The overall objective of the program is to produce professional research psychologists who feel comfortable working in a number of settings and are correspondingly qualified for a range of careers. This includes working in academic settings as professors or research scientists as well as in non-academic settings in areas such as human factors and software interface design. Thus, we welcome applicants who wish to become researchers at major institutions, applicants who wish to become teacher-scholars at liberal arts schools, and applicants with an applied focus interested in working in industry or government settings.
Training involves collaborative and independent research activities beginning with the first term of graduate school and culminating in the doctoral dissertation. Students are thought of as both apprentices and colleagues of the faculty, and many of their professional skills are developed in the context of research activities, rather than classroom instruction. Each student works most closely with a single faculty member designated as their major advisor. Together, they are most directly responsible for planning and conducting the student's graduate training. However, other faculty are accessible, and no student is restricted to working with only their major advisor.
By the end of their training, students will have been provided with at least the basic skills of how to write a grant proposal, present a research paper at a professional meeting, review a manuscript for potential publication, write a vita, and a variety of other professional activities. Additionally, they will be acquainted with the basic literature in all of the major areas of psychology and have specialist-level knowledge in one or more areas of cognitive or sensory processes. Advanced courses in research methods and statistics are available in various departments on campus.
For those students who are interested in the teaching of psychology, there is ample opportunity to learn teaching skills. Many students are supported through departmental teaching assistantships in which students assist with one or two courses. Some advanced students elect to teach their own sections of undergraduate courses.
All psychology graduate students take a basic set of literature courses in the various substantive areas of psychology as well as a two-semester sequence of courses in statistics. Aside from these courses, there is no fixed curriculum for students in Cognitive and Sensory Processes. Students enroll in graduate courses and seminars according to their needs and interests. The student's particular schedules for each term are developed in consultation with their major advisor, and in some cases, their research committee. Several of the courses in the Cognitive and Sensory Processes area are rotating-topic seminars, which allow students to formally study a variety of major topics; for example, past seminars have focused on topics such as Human Memory, Language and Thought, and Theories of Cognitive Aging.
Most students have their own office space and are provided with a computer for on-campus work. Additionally, each faculty member has a laboratory in which experiments can be conducted. Other equipment that students may have access to includes systems for EEG recording and evoked-potential analysis, and MRI systems for brain imaging. The university has several large libraries, including a media library that provides films, an education library, and a library that serves the medical school. Most students use Library West, which has most of the psychology-related holdings. Free networking, web and email access are provided by the university. We have close interdisciplinary ties with other academic units, including the Brain Institute, the Center for Neuropsychological Studies, and the Age Network, which provide students with other opportunities for research and collaboration.
The faculty in Cognitive and Sensory Processes welcome applications from students with undergraduate majors in psychology as well as those from a variety of related areas, such as the physical or biological sciences, engineering, social sciences such as economics and linguistics, and computer and information sciences. Consult the material provided by the Psychology Department for details on the admission procedure. We welcome personal interviews and encourage applicants to visit the Department at any time during the application process.
A variety of criteria are used to decide whom to admit. We typically admit only a small number of students to maximize one-on-one training opportunities. Efforts are made to match research and training interests of students with those of our faculty. The University of Florida requires a minimum combined GRE score of 1000, although our admitted students typically have higher test scores and grade point averages than are required by the university.
It is assumed that students will require five years of residence at the University of Florida for completion of the Ph.D. degree, including the optional Master's degree. Students typically remain registered as full-time students for the entire academic year, taking a relatively lighter course load and more research credits during the summer months. Applications from students with Master's degrees in Cognitive and Sensory Processes or related areas are welcome.
Support is available through the University, the Department, and in some cases, through grants to faculty members within the area. In the past, students admitted to the program have received some form of support throughout their graduate education. There are a number of fellowships available for students, particularly minority applicants, that are awarded on a competitive basis.
Questions about the application process should be directed to the secretary of graduate studies, psyinfo@grove.ufl.edu. The cognitive area director is Lise Abrams (abrams@ufl.edu) and questions about the area or our research may be directed to her. Questions may also be directed to individual faculty members with whom the student is interested in working.