The second and third years are usually the optimal time for this. All new students select an initial adviser. This adviser has the responsibility of advising the student on programs of study and any other matters of policy with which the student may be concerned. Students in the Cognitive Psychology Program also take courses designed to serve as a foundation for later specialization within the area. Students can petition to make substitutions and variations.
Core courses are to be taken in the first two years.
Beyond these core courses, no particular course is required of all students in the program. Each student is free to develop a program that will combine breadth and depth, in and outside the Psychology Department, to meet his or her objectives. Click here for a list of relevant courses . Because of the great importance of methodology, particularly of a quantitative sort, in all branches of psychology, every student is required at some time while at Northwestern to take six courses with a quantitative or formal emphasis. Specific courses which currently satisfy this requirement will be indicated.