The Applied Cognitive Psychology PhD Program is not currently accepting applications.
The PhD Program in Applied Cognitive Psychology offers students training in cognitive psychology research and theory and a wide range of statistical and methodological skills necessary to do basic and applied research on important issues related to human cognition.
CGU’s PhD programming in Applied Cognitive Psychology offers in-depth scholarship in the theories and research that define the traditional and contemporary areas of cognitive psychology, including cognitive aging, eyewitness memory, intelligence and working memory, and perception and human performance. Intensive research will define your education; you’ll be quickly involved as a student, collaborator, and colleague with globally renowned faculty-scholars, conducting research on applied topics that inform important societal problems.
Program Highlights
- A key component of the Applied Cognitive Psychology program is the apprentice model, in which PhD students collaborate closely with their faculty research advisors throughout their graduate studies.
- Many cognitive psychology students focus their research in law & psychology, including the topics of eyewitness memory, autobiographical memory, and lie detection.
- Cognitive psychology students also collaborate with faculty from The Claremont Colleges on a range of topics, including cognitive aging, decision-making, prospective memory, autobiographical memory, and embodied cognition.
- Cognitive psychology graduate students and faculty gather regularly for Cognitive Brown Bag Lunches to hear research presentations on topics of current interest.
- All Applied Cognitive Psychology students who request financial aid receive fellowships. The Division of Behavioral & Organizational Sciences also regularly hires students for paid teaching assistantships.
- We also offer an MA program in Applied Cognitive Psychology: User Experience. Learn more
Program At-a-glance
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72 units
required units
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PhD in Psychology
degree awarded
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In Person
modality
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Spring, Fall
program start
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5-7 years | full time*
estimated completion time
Where You Can Find Our Alumni
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Legacy Games
Founder and President
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California State University, Fullerton
Professor of Psychology
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YouTube
Quantitative UX Researcher
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Arizona State University
Professor, School of Criminology & Criminal Justice
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Naval Postgraduate School
Professor of Psychology
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NICE inContact
UX Researcher
Faculty
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Kathy Pezdek
Professor Emerit of Psychology
Research Interests
Memory & Comprehension, Eyewitness Memory, Autobiographical Memory
Extended Faculty
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Lise Abrams
Pomona College
Research Interests
Language and memory, speech production, tip-of-the-tongue (TOT) states, cognitive aging, bilingualism
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Alison Harris
Claremont McKenna College
Research Interests
Cognitive neuroscience, decision neuroscience, neuroeconomics
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David Moore
Pitzer College
Research Interests
Cognitive development, development of mental rotation, infant-directed speech, categorization in infancy
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Catherine L. Reed
Claremont McKenna College
Research Interests
Cognitive neuroscience, electroencephalography, human behavior and human factors, multisensory perception
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Shlomi Sher
Pomona College
Research Interests
Rational and psychological levels of analysis; scientific approaches to the mind-body problem
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Patricia Smiley
Pomona College
Research Interests
Language development, self-development, achievement motivation
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Sharda Umanath
Claremont McKenna College
Research Interests
Cognition, education, experimental psychology, memory
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Megan Zirnstein
Pomona College
Research Interests
Sentence processing, individual differences in reading behavior and comprehension, bilingual language processing, ERPs, eye tracking
Curriculum
Cognitive Psychology (12 units)
Cognition (4 units)
Memory (4 units)
Applied Cognitive Psychology (4 units)
Cognitive Psychology & Related Electives (32 units)
You are encouraged to take elective courses in the School of Educational Studies, the Drucker School of Management, the Division of Politics & Economics, and the Center for Information Systems & Technology.
Statistics & Research Methods (20 units)
Research Methods (4 units)
Directed Research: Cognitive Psychology (two 2-unit courses)
Intermediate Statistics (2 units)
Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) (2 units)
Applied Multiple Regression (2 units)
Categorical Data Analysis (2 units)
Additional 4 units of Advanced Methodology
Field/Teaching Experience (4 units)
Supervised Teaching Seminar (4 units)
or
Field Placement (4 units)
Transdisciplinary Core Course (4 units)
All PhD students are required to enroll in a transdisciplinary core course from the “TNDY” course sequence during their first three semesters at Claremont Graduate University.
Portfolio
In addition to 72 units of coursework, you must complete a portfolio that represents a cohesive set of experiences balancing training in your area of specialization.
PhD Completion
• PhD qualifying exam
• Dissertation proposal
• Dissertation and oral defense