collageIn the Cognitive Psychology PhD program you will begin by taking foundation courses in cognition and statistics, followed by advanced seminar classes in your area of specialization. You will take 2 or 3 courses per semester during your first two years in our program, then focus on your own research during subsequent years.
To provide flexibility and breadth, we offer courses that span a wide range of topics, including language processing, bilingualism, online communication, cognitive neuroscience, reasoning, problem-solving and conceptual thinking, memory, learning, perception, attention, visual cognition, signal detection theory, and models of speech perception and reading.
Cognitive Psychology Core Courses
- Survey of Cognitive Psychology
- Psychology and Language
- Complex Mental Processes
- Human Memory
- Information Processing/Perception
Out of Specialization Area Courses
Two courses from two different areas of specialization within Psychology PhD programs
Current Topics in Cognitive Psychology Seminar
A weekly seminar where students and faculty present their current work to receive critical feedback from researchers in other labs
Statistics/Method Courses
- Statistical and Experimental Methods I
- Statistical and Experimental Methods II
Initial Research Project
During the first two years of the program, you will complete a pre-dissertation research project that often serves as a Master’s thesis
Research Tool Requirement – demonstrated proficiency in one of the following:
- Master a technique, statistical or otherwise, in the process of conducting the Initial Research Project or another research project
- Pass a foreign language test
- Pass a course in computer programming, mathematics or advanced statistics
Qualifying Examination
Prepare a critical review paper on a topic of your choice. with input from your exam committee
Dissertation
The dissertation is an opportunity for you to learn how to pose questions and conduct independent scholarly work that has to potential to extend previous knowledge in your field
Full-Time Study in Residence
For more information, contact Program Director Laurie Feldman at lfeldman@albany.edu.
Research and Applied Learning
Research Opportunities
You will engage in research throughout your graduate study, beginning in your first year with the Initial Research Project and culminating in your doctoral dissertation. You will collaborate with active faculty mentors whose research interests span topics including human memory, visual attention, auditory and visual word recognition and reading, and second language processing and bilingualism.
Additionally, you will have access to equipment and software to conduct a wide range of experiments including behavioral studies with visual and auditory stimuli, EEG/ERPs, eye tracking, and computational modeling.
If you’re interested in interdisciplinary work you will benefit from the Cognitive program’s affiliations with other departments on campus including Education, the Child Research and Study Center, Linguistics and Cognitive Science, and the Center for Autism and Related Disabilities.
Teaching Opportunities
Hone your teaching skills by serving as a teaching assistant in the early part of your graduate training and leading your own courses later in your graduate career. This will provide you with valuable experience when pursuing tenure-track professor positions after graduation.
Our program organizes informal reading group meetings and workshops to help you develop your research and teaching skills. You can also attend colloquia, events by ITLAL (Institute for Teaching, Learning & Academic Leadership), and talks by notable speakers.
Assistantships and Grants
We offer graduate assistantships to cover tuition and living expenses. In addition, internal grants are available to support your research projects, conference travel, and professional development activities. We also actively mentor students who are interested in developing their grant writing skills.
CAREER OUTCOMES
After earning a degree from the cognitive psychology PhD program at UAlbany, most students secure tenure-track faculty positions at universities around the world, including Chinese University of Hong Kong, Rochester Institute of Technology, Temple University, University of Houston-Downtown, Tennessee Technological University, University of Missouri and Renmin University of China.
Our strong focus on research training prepares you for non-academic careers as industry researchers in related fields as well.
With a PhD in Cognitive Psychology potential careers include:
- Professor
- Researcher
- Legal consultant
- Data analyst
- Experiment designer
- Marketing researcher
- Human factors consultant
- Human-computer interaction designer
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