Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) Degree in the field of Psychology and a Major Concentration in Health Psychology and Behavioral Medicine Research
Program Learning Outcomes for the PhD Degree in the field of Psychology and a Major Concentration in Health Psychology and Behavioral Medicine Research
Upon completing the PhD degree in the field of Psychology and a major concentration in Health Psychology and Behavioral Medicine Research, students will be able to:
- Apply the theoretical tools necessary to carry out independent research in health psychology.
- Apply the methodological and statistical tools necessary to carry out independent research in health psychology.
- Conduct a focused literature review tied to an independent research question, design and run a health research study, and write up the results in an APA formatted paper.
- Communicate and defend their research designs and modeling choices when presenting papers and presentations.
- Write an independent and original thesis that is of sufficient quality to merit publication in a top journal within the field of health psychology.
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 Health Psychology and Behavioral Medicine Research and be overseen by a Psychology faculty member affiliated with the Health Psychology and Behavioral Medicine Research 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 Health Psychology and Behavioral Medicine Research | 90 | |
Degree Requirements for the PhD Degree in the field of Psychology and a Major Concentration in Health Psychology and Behavioral Medicine Research
| 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 532 | HEALTH RESEARCH SEMINAR | 1-3 |
| PSYC 546 | PSYCHONEUROIMMUNOLOGY | 3 |
| PSYC 547 | FOUNDATIONS OF HEALTH PSYCHOLOGY | 3 |
| PSYC 549 | PSYCHOPATHOLOGY, DEVELOPMENT, & AGING | 3 |
| PSYC 550 | FOUNDATIONS OF SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY | 3 |
| PSYC 586 | SOCIAL AND AFFECTIVE NEUROSCIENCE | 3 |
| Statistical Requirements | ||
| Select 1 course from the following: | 3 | |
| RESEARCH METHODS | ||
| INTERVENTIONS | ||
| MULTIVARIATE STATISTICS | ||
| PSYCHOMETRICS | ||
| Professional Issues | ||
| PSYC 660 | PROFESSIONAL ISSUES | 3 |
| Elective Requirements 1 | ||
| Select 3 courses from the following: | ||
| PSYC 511 | HISTORY AND SYSTEMS OF PSYCHOLOGY | 3 |
| PSYC 546 | PSYCHONEUROIMMUNOLOGY | 3 |
| PSYC 586 | SOCIAL AND AFFECTIVE NEUROSCIENCE | 3 |
| PSYC 630 | ADVANCED TOPICS IN I/O | 3 |
| PSYC 631 | FOUNDATIONS OF INDIVIDUAL DIFFERENCES | 3 |
| PSYC 636 | ORGANIZATIONAL PSYCHOLOGY | 3 |
| PSYC 651 | TOPICS IN SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY | 3 |
| First-Year Project | ||
| Second-Year Project | ||
| Thesis Requirement | ||
| Additional Coursework as Approved by Department | ||
| Total Credit Hours | Minimum of 90 | |
Footnotes and Additional Information
| 1 | Students may select other elective courses if approved by an advisor in consultation with the faculty under the Major Concentration. |
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/2022_23/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. Students are encouraged to meet with their academic program’s advisor when considering transfer credit possibilities.
Departmental Transfer Credit Guidelines
Students pursuing the PhD degree in the field of Psychology should be aware of the following departmental transfer credit guidelines:
- Requests for transfer credit will be considered by the program director on an individual case-by-case basis.
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/