Cognitive Psychology Requirements

Synopsis of the Program

Full-time graduate students take at least nine credits each semester, distributed among research and courses/seminars. Students also participate in weekly cognitive brown bags. Students are discouraged from taking more than two course/seminars in a semester so that they can maintain a steady focus on their research throughout their graduate career.​

Coursework

Students must complete required coursework, first- and second-year research, pass the qualifying exam, and a dissertation. The cognitive psychology concentration of study requires a minimum of 80 credits from coursework, attendance of colloquia, first-year research, and research hours. Students in the cognitive concentration will also receive evaluation letters both semesters of their second-year of study.

Cognitive psychology courses include:

  • Statistics 
  • Professional development seminar
  • PBS colloquium – Students are expected to attend department colloquia
  • Cognitive psychology courses  Taught by full-time faculty in the cognitive area, topics cover attention, perception, memory, language, cognition and emotion, cognitive development, and neuroimaging methods.
  • Electives in psychology (including cognitive or additional statistics courses) or any area related to the student's field of study in other graduate departments at the University (e.g., linguistics, computer science, neuroscience/biology, education). Elective course decisions are made in consultation with one's advisor and must have advisor approval. 

First Year

Students begin working in a lab with the goal of developing a first year research project with their advisor. The minimum of 9 credits per semester typically includes statistics (first semester and second semester), one to two required courses/seminars, and research credit.

During their first year, all students engage in a research project. Results from the first year project are presented in a special cognitive area seminar in the spring semester of the first year. During this seminar, students give a brief presentation of their work followed by general questions from the audience. After the discussion, everyone but the faculty and the student leave the room and the student discusses his or her project in greater depth.

Students write an APA-style paper to submit to their committee by the date specified in the graduate handbook. Based on required course readings and general readings for research, the student should begin thinking about the topic for their qualifying exam. (This takes place in year three and is described in a later section.) ​Information about Graduate College credit requirements can be obtained on the Graduate College website.

Second Year

By the end of year two, the student should have completed at least four courses offered by cognitive faculty. By the beginning of year two, in consultation with his/her advisor, the student will decide on the topic of their paper for the qualifying exam. The qualifying exam consists of two parts.

The first part is a take-home review paper (similar to a psych review or psych bulletin article) on a topic that is central to the student’s area of interest. Alternatively, students can choose to write an NRSA grant proposal on a topic central to the student's area of interest.

The second part is an oral defense of the paper in which the student and the cognitive faculty discuss issues and ideas that are raised by the paper. To be in good standing, a student must pass both the take-home (the written paper) and the oral defense of the paper by the specified deadline in the beginning of year three. (Dates are shown in the Graduate Student Handbook.)

Third to Fifth Year

After passing the qualifying exam (paper and oral), students write their dissertation proposal, and form a dissertation committee with the approval of their advisor. The committee membership must be in accordance with the rules of the Graduate College.

The student writes a dissertation proposal that must be approved by the committee (the committee reads the proposal and then convene, at which point the student presents the proposal for discussion). Following approval of the dissertation proposal by the committee, the student is admitted to candidacy and conducts their dissertation research (paperwork for admittance to candidacy must be filed with the Graduate College to change the student's official status).

When the research is complete, students write their dissertation, and after advisor approval they submit the written dissertation to their dissertation committee. An oral dissertation defense is then scheduled at least three weeks following submission of the dissertation to committee, to provide enough time for the committee to study the document.

Note: Once the 10-course requirement is complete, students can opt to take additional courses/seminars that are particularly relevant to their research goals — this must be discussed with their advisor. At this point emphasis should be fully on research and related reading/writing.

See UD Catalog for requirements

Program Requirements

Master's Thesis Option

Although the cognitive concentration is designed to be a Ph.D. program, there may be circumstances in which the student desires to obtain a master’s degree (M.A. in Psychological & Brain Sciences).

For example, a student who does not pass the qualifying exam may desire to leave the program with a master’s degree. This can be accomplished by submitting the first-year project or some other substantial project to the student’s advisory committee, who will determine whether the document is of sufficient quality to be an acceptable master’s thesis. If so, the thesis is also evaluated by the department chair and the dean of the College of Arts and Sciences.​

Qualifying exam

The qualifying exam is taken after the student has completed two full years in the graduate program. In consultation with the student's advisory committee, a student will choose one of the following options for the qualifying exam: 1) NIH NRSA proposal; or, 2) Review paper suitable for submission to a peer-reviewed journal.

For both types of qualifying exams

After evaluation of both the written and oral exams by the exam committee, a pass, conditional pass, or fail grade and a written feedback report are provided to the student. In the event that the exam or parts of the exam did not meet criteria for passing by a majority of the exam committee, the student can elect to retake the exam or parts of the exam. Feedback from the exam committee will be given to help prepare the student for the retest. The re-administered exam (written and/or oral) must be completed within one month of completing the first exam. One re-take exam is allowed. Failure to pass the re-take exam disqualifies the student from the doctoral program and he/she will be recommended for termination from the doctoral program.​

Students will first submit a 350–500 word (approximately one page) abstract of their proposal including the following components to the student’s advisory committee PLUS two faculty members selected to serve on the exam committee:

  1. The names of both the student and mentor;
  2. An overarching hypothesis of the proposal and its significance;
  3. A brief statement of the specific aims of the proposal;
  4. A brief description of the major techniques or technical approaches that will be used; and
  5. A summary of expected results and major conclusions if the project were successfully completed.

A proposal abstract will be submitted either by May 1 of the second year, December 1 of the third year, or May 1 of the third year. The committee members should provide significant, meaningful feedback to the student about the proposal within two weeks.

Format of the research proposal

Students should follow the format and guidelines set forth for the research training plan sections of pre-doctoral NRSA from the National Institutes of Health. The written proposal must contain the following sections as specified by the NIH for the research training plan for pre-doctoral fellowship applications: 1) Specific Aims; 2) Background and Significance; 3) Innovation; 4) Research Design and Methods; and, 5) Literature Cited.

The proposal should be six pages (11 or 12 point, Arial or Helvetica font) including sections 1–4, figures and figure legends, but not including "literature cited." The proposal must be written solely and in its entirety by the student and may not be a reproduction of any other work completed or in progress. Students are encouraged to discuss their project with anyone, including their faculty supervisor, and members of their exam committee, in as much detail as they wish. This can include detailed discussions on aims, experiments, methods, etc.

These discussions may include helping the student design experiments and critique the written document in general terms. However, the student must be prepared to orally defend ALL aspects of the proposal including the background, rationale, design of the specific aims, experimental design, data interpretation, pitfalls and methods including all techniques proposed. This aspect of the examination cannot be overemphasized.

The written proposal is due to the exam committee by September 7 in the third year. The exam committee members must email the area director within three weeks (October 1) whether they feel the oral defense should proceed. The oral defense proceeds as long as there is no more than one dissent among the committee and that dissent is not from the faculty advisor.

Oral qualifying exam

The oral qualifying exam consists of three parts. During the first part, the student will orally deliver a brief (20 minute) presentation explaining the research proposal to assigned committee members. In the second part, the student is expected to defend the proposal to the committee by answering questions related to the research project. The third part involves a series of broader questions from the committee in which the student is expected to demonstrate a general knowledge in the field of cognition.

The three potential outcomes of the qualifying exam are:

  • Pass
  • Conditional pass: Any specific timetable and/or procedures for remediation will be set by the committee. These most commonly (but not limited to) include: full or partial re-write of the proposal; and/or a re-interview with members of the committee.
  • Fail: If the student's performance during the oral examination is viewed as unacceptable by the committee, the student will be given the opportunity of a second oral exam that must be completed within a specified timeline decided by the exam committee. Failure on the second exam will lead to termination from the doctoral program.

Students will first submit a preliminary package of materials to the student's advisory committee PLUS two faculty members selected to serve on the exam committee. It will consist of the following three items:

  • 350–500 word (approximately one page) abstract of their paper including the following components: 1) the names of both the student and mentor; 2) an overarching hypothesis/area of focus for the paper; 3) a brief description of the length, formatting, and content of the paper; and, 4) a brief summary of the importance or unique focus of the paper.
  • One-page outline of the paper
  • Preliminary bibliography (minimum of 10 papers)

The preliminary package is due on May 1 of their second year. The committee members should provide significant, meaningful feedback to the student about the proposal within two weeks. The final paper is due to committee members on September 7. The committee needs to indicate, within three weeks (October 1), whether the paper is acceptable for the oral portion of the test to proceed.

Content and format of the review paper

This is a research paper in which the student should (a) provide a new integration of an existing body of literature that offers novel ideas, hypotheses, and/or theoretical perspectives, (b) identify major gaps in the literature, and (c) discuss how those gaps might be filled. The paper cannot be a simple review of the literature; it must provide a synthesis or integration of theory and research on the topic and be issue- or idea-focused. The student's goal should be to become a leading expert in the chosen research question and to demonstrate expertise by providing an integrative review of the literature that moves the area forward. The paper should be original and not derivative of another paper already published or unpublished but known to the student. The paper should be written in a style that is consistent with articles in journals that publish integrative reviews such as Psychological Bulletin or Psychological Review.

The length for the review paper is 10,000 to 15,000 words. These limits do not include front and back matter (e.g., title page, references, and tables and figures). The student and faculty advisor should agree upon the intended length of the paper before writing begins. The paper is due to the exam committee by September 7 of the third year. The committee members must email the area director within three weeks to indicate whether they feel the oral defense should proceed. The oral defense proceeds as long as there is no more than one dissent among the committee and that dissent is not from the faculty advisor. Students are encouraged to submit their review articles for publication, but this is not required for passing the qualifying exam.

Use of the faculty advisor and exam committee

Although the paper is primarily the work of the student, it is expected that the faculty advisor will provide advice, instructions, and feedback both before and during the writing process. However, the faculty advisor should not edit or rewrite any parts of the paper itself. The faculty advisor should serve in the role of an external reviewer who provides feedback about the content and style of the paper without directly collaborating on it.

Students should also consult with their exam committee members as they consider their paper topic and the scope of the paper. Students should have a conversation with each committee member after they have developed a plan but before they have started writing. One of the jobs of the committee is to provide feedback and assistance in finding appropriate materials for the project.

During the writing phase of the paper, students may discuss ideas with their committee members by asking them to read and comment on parts of the paper. However, the committee members must refrain from editing the paper. Instead, they should express concerns and point out weaknesses or strengths without telling students directly how to fix the problem.

Although students may not write collaboratively on the paper with their faculty advisor or committee members prior to the oral exam, they may seek substantive collaborative help from committee members afterwards if they plan to submit the paper for publication.

Oral qualifying exam

The oral qualifying exam consists of three parts. During the first part, the student will orally deliver a brief (20 minute) slide presentation of the paper, typically using a small number of slides to illustrate major points. In the second part, faculty will ask questions that stem from the document. The third part involves a series of broader questions from the committee in which the student is expected to demonstrate a general knowledge of the field of cognition. The oral qualifying exam should be completed by the end of September. The​ three potential outcomes of the qualifying exam are:

  • Pass
  • Conditional pass: Any specific timetable and/or procedures for remediation will be set by the committee. These most commonly (but not limited to) include: full or partial re-write of the paper; and/or a re-interview on specific parts of the exam with one or all members of the committee; and/or the successful completion of an additional graduate-level course.
  • Fail: If the student's performance during the oral examination is viewed as unacceptable by the committee, the student will be given the opportunity of a second oral exam that must be completed within a specified timeline decided by the committee.

Application Deadlines and Information

​The deadline for graduate applications is December 1. We admit students for fall admission only. We generally schedule campus visits and interviews in January.

For more information regarding the criteria for admission please refer to the Graduate College website​. For more information regarding the Graduate College application process please refer to Applying to UD​.

Criteria for Admission

Students are admitted directly to the doctoral program. A combination of criteria are used in evaluating candidates for admission to graduate study in psychology.

  • Undergraduate and/or graduate coursework and grade point average
  • Research experience
  • Personal statement
  • Letters of recommendation
  • In some cases, a personal interview.
  • OPTIONAL: Scores on the GRE (Graduate Record Examination)***

***Application process update

The Department of Psychological & Brain Sciences is waiving the GRE requirement for our graduate program. If you wish to apply without a GRE score, please enter a future GRE exam date into the application. It need not be a legitimate exam date. Entering a future exam date causes the system to finish your application and send it on to our review committee where it will receive full consideration.

Clinical science concentration applicants, please note: The Psychology Subject GRE is not required and will not be used for evaluation purposes during the admission process. However, it is helpful for fulfilling clinical science program requirements, and students who enroll in our program may choose to take the test any time before the end of their first year.***

International Students

Foreign students whose language of education is not English must also arrange to have original TOEFL scores submitted; a minimum score of 100 on the IBT (600 on the paper-based test, or an equivalent IELTS score of 7.0) is required for admission. Foreign students who hold a university degree from an institution in an English-speaking country are not required to submit TOEFL scores. Foreign students whose native language in not English and who are awarded a teaching assistantship​ must successfully complete the University's ITA program.

Meeting the Requirements

Those who meet these requirements are not guaranteed admission, nor are those who fail to meet the requirements necessarily precluded from admission, if they offer other appropriate strengths. Research experience is looked upon favorably. An undergraduate degree in psychology is not required for admission, but students may be required to make up deficiencies in their background by enrolling in appropriate ​courses.

Personal Statement

All applications must include a personal statement. In addition to discussing your areas of interest, career goals, and how this program will help you reach these goals, please be sure to include the following information in your statement:

  • ​Research experience, when applicable: Please indicate length of experience and type (non-human animals - specify species - or human participants).
  • Advisor preference: Please designate up to three potential primary faculty advisors, in order of preference.

Applicant Qualifications

We are looking for students with a deep curiosity for how the mind/brain works, a strong desire to engage in critical thinking, and the aptitude to do challenging work. To assess these, we take into account your undergraduate grades (especially in relevant courses), GRE scores, letters of recommendation, fit between your interests and faculty research programs, and your statement of interest.

Should I contact a professor in Psychological and Brain Sciences before I apply?

We strongly encourage students to contact faculty before applying. A large piece in deciding where to go to graduate school is “fit” — how well your interests align with the faculty you want to work with. One of the best ways to assess this is via communication with potential advisors.

Research Experience and Coursework

Although not required, prior research experience and knowledge of statistics is helpful. For many labs, strong quantitative abilities are necessary to succeed.

Statement of Interest

Please make sure that you communicate the following:

  • What are your primary goals?
  • What do you want to study?
  • How will your abilities and background allow you to succeed in reaching your goals?
  • How will studying at the University of Delaware help you reach your goals?

Please note that your statement of interest is a very important part of your application. We want to see clear evidence that you have thought about why you want to work with specific faculty here at UD. Applications with “boilerplate” text (e.g., saying you want to work with a faculty member because of their work on *line cut and pasted from their website*) are often uncompetitive. Let us know why you want to study with us. ​ Furthermore, an application with good "numbers" but a weak, unfocused statement will often lose out to an application with average "numbers" but an outstanding, thoughtful statement.

Applicants with Master's Degrees

Some courses from other institutions may be applied to degree requirements. Please contact us if you have specific questions.

Non-Psychology and Neuroscience Majors

We strongly encourage students who have backgrounds in fields other than psychology/neuroscience to apply. We are looking for curious, driven individuals - regardless of what they previously studied.

 

Career Outlook

Half of our most recent Ph.D. graduates have continued in academia, while half have gone into industry. There is strong demand in industry for individuals who can apply training in data analysis, experimental design, and cognitive psychology/neuroscience to address real-world problems. ​

For students continuing in academia, our recent Ph.D. graduates have gone on to postdoctoral and faculty positions at the following institutions:

  • Chinese Academy of Sciences
  • Drexel
  • Duke
  • Georgetown
  • Johns Hopkins
  • Max Planck Institute for Psycholinguistics
  • Ohio State
  • Özyeğin University​
  • Seoul National University
  • Temple
  • University of Coimbra

Ph.D. graduates who have gone into industry have moved to the following companies:

  • Batelle
  • Core Human Factors
  • Delve
  • EPAM Systems
  • Exponent
  • GE Healthcare
  • Google
  • Project Management Institute​

 

Training in Teaching

The Department of Psychological & Brain Sciences offers a graduate course in the teaching of psychology taught by Beth Morling — author of a popular research methods textbook and recipient of the Professor of the Year Award from the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. Also, students gain training as teaching assistants. If desired, opportunities are available for graduate students to teach courses in the winter and summer sessions.​​

Funding

Students are funded through the department as a research assistant or teaching assistant, a University fellowship, or via extramural grants. 

Students receive a tuition waiver as full-time students. Students with summer funding received $29,333/year in financial support in 2023-2024.​

Development outside courses and research

We hold a weekly cognitive brown bag, a department colloquium, a cognitive science speaker series, and informal reading groups. Recent speakers at these meetings include:

  • Matt Botvinick (Princeton)

  • Anjan Chatterjee (Penn)

  • Evelina Fedorenko (MIT)

  • Matt Goldrick (Northwestern)

  • Joe Kable (Penn)

  • Sabine Kastner (Princeton)

  • Michael McCloskey (Johns Hopkins)

  • Ken Norman (Princeton)

  • Brenda Rapp (Johns Hopkins)

  • Amy Shelton (Johns Hopkins)

  • Brad Wyble (Penn State)

Graduate students are encouraged to meet and dine with external speakers. Graduate students are also expected to present their research and ideas at our weekly brown bag. This includes talks on their research, practice talks for conference, and leading discussion on important topics in the field.

Working with multiple advisors

We encourage interdisciplinary research and training. For example, your primary training could be in using neuroimaging methods, but you could do an additional project with assistance from a different advisor using eye tracking, TMS, neuropsychological research, etc. In addition, you might be interested in working in cross-cutting areas such as emotion and cognition which might involve having additional research advisors from other areas in the department such as social, clinical, or behavioral neuroscience.

Choosing the right graduate program

What is most important in choosing a graduate program is that you find an advisor with whom you connect and can work with. The small size of the cognitive psychology program allows the faculty to devote more time to each student, ensuring you receive the support and personal attention you will need to succeed.

Research equipment

The cognitive psychology program has the following equipment available for research:

  • A 3T Siemens Prisma scanner, with equipment for delivering visual and tactile stimuli.

  • A TMS system with neuronavigation, allowing for precise targeting of cortical areas for brain stimulation.

  • Brain Vision 64 channel EEG system.

  • Eyelink 1000 eye tracker.