The major goal of the doctoral programs in psychology is to prepare the student for a career in research in both academic and non-academic settings and in teaching. The area of specialization in clinical psychology provides academic courses, practica, and internships which permit students to combine their teaching and research activities with a clinical career in the mental health field. Special areas of expertise among clinical faculty include psychological assessment, child clinical psychology, health psychology, neuropsychology, personality, psychopathology and diagnosis, psychotherapy, research methodologies, and substance abuse. Clinical training is facilitated by early placement of students at a variety of settings including various medical settings, a federal corrections facility, community mental health centers, state and private psychiatric hospitals, and the department's own psychological clinic. The clinical program is fully accredited by the American Psychological Association.
Emphasis is places on theoretical analysis and empirical studies of change.
Scholarship in basic theory is the primary focus of training, but students interested in applying their training to nonacademic settings will not be discouraged. Current research within these areas includes memory, reading, human factors, animal cognition and intelligence, psychopharmacology, developmental psychobiology, and development of perception, attention, memory, and comprehension. The area in social psychology is designed to provide intensive experience in research with members of the social psychology faculty, with the aim of developing in the student a strong theoretical and research competence with complex social phenomena. Within broad limits set by the program, any given student's course of study is designed to fit that student's particular needs and interests. During the first year of the doctoral program, students in all areas gain experience in the major content areas of psychology and in psychological statistics.