception as well as many advanced areas within vision science.

Developmental Psychology: Current research in developmental psychology addresses conceptual development, the evolution of threat perceptions, and the development and treatment of antisocial behavior. Training in developmental research involves laboratory-based child research paradigms, the application of eye tracker methodology, and longitudinal field study techniques.

Neuroscience: Research in neuroscience offers training in neuroimaging methods, concepts, and experimental paradigms. The neuroimaging research focus includes studies in motion and event perception, learning and memory, and how humans process rewards and punishments.

Social Psychology: The social psychology concentration focuses on attachment theory, the role of psychosocial resources in judgment and perception, emotional disclosure and cognition, interracial feedback, implicit aspects of stigma and prejudice, meaning in life, and subjective well-being. Methods include classic manipulation-based studies, survey studies, and social cognitive-neuroscience.

The Department of Psychology at Rutgers-Newark includes world-class researchers in cognition, developmental psychology, neuroscience, and social psychology. We are ranked among the top-third of American psychology departments, according to US News & World Report. Our faculty engage in pioneering basic and applied research, publish in premier scientific journals, and lead model community-intervention programs. We offer one of the most popular campus majors.

Our research, which is heavily grant-supported, is enhanced by our various resources and collaborations. Our neuroscience faculty are part of the Rutgers University Brain Imaging Center (RUBIC), which houses a state-of-the-art neuroimaging facility with access to a 3T Siemens TRIO and peripheral equipment for collection of physiological data. Our developmental program makes use of behavioral, neuroscience (fMRI, EEG/ERP), eye-tracking, physiological, and computational techniques, and manages a mobile child development lab "The Rutgers Newark Mobile Maker Center" that is situated in local museums for both data collection and community outreach. The department also has an ample and well-organized subject pool, employing Sona Systems software, and an omnibus prescreening survey, which permits large-sample studies with highly diverse samples.

Besides the resources we can offer directly, our students also are also encouraged to take advantage of training opportunities in the adjacent Center for Molecular and Behavioral Neuroscience, Rutgers Business School-Newark and New Brunswick, the School of Criminal Justice, as well as courses listed in related areas (such as linguistics and philosophy) on the Rutgers University-New Brunswick campus. Our faculty are actively involved with the Center on Youth Violence and Juvenile Justice as well, which serves as a hub for engaged scholarship on issues related to juvenile justice reform, the intersection of youth development and juvenile justice policy and practice, and the prevention of youth violence and delinquency.

A written qualifying examination is given after the completion of basic coursework at the end of the second year. Upon satisfactory completion of these requirements, students advance to candidacy for the Ph.D. degree and must submit a dissertation proposal, carry out their independent research, and then defend their dissertation.

General information related to the Graduate School's Academic Policies and Procedures and Degree Requirements can also be found within this catalog.