The Applied Social Progam focuses on theory and methods addressing current social problems, such as health care, prevention of high-risk social behavior, and education. The program provides training in the application of psychological findings, theory, and techniques to social problems, as well as the evaluation of social interventions. Training in Applied Social Psychology involves course work and research activities in social psychology, applied content areas, and research methodology. The principal application area is health psychology, with faculty experience in related areas such as coping with illness and disability, organizational burnout, social support, noncompliance with medical regimens and contraceptive prescriptions, health promotion and disease prevention, and health outcomes of organizational stress. The program combines a grounding in theory and scientific methods that relate to the study of individual, group, and organizational processes.
Areas range from personnel assessment, to motivation, to organizational design.
The elective component of the program allows students to develop unique qualifications. Offerings within psychology include advanced seminars on leadership, psychometric theory, human factors and systems, training and EEO, and employment testing. Such courses are offered by other departments within Columbian School of Arts and Sciences, as well as the Elliott School of International Affairs and the School of Business and Public Management . In addition, several students are funded as research assistants by working on grants held by department faculty. A number of special applied research internships are available under a cooperative arrangement with Army Research Institute for the Behavioral and Social Sciences and the Consortium of Universities of the Washington Metropolitan Area.