Graduate Student Handbook 2
GRADUATE STUDENT HANDBOOK
2010-2011
Department of Psychology
Lehigh University
Graduate Studies in Psychology
with a focus on
www.lehigh.edu/~inpsy/gradprogram.html
(Last update: February 18, 2010)
CONTENTS
I. The Ph.D. Program ………………………………………………….…………….… 3
Coursework Requirements………………………………………….………………….. 3
Research Requirements …………………………………………. ………………… 4
First-year Project ………………………………………..…...……………….. 4
Other projects …………………………………………………………………… 4
Master’s Thesis ……………………………………………...…………………. 5
General Examination ………………………………………………………… 7
Doctoral Dissertation ………………………………………………………… 9
Checklist for Research Requirements ………………………………………………… 12
Checklist for Coursework Requirements ……………………………………………… 13
II. The Master’s Program ……………………………………………………………. 14
Coursework Requirements ………………………………………………………… 14
Research Requirements ……………………………………………………………… 14
Table 1. Requirements for M.S. (terminal or otherwise) ……………………… 15
III. Students with Prior Graduate Training ………………………………………. 16
Predissertation Project ……………………………………………………………….. 16
IV. Evaluation and Waivers ...... 17
Evaluation ...... 17
Continuation to Doctorate ...... 17
Waivers and Procedure ...... 17
V. Additional Information and Advice ...... 18
Graduate Committee ...... 18
Advisors and Committees ...... 18
Colloquia and Brown Bag Seminars ...... 18
Institutional Review Board ...... 18
Research Funding ...... 19
Internal Funding ...... 19
External Funding ...... 19
Local Sources ...... 19
General Sources ...... 20
Financial Support ...... 20
Graduate Minor in Cognitive Science ...... 20
Conference Travel Support ...... 21
Teaching Opportunities ...... 21
Outside Employment ...... 21
VI. Contact Information ...... 22
Note. Program requirements described in this document are to be viewed in conjunction with the University rules stipulated by the Graduate and Research Committee [see College of Arts and Sciences Graduate Student Handbook (http://cas.lehigh.edu/casweb/Content/default.aspx?pageid=56) and University Course Catalog (http://www3.lehigh.edu/academics/catalog/default2.asp)].
Graduate Studies in Psychology
with a focus on Human Cognition and Development
The Graduate Program in Psychology is a research-intensive program that combines focus with flexibility. Focus is provided by the program emphasis on Human Cognition and Development and by a core curriculum. Flexibility is provided by the ability to tailor a research specialization in an area of Cognition and Language, Social and Cognitive Development, Social Cognition and Personality, or at an intersection of these areas.
The department accepts mainly Ph.D. students, but every year a few well-qualified students may be accepted for a Master’s of Science degree. This document describes all departmental requirements for the M.S. and Ph.D. degrees for Coursework, Research, and Evaluation. Some additional information about the program and advice is also provided. Checklists are provided that will allow students to keep track of their progress vis-à-vis major research and coursework milestones (see pp. 12 and 13).
I. The Ph.D. Program
The Department provides basic training in Human Cognition and Development for all graduate students, as well as the opportunity to specialize in an area covered by our intersecting Cognition and Language, Cognitive and Social Development, and Social Cognition and Personality research clusters.
Coursework Requirements
(Note: Most requirements should be completed during years 1-3 in the program.)
The required courses for the Ph.D. are listed below. (These include courses for the M.S. degree taken en route to the Ph.D. Specific M.S. course requirements are provided at the appropriate section, and summarized in Table 1 [p. 11] and Table 2 [p. 19].)
Note: These are minimum requirements and students are strongly encouraged to take additional quantitative courses, psychology seminars, and other relevant courses (e.g., offered in a different department), as interest and opportunity allow. Students are encouraged to speak with their advisors about appropriate ways (and times) to go beyond minimum course requirements.
Core Courses (3 courses): three onesemester graduate core courses in Cognitive Psychology (Psyc 403), Developmental Psychology (Psyc 402), and Social Cognition (Psyc 406). A grade of B or better is required in these courses. Students earning grades of B or lower may, at the discretion of the faculty, be allowed to retake the course or perform other remedial work. Students normally take the core courses in their first two years of graduate training.
Research Methods (2 courses): a twosemester sequence of theoretical and applied statistics and research methodology (Psyc 421 and Psyc 422, Statistical Analysis of Psychological Data I and II). Currently, the department offers Psyc 421 regularly (fall of each year) and Psyc 422 intermittently. Students are advised to complete this sequence in the first two years of their graduate training. Students are also strongly encouraged to take more than just these two statistics/research courses.
Professional Seminar (1 course): This seminar (Psyc 409) covers professional development issues. It is offered in the fall semester of every year to address issues pertinent to incoming students. We occasionally offer a second professional seminar (Psyc 410) for the benefit of more advanced students. Although students will enroll in these seminars during particular semesters, students will attend additional professional development activities as they are offered (i.e., not everything will be—or can be—crammed into one or two semesters!).
Graduate Seminars (3 courses): In addition to the three core courses, students are required to take at least three additional graduate Psychology seminars (numbered Psyc 430 and above).
Elective Courses (2 courses): Students are required to take at least two additional courses. These may be other graduate Psychology seminars; graduate courses from another department such as education, sociology, or computer science; or 300-level advanced undergraduate psychology seminars. These elective courses must be approved by the student’s advisor.
University regulations stipulate that the list of graduate courses must be approved by the Doctoral Committee prior to the dissertation defense.
Research Requirements
Students are engaged in research throughout their residence in the program. Formal research requirements are carried out under the direction of a primary advisor. Prior to taking the general exam (see pg. 6), students must have completed research requirements for the first year project and Master’s thesis.
First Year Project
Timing:
(a) Oral presentation to department toward the end of the first year is required (spring semester).
(b) Final draft of an APA-style paper must be submitted to advisor and to department by June 15th.
First year students choose an advisor and begin work on a project with their advisor during the first semester. This First Year Project serves as the student's major scholarly/research activity during the first year, and it often provides the starting point of the Master's Thesis.
The first year project may consist either of an empirical study that the student conducts in consultation with their advisor, or it may be a critical literature review and analysis of an area related to the intended research topic for the Master’s thesis. The appropriate topic and format is decided in consultation with the advisor. Students whose first year project is not empirical in nature are expected to gain experience in empirical work during their first year by participating in ongoing research projects of their advisor.
Other Projects
Timing:
(a) Discuss with your advisor when it would be appropriate to begin doing things beyond the minimum research requirements.
(b) To be competitive for any type of post-graduate school career, you should be engaged in projects beyond the minimum requirements during most of your graduate school career.
Students are strongly encouraged to engage in additional research projects outside of the requirements. Indeed, success at attaining an academic position—or any position—absolutely depends on going beyond the minimum research requirements. Some ways to achieve this, and to develop a fuller research portfolio, are by engaging in other projects with one’s advisor or developing one or more collaborations with faculty other than the advisor. To formalize this, in consultation with the advisor, the student may sign up for research credits with the host faculty member.
Master’s Thesis
Timing:
(a) Master’s committee (see below) should be formed by end of 1st or beginning of 2nd year.
(b) The final draft of Thesis should be completed by end of 2nd or beginning of 3rd year.
(c) At some point as you work on your thesis, you MUST register for at least 3 credit hours of Thesis Research (PSYC 490); you should NOT register for more than 6 hours total [You need 3 credit hours to earn your M.S. degree; no more than six can count toward the degree].
(d) Students should consult the College of Arts and Sciences Graduate Handbook
(http://cas.lehigh.edu/casweb/Content/default.aspx?pageid=56) for dates and requirements originating in the College (e.g., date by which certain paperwork must be submitted to the College).
The Master's Thesis is a major requirement for the M.S. degree which most students acquire en route to the Ph.D. The master’s thesis consists of an empirical study (or a set of studies) that provides evidence of proficiency in the student's content area and in research design and methodology.
Master’s Thesis Proposal
· Each student must convene a committee of at least three members to supervise the thesis. The committee chair and at least half of the committee must be Department of Psychology faculty members. Once the proposal is approved, committee membership can only be changed by agreement of all parties. Cases of disagreement must be referred to the Graduate Committee.
· This committee must approve a written proposal prior to the commencement of thesis research and should be involved in developing the research and evaluating the completed project.
· A copy of the proposal with committee approval attached should be filed in the Department.
· Institutional Review Board (IRB) approval must be obtained by the student for Master’s thesis research.
Completing a Master’s Thesis
· A Master’s Degree Program Form and an Application for Graduation should be filled out at least three months prior to the expected date of graduation. (Deadlines are March 2nd for May graduation, July 1st for September graduation, and November 1st for January graduation). These forms can be obtained from and should be returned to the registrar’s office. When completing the Master’s Degree Program Form exactly 18 credit hours should be listed even if you’ve actually completed more hours than that (those additional hours can count for the Ph.D. degree).
· Following collection and analysis of the data, the student prepares a draft of the thesis written in journal article format following APA style. This is read by the advisor who may request revisions before approving the draft for distribution to the committee.
· A committee meeting should be scheduled when the draft is distributed to committee members. The committee should be given at least two weeks to read the draft prior to the committee meeting.
· During the committee meeting, with all committee members present, the student presents his/her project for about 10 minutes and the committee discusses the thesis and provides suggestions for revisions.
· The student then revises the manuscript based on suggested revisions and prepares the next draft of the thesis. (Additional rounds of revision may be required before a final version is approved.) The advisor takes the responsibility to make sure that the suggestions of the various committee members are met, but all committee members should review the final copy before final approval of the thesis.
· Once the committee has approved the final draft of the thesis, the manuscript is formatted and electronically submitted following College of Arts and Science graduate degree guidelines. A $55.00 online submission fee should be paid to the Bursar’s Office at this time. Guidelines for formatting and electronically submitting the thesis can be found online at: http://cas.lehigh.edu/casweb/content/default.aspx?pageid=366.
· At this stage, an oral presentation based on the thesis is scheduled in the department.
· Final paperwork should be submitted to the Registrar’s Office about 3 weeks prior to conferral of the degree. The precise dates for each semester are given in the University Calendar (can be found at: http://www.lehigh.edu/~inrgs/). Final paperwork includes: title page of the thesis, Abstract of the Thesis, Original signature sheet with signatures in blue ink, and online submission fee receipt. Allow at least 24 hours between electronic submission of the thesis and submission of paperwork to the registrar.
· A bound copy of the entire Thesis, including a copy of the signed signature page is submitted to the Department.
General Examination
Timing:
(a) Preparation for the exam should begin immediately upon completion of the Master’s Degree (or predissertation project; see pg. 12).
(b) The exam should take 6 to 9 months from beginning to end, and thus should be completed during the 3rd year (for students not entering the program with an approved Master’s Thesis).
The General Examination is required of all students. The primary purpose of the General Exam is to ensure that the student has breadth of training in Human Cognition and Development as well as thorough grounding in the area of specialization. The student is expected to demonstrate mastery of the skills necessary for completion of the dissertation and for achievement in independent research, as well as to display the ability to communicate ideas clearly. Whereas students are likely to receive ample feedback on repeated drafts of their First-Year and Master’s write-ups, the writing of the General Exam should reflect the independent work of the student and students should not receive feedback from their advisor or committee members regarding their writing or thinking prior to sharing their exam responses with their committee.
Two options are available to students: (a) to write three review papers or (b) to take a 10-day take-home exam answering 4 out of a longer list of questions. (Details follow below.)
Preparing for the Exam: Topics and Reading List
· The student first meets with the advisor to select the other members of the General Exam Committee. The minimum number of committee members is three, and at least half of the committee must be Department of Psychology faculty. (In many cases, the members of this committee will continue as dissertation committee members.) Students are encouraged to choose more than 3 committee members, if this seems useful to them.
· The advisor, committee members, and the student determine the topics and scope of the examination and select the reading list. Typically, the reading list is designed either around topics relevant to the student's anticipated area of dissertation research and/or to provide breadth in the general area of study.
· The reading list is circulated to the department faculty who may suggest additions or changes within a one-week period. The advisor and the committee members make any adjustments they feel are necessary and approve the list.