Doctoral Programs in Cognition and Neuroscience,
Communication Sciences and Disorders, Psychological Sciences
Professors: Hervé Abdi,
Peter F. Assmann, James C. Bartlett, Thomas G.R.
Bower, Thomas Campbell, Sandra Chapman, Christine Dollaghan,
W. Jay Dowling, George M. Gerken
(emeritus), Richard Golden, John Hart, Susan W. Jerger,
William F. Katz , Aage R. Møller, Bert S. Moore, Alice J. O’Toole,
Margaret T. Owen, Denise Park, Ross J. Roeser, Michael
D. Rugg, Allen L. Rupert (emeritus), Bart Rypma, John W. Santrock, Melanie
J. Spence, Robert D. Stillman, Linda Thibodeau, Emily
Tobey, Hanna Ulatowska, Anne van Kleeck,
Marion Underwood, Deborah Wiebe
Associate Professors: Marco Atzori, Lawrence
J. Cauller, Michael Kilgard, Robert Rennaker, Pamela Rollins, Lucien T. Thompson
Assistant Professors: Cindy de Frias, Francesca
M. Filbey, Shayla
Holub, Daniel Krawczyk, Sven
Kroener, Christa McIntyre, Mandy Maguire, Candace Mills,
Jonathan E. Plosksi, Noah Sasson
Distinguished Scholar in Residence: James Jerger
The School of Behavioral and Brain Sciences offers
doctoral programs in Cognition and Neuroscience, Communication Sciences and
Disorders, and Psychological Sciences. Each provides preparation in basic and
applied aspects of behavioral and brain sciences. The faculty consists of
specialists in developmental psychology, cognitive science, neuroscience,
cognitive neuroscience, and communication sciences and disorders. Students may
specialize in these areas or pursue study across areas as in the study of child
language, aging, perception, and behavioral and neural plasticity. Core and
specialized courses provide the foundation for advanced seminars and a wide spectrum
of doctoral research in laboratories, schools, and clinics. Frequent
colloquia and informal brown-bag seminars contribute to a stimulating
environment for scholarly development.
Cognition
and Neuroscience
The flexible, non-traditional doctoral program in
Cognition and Neuroscience provides novel opportunities for multidisciplinary
and cross-disciplinary studies in the areas of perception, memory, attention,
and executive processing, cognitive neuroscience, cellular and systems
neuroscience, cortical plasticity, and computational modeling of cognitive and
neural processes. Close liaison
with the U.T. Southwestern Medical School provides access to first-class
neuroimaging technologies and research populations. Students pursuing research in this
program have the option of developing, in consultation with their doctoral
advisor, a unique training program tailored to their specific
research interests.
Psychological
Sciences
The doctoral program in Psychological Sciences provides
opportunities for study within the context of a traditional experimental
psychology curriculum. The program also offers strong interdisciplinary
linkages to other areas within the School of Behavioral and Brain Sciences,
including cognitive neuroscience, behavioral neuroscience, and communication
sciences and disorders. The primary goal of the program is to prepare
research investigators for academic and applied settings either directly or
indirectly related to the field of Experimental Psychology. Students work
closely with one or more faculty members in a collegial mentoring relationship.
Although all students complete a core curriculum comprised of coursework in
areas such as Developmental Psychology, Cognition, and Social/Personality
Psychology, the program allows students to individually tailor their studies in
creative ways.
Communication
Sciences and Disorders
The doctoral program in Communication Sciences and
Disorders provides opportunities for graduate study and research in the areas
of speech, language, and hearing science and in the disorders that affect
speech, language, and hearing. Students have available a wealth of research opportunities in laboratories, clinics, and
schools, both on-campus and in the community. Close liaison with the U.T.
Southwestern Medical School provides patient access and numerous opportunities
for research in medical settings. Coursework and research options within
the doctoral programs in Psychological Sciences and Cognition and Neuroscience
allow students to pursue interdisciplinary study in areas such as neuroimaging of language processes, child language, autism,
neural plasticity and recovery, speech perception, auditory neuroscience and cognitive
aging.
The offices and research facilities of the School of
Behavioral and Brain Sciences are located on the Richardson campus,
and the Callier Center for
Communication Disorders-Dallas, the Center for BrainHealth,
and the Center for Vital Longevity, all of which are located adjacent to the campus of the UT Southwestern Medical Center at
Dallas. Facilities on the Richardson campus include teaching and research
laboratories for neuroscience, a cognitive science, and facilities for the
study of child development, including the Center for Children and Families. Callier-Richardson, also located on the Richardson campus,
provides a variety of clinical services to the community and serves as a
research site for students in Communication Sciences and Disorders and
Psychological Sciences.
The University’s general admission
requirements are discussed here.
Review of applications and early decisions for fall
admission will begin December 1, but all application materials MUST be received
by February 1. Fall application is advised due to the coursework schedule
and availability of assistantship support. The Psychological Sciences Ph.D. program accepts students for fall
semester admission only. Current
application deadlines may be found at http://bbs.utdallas.edu/graduate/deadlines.html.
Admission to a doctoral program is based on a review of
the applicant’s transcripts, GRE scores, letters of recommendation, and
narrative description of research interests and career goals. In addition to
academic requirements, the admissions committee weighs heavily the match
between the applicant’s research interests and the research areas
available to students in the school. For information about faculty research
interests, see our web pages at bbs.utdallas.edu
Some courses in the graduate programs in Audiology,
Applied Cognition and Neuroscience, Communication Disorders, Human Development
and Early Childhood Disorders, and Psychological Sciences complement doctoral
coursework and, upon a student’s admission to the Ph.D. program, can be
applied toward the degree. Students should consult with the doctoral program
head to determine which graduate courses can be applied to the Ph.D.
Students seeking clinical certification from the American
Speech-Language-Hearing Association in Speech-Language Pathology or Audiology,
in addition to the Ph.D., may combine the masters program in Communication
Disorders (speech-language pathology) or doctoral program in Audiology with the
Ph.D. programs in Communication Sciences and Disorders, Cognition and
Neuroscience, or Psychological Sciences. An individualized plan of study leads
to both degrees. Students are separately admitted to each program and admission
to one program does not assure admission to the other.
The University’s general degree
requirements are discussed here.
Students seeking the Doctor of Philosophy degree must
complete 75 graduate hours.
COGNITION
AND NEUROSCIENCE (Ph.D.)
Doctoral
Proseminar (6 SCH)
·
HCS 6302 Issues in Behavioral and Brain
Sciences I
·
HCS 6303 Issues in Behavioral and Brain
Sciences II
Research
Methods (6 SCH minimum)
·
HCS 6312 Research Methods in Behavioral and
Brain Sciences - Part I
·
HCS 6313 Research Methods in Behavioral and
Brain Sciences - Part II
Cognition
and Neuroscience Core Courses (6 SCH minimum).Students must take a minimum of one Cognition Core and
one Neuroscience Core, choosing from those listed below.
1. Cognition
HCS 6330
Cognitive Science
HCS 6395 Cognitive Psychology
2. Neuroscience
HCS 6346 Systems Neuroscience
HCS 7344
Functional Neuroanatomy
Advanced
Electives (9 SCH minimum). In addition
to completing the 6 semester credit hour (SCH) core requirement, students take a minimum of 9 SCH of advanced
electives. Any HCS course may count as an advanced elective. This
includes core courses (see above), though no course can be counted both as a
core and an advanced elective for any single student. Advanced electives are
selected by students with the concurrence of their research advisors based on
the students’ research foci. Depending on a student’s background
and dissertation research, additional advanced electives beyond the 9 SCH
minimum may be necessary.
COMMUNICATION SCIENCES AND DISORDERS (Ph.D.)
Doctoral
Proseminar (6
SCH)
·
HCS 6302 Issues in Behavioral and Brain
Sciences I
·
HCS 6303 Issues in Behavioral and Brain
Sciences II
Research
Methods (9 SCH minimum)
·
HCS 6312 Research Methods in Behavioral and
Brain Sciences - Part I
·
HCS 6313 Research Methods in Behavioral and
Brain Sciences - Part II
·
Approved Advanced Research Methods/Statistics
course
Core
(6 SCH minimum) Students must complete a minimum of 6
semester credit hours of approved COMD or AUD prefixed courses. Courses meeting
this requirement will vary depending on the student’s research
interests. The requirement may be waived for students holding a graduate
degree in the field of speech-language pathology or audiology. Students
lacking an adequate foundation in communication sciences may be required to
complete more than the 6 SCH minimum of core coursework.
Communication
Sciences and Disorders (3 SCH minimum) All students must complete a minimum of 3 SCH of
doctoral coursework offered through the Ph.D. program in Communication Sciences
and Disorders.
Supplemental
Coursework (12 SCH minimum) All students
must complete an additional minimum of 12 SCH’s of doctoral level courses
and seminars. Courses may be selected from doctoral level coursework
offered through the Ph.D. programs in Communication Sciences and Disorders or,
with advisor approval, from the doctoral coursework offered through the Ph.D.
programs in Cognition and Neuroscience and Psychological Sciences.
PSYCHOLOGICAL SCIENCES (Ph.D.)
Doctoral Proseminar
(6 SCH)
·
HCS 6302 Issues in Behavioral and Brain
Sciences I
·
HCS 6303 Issues in Behavioral and Brain
Sciences II
Research
Methods (6 SCH minimum)
·
HCS 6312 Research Methods in Behavioral and
Brain Sciences - Part I
·
HCS 6313 Research Methods in Behavioral
and Brain Sciences - Part II
Psychological Science Core
Courses (12 SCH minimum). Students will declare a major in Developmental
Psychology, Cognition, or Social/Personality Psychology. Students must take
four core courses from those listed below. Two of these courses must be
selected from the major area, and the four courses must be selected from at
least two of the four areas listed.
1. Developmental Psychology
HCS 6350 Social Development
HCS 6331
Cognitive Development
HCS 6368
Language Development
2. Cognition
HCS 6395 Cognitive Psychology
HCS 6330
Cognitive Science
HCS 6333
Memory
3. Social/Personality Psychology
HCS 6376 Social Psychology
HCS 6327
Personality
HCS 6346 Systems Neuroscience
HCS 7344
Functional Neuroanatomy
Advanced
Electives (9 SCH minimum). After
completing the 12 SCH core requirements, students will
take an additional 9 SCH of advanced electives. Any core course (see
above) may count as an advanced elective, though it cannot count both as a core
course and as an elective. One of these 3-hour elective courses must be
an advanced research methods course. Students will declare a major in
Developmental Psychology, Cognition, or Social/Personality Development and will
take a minimum of four courses (cores and electives) in the major area.
Students may enroll in other advanced electives from the other doctoral course
offerings available in the School, including courses in language and
communication. Additional advanced electives are available each semester.
INDIVIDUALIZED DEGREE PLANS
The option of creating an individualized degree plan is
available to students whose interests cut across degree areas. One such plan
offers a focus in Child Language Development and Disorders. This focus allows
students to take advantage of unique interdisciplinary research opportunities
in the School’s demonstration programs for infants, toddlers, and
preschool children. Individualized plans should be drafted in consultation with
the student’s research advisor and require the approval of the Graduate
Studies Committee.
ADDITIONAL
REQUIREMENTS
All students must complete the Qualifying
Project/Qualifying Paper requirements of the Ph.D. degree sought. The
successful defense of a written dissertation completes the requirements for the
degree.