The Experimental Psychology Graduate Program places a strong emphasis on mentorship. Each student works closely with a particular faculty member. Thus, it is important that the student’s interest fairly closely matches that of the faculty with whom they would like to work.
If you are interested in using animal models to examine the behavioral and neurobiological components of learning, memory, emotion, and stress, our focus on Biobehavioral Psychology may be for you.
If you are interested in the origins and development of human thought, emotion and behavior, check out our focus on Developmental Psychology.
If you are interested in studying theoretically-driven, socially relevant research on a wide range of topics – including relationships, aggression, social isolation, stigma, prejudice, the environment, and existential psychology – then you might want to look at our focus on Social Psychology .
If you want to understand the relationships between unhealthy behavior patterns (e.g., substance abuse, physical activity, unhealthy food choices, non-adherence with recommended medical regimens) and risk for chronic disease and premature death, take a look at The Human Behavioral Pharmacology Subprogram under the auspices of the Vermont Center on Behavior and Health (VCBH) and in conjunction with the Biobehavioral subprogram.
During the course of your Experimental Psychology Program training, you will: 1) Gain a foundational understanding in your area of research specialization and additional subfields of Experimental Psychology; 2) Develop strong research skills, and 3) Develop effective skills in communicating psychological science. Graduates from our program pursue careers in teaching, research, and applied settings.
Application Process
The Experimental Psychology Graduate Program receives 20 to 50 applications each year and admits about 3-5 of those students. Of the students who have enrolled in our program, approximately 90 percent have stayed and completed their Ph.D. here. When you apply, specify which experimental psychology sub-program you are interested in, as well as the names of up to three experimental faculty members who are potentially accepting students, that you would like to work with. For application details see Application Process
*Applications are reviewed in January and offers are made to select students by the end of February.*
Faculty Accepting Experimental Psychology Graduate PhD Program Students
Find the directory of faculty accepting students on our Application Process page.