Psychology

Dean: Stewart I. Donaldson
Contact: Natalie Brown
(909) 621-8084
psych@cgu.edu
www.cgu.edu/sbos

Faculty

Academic Program

Claremont Graduate University has had active Ph.D. and M.A. programs in psychology for more than 60 years, with an overarching theme that blends social concern with psychological theory and methods. The Psychology Department at CGU is dedicated to training psychologists for positions in research, teaching, or administrative capacities in a variety of settings such as academic institutions, government agencies, non-profit organizations, and private-sector businesses.

Applied Orientation. A distinctive feature of the psychology program at Claremont Graduate University is its pioneering effort, begun in 1969, to develop and promote application oriented psychology. The application of social science knowledge, concepts, and methods to social issues and social systems through research and practice is a central theme of the program.

Training emphasizes three primary components: (1) the development of methodological skills for collecting and analyzing information in field settings; (2) scholarly work organized around psychological and social concepts relevant to social issues and social organizations; (3) practical experience in government agencies, public interest organizations, human service agencies, or significant business and industrial settings.

Individual Character of the Program. Instruction at Claremont Graduate University, concerned solely with graduate education, features close student-faculty relations. The emphasis is on designing students’ programs so they will include individual interests and career goals within the broader framework of the chosen area of concentration in psychology.

Students participate fully in planning their programs and identifying the skills, experiences, studies, and achievements appropriate to their career interests. As students progress in their graduate education, they are expected to become increasingly independent in their professional decisions and responsibilities. To achieve these ends, systematic as well as informal student and faculty communication is necessary. Faculty view their advisory function as a prime responsibility. In addition to regularly scheduled program planning, there is an annual review of each student’s progress by the graduate faculty in psychology.

Faculty. The faculty in psychology comprises appointees at the Graduate University and faculty members of the other Claremont Colleges who are members of the graduate faculty. There is,of course, a wide range of substantive interests and special competencies within the entire faculty, and students are encouraged to explore the faculty resources available to them by both formal and informal means.

Facilities. The central physical facility for graduate work in psychology provides space and equipment for psychological research and training. Psychology laboratories in the undergraduate colleges in the Claremont consortium are also available to graduate students. Additional research facilities include the Academic Computing Center and the Psychology Department’s research center. Students are encouraged to conduct off-campus research in natural or field settings relevant to their interests.

Admission Requirements

Applications for admission to the graduate program in psychology are reviewed for evidence of a strong career commitment to psychology, the capacity for sustained, autonomous effort, and a high level of intellectual functioning. A deliberate effort is made to include a diversity of interests and experiences within the psychology student body; students from minority groups are particularly encouraged to apply. Age is not a factor. In general, applicants are expected to have had a broad liberal education in the humanities,mathematics, and the social, life, and physical sciences, in addition to some undergraduate concentration in psychology.

Applicants are required to submit scores on the general tests of the Graduate Record Examination; and the Advanced Psychology GRE subject test is recommended.

Most students are admitted in the fall semester of the academic year. Applications received by January 15th are given priority consideration for financial aid for the subsequent fall semester.

Financial Aid. Fellowships, stipends, and assistantships are awarded on the basis of merit on the recommendation of the faculty in psychology. In addition, the department sponsors a contract research center, which provides paid employment for students. Research assistantships on faculty research grants are often available, as well as paid, part-time teaching positions at the numerous community, state, and private colleges in the area. There also are part-time employment opportunities in a variety of local public and private organizations, some of which have a continuing relationship with the department.

Degree Requirements

Academic Advisor. Students plan their program, including choice of major and specialty areas, in collaboration with a two person faculty supervisory committee. Each student selects a faculty advisor who serves as chairperson of the supervisory committee.

Transfer of Credit. Course work completed at other institutions prior to enrollment at CGU will be accepted for credit at CGU under the conditions specified in this Bulletin under “Degree Regulations,”with the following restrictions: Credit for statistical methods courses (comparable to PSYCH 308a , PSYCH 308b , PSYCH 308c , PSYCH 308d ) may be transferred only if the student passes the waiver exam for the comparable courses at CGU.Transfer of credit for additional coursework taken prior to enrollment at CGU will be considered on the basis of the relevance of the coursework to the student’s area of specialization at CGU. Students who enter with out an empirical MA thesis in psychology may transfer a maximum of 16 graduate units taken elsewhere into the PhD program. Consult the “Transfer of Credit” section of this Bulletin under “Master of Arts Degree ” and “Doctor of Philosophy Degree ” for further institutional guidelines. Recommendation of transfer of credit will be determined at each student’s program planning and portfolio meeting.

Transdisciplinary Course Requirement. All students who enter the doctoral program after the spring 2006 semester are required to complete the transdisciplinary course requirement during the second year of coursework. For details on the requirement, see the “Doctor of Philosophy Degree ” section in this Bulletin.

Residence Requirement and Time Requirement / Limit. Consult the “Degree Regulations” section of this Bulletin under “Master of Arts Degree ” and “Doctor of Philosophy Degree ” for institutional requirements.

Prerequisite Courses. Students must demonstrate knowledge of basic concepts in selected areas of psychology at a level equivalent to the content contained in upper-division college courses. The following prerequisites are required of all students:

Research Methodology and Statistics,
Learning or Cognitive Psychology,
Social Psychology,

AND

One of the following two areas:

Biological Bases of Behavior
Individual Differences

Presenting evidence of satisfactory completion of undergraduate college courses may satisfy the above requirements. Two upper-division undergraduate courses (8 units) taken at The Claremont Colleges may be applied in the MA program. With approval of the student’s advisory committee, additional upper-graduate course credit from The Claremont Colleges may be applied in the PhD program.

Interfield and Dual Degrees

Work in psychology may be combined with studies in another field for an interfield degree (one degree) or dual degrees (two degrees in different disciplines). Admission must be obtained through the chairperson of both graduate faculties concerned for such programs. Application to an interfield or dual degree program should be made early in the first semester at CGU. See the “Special Academic Programs” and “Dual Degree” sections of this Bulletin for further details.