Doctor of Philosophy in the Field of Applied Social Psychology (STEM)

The PhD in Applied Social Psychology program trains students to apply social psychological theories and methods to understand and address major health problems and health disparities.

Following the scientist-practitioner model, the program provides a solid foundation in social psychological topics such as attitudes, social cognition, social influence and decision-making, and also promotes mastery of research methods (i.e., experimental and correlational approaches, and quantitative, qualitative and mixed methods research). Students may round out their academic experience with electives from other areas of study including, but not limited to, public health, public policy, economics, and minority and community psychology.

In addition, because faculty specialize in a broad range of analysis in their own research, students in the program also learn multiple perspectives on human behavior. With the program’s applied focus on health promotion and disease prevention, students have collaborated with faculty on research related to HIV/AIDS, obesity, sexual risk, substance use, sun exposure and the doctor-patient relationship.

Many students also add to their portfolio of skills by pursuing service-sector research and internship opportunities at consulting firms, government agencies, health care organizations, nonprofits, corporations and other organizations.

This is a STEM designated program.

Visit the program website for additional information.

Visit the Columbian College of Arts and Sciences website for application requirements.

Supporting documents not submitted online should be mailed to:

Columbian College of Arts and Sciences, Office of Graduate Studies
The George Washington University
801 22nd Street NW, Phillips Hall 107
Washington DC 20052

For additional information about the admissions process visit the Columbian College of Arts and Sciences Frequently Asked Questions page.

Contact for questions:

askccas@gwu.edu
202-994-6210 (phone)
Hours: 9:00 am to 5:00 pm, Monday through Friday

The following requirements must be fulfilled:

The general requirements stated under Columbian College of Arts and Sciences, Graduate Programs.

72 credits, including 24 credits in core requirements, at least 30 credits in elective courses, at least 12 credits in dissertation research, successful completion of the program's candidacy assessment process (outlined below), and the completion and successful defense of a dissertation.

Course List

Code	Title	Credits
Required core
Applied social (9 credits)
PSYC 8253	Social Cognition
PSYC 8254	Social Influence
PSYC 8277	Health Psychology
Methods/statistics (15 credits)
PSYC 8202	Psychological Research Methods and Procedures
PSYC 8205	Multiple Regression Analysis in Psychological and Social Sciences
PSYC 8206	Multivariate Analysis and Modeling
and two additional methods/statistics courses selected with the approval of the faculty advisor.
Electives
At least 30 credits. Recommended courses are listed below; other PSYC courses or courses from other departments may be selected with the approval of the faculty advisor.
PSYC 8257	Current Topics in Social Psychology
PSYC 8258	Qualitative Research and Analysis
PSYC 8279	Special Topics in Health Psychology
PSYC 8261	Introduction to Machine Learning for Applied Psychology
PSYC 8295	Independent Research
PSYC 8998	Advanced Reading and Research
Dissertation
At least 12 credits.
PSYC 8999	Dissertation Research
Candidacy assessment process
To advance to candidacy, students must successfully complete a second-year paper, 45 credits of coursework, a comprehensive examination, and a dissertation proposal.