Psychology Graduate Program

The Department of Psychology offers a Master of Science in general experimental psychology for qualified candidates. The program is a full-time, two-year course of study in general experimental psychology. Our program is small and selective, accepting two to three students per year. Many graduates continue on to a doctoral program in clinical or cognitive psychology, human development, neuroscience, social psychology or behavioral medicine, among other fields.

Program Overview

Each semester, students take two courses, conduct research with their faculty adviser and serve as a teaching assistant, typically in our Introduction to Psychology or Psychological Statistics course. Students choose their courses in consultation with their adviser and can select some courses in departments other than psychology. Teaching assistantship experiences, in different courses with different professors, provide students with valuable breadth in their training. During their second year, students complete a thesis based on original empirical work.

Research Focus

Our program has a "research apprentice" model in which students work closely with their advisers (and sometimes other faculty) on research projects. We seek out applicants who are committed to conducting high-quality empirical research and who wish to be active, contributing members of a department community.

Because of our program’s emphasis on research, we closely consider applicants’ previous research experience and academic work and look for research interests that match those of our professors. Applicants must describe in their personal statement their interests and how they might match with those of specific faculty members. Potential applicants may contact those professors whose interests seem to offer a good match.

For more information, contact Professor Judy Grisel, graduate program coordinator, at 570-577-1671 or j.grisel@bucknell.edu.

Graduate studies at Bucknell

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