Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) Degree in the field of Psychology and a Major Concentration in Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience
Program Learning Outcomes for the PhD Degree in the field of Psychology and a Major Concentration in Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience
Upon completing the PhD degree in the field of Psychology and a major concentration in Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience, students will be able to:
- Read critically and assess scholarship related to Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience and in other fields in the psychological sciences.
- Apply theoretical and methodological tools to conduct independent research in Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience.
- Write an independent and original thesis that is of sufficient quality to merit publication in a top journal within Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience.
- Communicate Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience research clearly and effectively in papers and presentations.
Requirements for the MA and PhD Degrees in the field of Psychology
MA Degree Program
The MA degree is a thesis master’s degree. For general university requirements, please see Thesis Master’s Degrees. For additional requirements, regulations, and procedures for all graduate programs, please see All Graduate Students. Although students are not normally admitted to study for an MA in Psychology, graduate students may earn the MA degree after obtaining approval of their candidacy for the PhD. For general university requirements for PhD degrees, please see Doctoral Degrees. For both MA and PhD degrees, students must complete a research thesis, including a public oral defense. Required coursework is determined by the student’s major concentration. Students must complete an admission-to-candidacy procedure to establish their expertise in their chosen major concentration. Competence in a foreign language is not required.
The requirements listed in the General Announcements (GA) satisfy the minimum requirements for this degree program. In certain instances, courses (or requirements) not officially listed here may be substituted upon approval of the program's academic advisor or, where applicable, the department or program's Director of Graduate Studies. Course substitutions or any exceptions to the stated official curricular requirements must be approved by the Office of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies. Students and their academic advisors should identify and clearly document the courses to be taken.
Summary
| Code | Title | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Total Credit Hours Required for the MA Degree in the field of Psychology | 30 | |
Requirements for the PhD Degree in the field of Psychology
PhD Degree Program
For general university requirements, please see Doctoral Degrees. For additional requirements, regulations, and procedures for all graduate programs, please see All Graduate Students. In addition, students pursuing the PhD degree in the field of Psychology must:
- Complete all coursework with a minimum grade of B- (2.67 grade points) in each required course.
- Complete all of the course requirements in their major concentration.
- Successfully complete and present the first-year project in May of the first year.
- Successfully complete and present the second-year project in May of the second year.
- Write and defend a thesis. The thesis committee must be in the area of Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience and be overseen by a Psychology faculty member affiliated with the Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience Major Concentration.
Students who have not previously completed a master's degree in Psychology or a related field, must successfully defend a master’s thesis and earn the MA degree in Psychology. Students who come to Rice with a master's degree in a related field can be exempted from this requirement.
The requirements listed in the General Announcements (GA) satisfy the minimum requirements for this degree program. In certain instances, courses (or requirements) not officially listed here may be substituted upon approval of the program's academic advisor or, where applicable, the department or program's Director of Graduate Studies. Course substitutions or any exceptions to the stated official curricular requirements must be approved by the Office of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies. Students and their academic advisors should identify and clearly document the courses to be taken.
Summary
| Code | Title | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Total Credit Hours Required for the PhD Degree in the field of Psychology and a Major Concentration in Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience | 90 | |
Degree Requirements for the PhD Degree in the field of Psychology and a Major Concentration in Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience
| Code | Title | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Core Requirements | ||
| PSYC 502 / STAT 509 | ADVANCED PSYCHOLOGICAL STATISTICS I | 4 |
| PSYC 503 / STAT 510 | ADVANCED PSYCHOLOGICAL STATISTICS II | 3 |
| PSYC 520 | FOUNDATIONS OF COGNITIVE PSYCHOLOGY | 3 |
| PSYC 587 | FUNCTIONAL HUMAN NEUROANATOMY | 3 |
| PSYC 660 | PROFESSIONAL ISSUES | 3 |
| Custom Core Courses | ||
| Select 1 course from the following: 1 | 1-3 | |
| COGNITIVE RESEARCH SEMINAR | ||
| HEALTH RESEARCH SEMINAR | ||
| Neuroscience Core Courses | ||
| Select 2 courses from the following: | 6 | |
| ADVANCED COGNITIVE NEUROSCIENCE: ATTENTION AND PERCEPTION | ||
| ADVANCED COGNITIVE NEUROSCIENCE: HIGHER MENTAL FUNCTIONS | ||
| SOCIAL AND AFFECTIVE NEUROSCIENCE | ||
| Cognitive Core Courses | ||
| Select 2 courses from the following: | 6 | |
| PSYCHOLOGY OF PERCEPTION | ||
| MEMORY | ||
| PSYCHOLINGUISTICS | ||
| REASONING, DECISION MAKING, PROBLEM SOLVING | ||
| VISION SCIENCE | ||
| Affective/Health Core Courses | ||
| PSYC 546 | PSYCHONEUROIMMUNOLOGY | 3 |
| PSYC 547 | FOUNDATIONS OF HEALTH PSYCHOLOGY | 3 |
| PSYC 550 | FOUNDATIONS OF SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY | 3 |
| Elective Requirements | ||
| Select 2 courses from the following: 2 | 6 | |
| SENSORY NEUROENGINEERING | ||
| HISTORY AND SYSTEMS OF PSYCHOLOGY | ||
| INFORMATION PROCESSING AND ATTENTION | ||
| MEMORY | ||
| PSYCHOLINGUISTICS | ||
| REASONING, DECISION MAKING, PROBLEM SOLVING | ||
| COMPUTATIONAL MODELING OF COGNITIVE PROCESSES | ||
| PSYCHONEUROIMMUNOLOGY | ||
| PSYCHOPATHOLOGY, DEVELOPMENT, & AGING | ||
| FOUNDATIONS OF SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY | ||
| EMOTION REGULATION | ||
| ADVANCED COGNITIVE NEUROSCIENCE: ATTENTION AND PERCEPTION | ||
| ADVANCED COGNITIVE NEUROSCIENCE: HIGHER MENTAL FUNCTIONS | ||
| COGNITIVE NEUROPSYCHOLOGY: THEORIES AND METHODS | ||
| DEVELOPMENTAL COGNITIVE NEUROSCIENCE | ||
| VISION SCIENCE | ||
| SOCIAL AND AFFECTIVE NEUROSCIENCE | ||
| ADVANCED TOPICS IN NEUROSCIENCE 3 | ||
| ADVANCED TOPICS IN COGNITIVE PSYCHOLOGY 3 | ||
| TOPICS IN MEMORY 3 | ||
| TOPICS IN PSYCHOLINGUISTICS 3 | ||
| MULTILEVEL MODELING IN PSYCHOLOGICAL RESEARCH | ||
| First-Year Project | ||
| Second-Year Project | ||
| Thesis Requirement | ||
| Completion and public defense of a thesis | ||
| Additional Coursework as Approved by Department | ||
| Total Credit Hours | Minimum of 90 | |
Footnotes and Additional Information
| 1 | Students enrolled in the PhD degree major concentration in Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience must select either PSYC 529 or PSYC 532 and attend the seminar each semester throughout their enrollment. |
| 2 | Students enrolled in the PhD degree major concentration in Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience can select UT School of Public Health courses, subject to approval by department. |
| 3 | Elective options PSYC 590, PSYC 620, PSYC 621, and PSYC 622 may only be taken once. |
Policies for the PhD Degree in the field of Psychology
Department of Psychological Sciences Graduate Program Handbook
The General Announcements (GA) is the official Rice curriculum. As an additional resource for students, the department of Psychological Sciences publishes a graduate program handbook, which can be found here: https://gradhandbooks.rice.edu/2024_25/Psychological_Sciences_PhD_Graduate_Handbook.pdf.
Transfer Credit
For Rice University’s policy regarding transfer credit, see Transfer Credit. Some departments and programs have additional restrictions on transfer credit. Requests for transfer credit must be approved for Rice equivalency by the appropriate academic department offering the Rice equivalent course (corresponding to the subject code of the course content) and by the Office of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies (GPS). Students are encouraged to meet with their academic program’s advisor when considering transfer credit possibilities.
Additional Information
For additional information, please see the Psychological Sciences website: https://psychology.rice.edu/.
Opportunities for the PhD Degree in the field of Psychology
Additional Information
For additional information, please see the Psychological Sciences website: https://psychology.rice.edu/.