A small faculty to student ratio permits close contact between students and faculty, individually guided research and study, and an apprentice seminar training style. An Advisory Committee assists students in selecting courses beyond the core curriculum in the student's area of specialization. The doctoral degree is awarded on the basis of scholarly competence as reflected by course achievement, the successful planning, execution, and reporting of significant research, and by performance on the General Examination. Given the program's location in a health sciences center, emphasis will be placed on health-related research. Graduate coursework stresses the interrelationship between biological and psychological sciences, with research training in both basic and applied areas.
Research emphasizes the integration of infra-human and clinical research.
For a list of completed master's theses, see the Master's Theses List . The General Examination will begin within one regular semester of completion of all core and specialized coursework and successful oral defense of the master's thesis. General Examination questions generally are of the integrative type, not dealing with specifics of course content. At least 90 semester hours and successful oral defense of the dissertation are required for the Ph.D. degree. Students entering at the bachelor's level can expect to complete all requirements for the Ph.D. degree in 4-5 years.