Overview
of program and its history Faculty
overview Student
overview Research
facilities in social psychology Interactions
within the department and the community Requirements
for the doctoral program Admission
information for to the Social Program Financial
support for our graduate students About
Miami and the Department of PsychologyThe Department of Psychology at Miami University has offered the Ph.D. in Social Psychology throughout its history of doctoral education. The program emphasizes extensive collaboration among faculty and students (fostered by a low student-to-faculty ratio) in a program that trains researchers who possess substantive expertise within social psychology and a strong conceptual grounding in the theories and methods of psychology. Our graduates are quite competitive for jobs in academia, in the private sector, and in government.
The social psychology doctoral program has several faculty members (Claypool, Diekman, Fuehrer, Hugenberg, McConnell, and Stasser) who oversee the training of its graduate students. Although their training is diverse and their interests unique, there are also many commonalities among our faculty based on training (e.g., intergroups focus, social cognition), based on topics of study (e.g., judgment and decision making, stereotyping) and on pools of expertise (e.g., statistics, emphasis on cognitive representation).
Our faculty are extremely productive and accomplished. Since 2004, our average faculty member published at a rate of 2.91 papers/year, presented 5.88 scholarly talks/year, and reviewed or wrote action letters for 23.69 manuscripts/year. Many of them have positions on top editorial boards, including having served as associate editor positions for journals such as JESP and PSPB. In addition, our faculty are quite successful in landing large grants from agencies such as the National Science Foundation, the National Institute of Mental Health, and the Office of Naval Research (at the moment, we have 1 NIMH and 3 NSF grants held by social faculty members). In terms of university awards (all earned within the past decade), our faculty include two university distinguished research scholars, one university distinguished educator, and three different Professors of the Year in Psychology.
The social psychology program admits approximately 2-4 students per year, and they are selected from a pool of approximately 50 applicants each year. We typically offer admission to our top 6-7 applicants to obtain the targeted number of acceptances. In recent years, admitted students have had average GRE scores of approximately 1200 (combining the verbal and quantitative subscales) and possessed an average undergraduate GPA of 3.7.
The social program has nearly 50 graduates, and in recent years we have produced an average of two doctorates per year employed full-time in positions related to their training. Over 80% of them have faculty appointments at institutions of higher learning, with rest employed in industry or in government. Some of our graduate students take post-doctoral positions (e.g., SUNY Buffalo, UC Santa Barbara) before accepting their tenure-track faculty positions.
In 2006, the Department of Psychology moved into a brand new building, the Psychology Building (PSYC), which is over 100,000 square feet in size, containing state-of-the-art classrooms, offices, and
research space for faculty and graduate students. In addition to commonly-shared research space and facilities (e.g., computer labs, a large social interaction laboratory), each faculty member has dedicated, individual
research laboratories with a range of set-ups ranging from ones that have multiple computers in individual data collection rooms to others that use
cutting-edge digital equipment to record their social interactions. The support
for research in social psychology at Miami is excellent, both in terms of space
and resources. Most of the experiments conducted by social psychologists at
Miami University rely on the introductory psychology subject pool, which provides
a large number of participants each semester (subject recruitment is handled
by an easy and efficient web-based subject pool system).
Our goal is to train social psychologists who are not only firmly anchored within the discipline but also prepared to apply their expertise in the variety of settings that employ behavioral scientists. Our students are required to take graduate seminars outside of social psychology and typically select at least one cognitive or clinical faculty member to serve on their thesis, comprehensive exam, and dissertation committees. Moreover, a sizable minority actively collaborate with cognitive and clinical faculty, and our faculty often have collaborative research programs across areas.
Relatedly, the social psychology faculty are also actively involved
in training students in other areas. Clinical students frequently take social
seminars to fulfill their nonclinical seminar requirement, and frequently request
social faculty to serve on their thesis and dissertation committees. Social
faculty also teach many of the core statistics and methodological courses taken
by students within the department. Also, members of the social program has been
involved in many interdisciplinary research projects and consultation and assessment
programs in the community.
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The two major goals of the social program are to develop students' substantive expertise in the major areas of social psychology and to train them thoroughly in research methods so that they may actively contribute in both academic and applied settings. We believe these goals are best met through learning by doing, based upon a program which stresses research involvement, intellectual exchange, and initiative. Early and extensive involvement in research is the key to maximizing career opportunities down the road, whether a student aspires for academia or for a position in the public or private sector.
In the first year, graduate students should begin to develop their own specific
professional goals and research specialization in consultation with a faculty
advisor. The student's program of study should be related to the expertise of
the social faculty, but may also involve faculty in other areas of psychology.
During the second year, students should complete a master's thesis, and afterwards,
compose a reading list for their comprehensive examination (usually during the
third year). In their last year, students are expected to complete a dissertation.
Throughout the training program, students are expected to attend departmental
and program events, give professional presentations at scientific conferences,
and publish articles in social psychology journals.
All students are expected to be continuously involved in research throughout the course of the program. Research involvement begins immediately with a faculty supervised research apprenticeship or a faculty sponsored project of the student's design. Later on, students may collaborate with other students on projects. For the Master's Degree, students must satisfactorily complete a course in Research Methods, two courses from the department's graduate statistics offerings, and their master's thesis.
In addition to the general department requirements, students are required to complete six graduate seminars in social psychology, at least three of which must be core social seminars (i.e., Psy 630s). The remaining three seminars may be core seminars (i.e., Psy 630s) or more topical seminars (i.e., Psy 730s). The most recent rotation of core seminars (Psy 630s) have included: attitudes, groups, intergroup relations, social cognition. Recently offered topical seminars (Psy 730s) have included: goals and motivation, social roles theory, group stereotyping and prejudice, and social psychological perspectives on the self. In addition to the social seminar requirements, social graduate students must also complete two additional graduate seminars outside of the social area (from five other areas in the department: clinical, developmental, cognitive, psychobiology, and human factors).
For all social students, the comprehensive examination must be passed prior to working on a dissertation. All social students are expected to obtain some type of teaching experience, which includes enrolling in a seminar in teaching and pedagogy. Except under exceptional circumstances, social graduate students will not undertake teaching assignments where they are the instructor of record until after they have completed their master's theses.
Satisfying the minimum requirements of the social program, however, is only a start toward becoming an active social psychologist. Much of one's education and training takes place in informal settings, which include daily discussions with other students and faculty, reading current journals, attending conferences and presenting one's work to the field. Each year, numerous social students present papers at regional (e.g., MPA), national (e.g., APS), and international conferences and have papers accepted for publication in scholarly journals. In addition, all students are expected to attend weekly social brownbags (SPRIG) and colloquia, which feature eminent scholars and researchers in social psychology. All students in the social program are also expected to not only attend weekly meetings of SPRIG (Social Psychology Research Interest Group), but to also present their research ideas at these meetings.
To be admitted to the program, one must have a bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university. One's undergraduate preparation should include a background in psychology, at least one course in mathematics, statistics and one laboratory course in psychology. Demonstrated ability and experience in research and activities related to one's desired field of study is considered very important. Although most students enter the program after finishing a bachelor's degree, the department does occasionally admit students who have completed a master's degree from another program. A number of successful graduates of the program have entered after having worked in other fields.
To apply to the program, one must submit: three letters of recommendation; transcripts from all colleges and universities attended; and GRE scores for the aptitude and advanced psychology tests taken within the last five years. International students must also submit scores on the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL). In addition, one must include a personal statement explaining why one is interested in doctoral studies in psychology and identifying the research area of interest. Finally, all applicants should complete an application checklist and submit it with their application materials. The faculty encourage qualified applicants to visit the department before admissions decisions are made and to e-mail our faculty long before applying. Admission to the graduate program is highly competitive.
Instructions, forms, and additional application information can be obtained from the department's website. The deadline for receiving the completed application and materials is January 1.
The department is committed to providing at least four years of financial assistance to all students in the program. Beginning graduate students receive graduate assistantships that require teaching or research assistance to a faculty member for about 20 hours per week. Advanced graduate students have the opportunity to lead discussion and lab sections of undergraduate courses as well as assume full responsibility for courses in the undergraduate curriculum.
For the 2006-07 academic year, the annual starting stipend for graduate assistants was $13,101, which includes a waiver of tuition and 6 hours of course credit during the summer. Teaching assistants who have more seniority in the program can earn considerably more. Assistantships are awarded to all students admitted by the department. There is no separate application for financial aid. Several of our graduate students are supported by federal grants supervised by our faculty, and additional support may be available through these (and other) means as well.
The economic value of a graduate stipend should rightfully be evaluated in perspective to the cost of living. Adequate housing is available in Oxford for the academic season, so long as the necessary arrangements are made by late spring. The monthly cost of housing ranges from $250 to $425 among those students living in single rooms or apartments. The median cost is $325. Students sharing an apartment or house report monthly costs ranging from $165 to $300 with a median of $265. Our students generally believe that housing in Oxford is "reasonable." There is also a University housing unit which has been set aside for graduate students, with single rooms leasing for $770 per semester. Few of our students have taken advantage of this option. Individual expenses for food and drink appear to be quite variable, with monthly estimates ranging from $100 to $350 with a median of $130. Room and board per year averages less than $5,300 for most students.
Miami University, founded in 1809, is the second-oldest state-assisted liberal education institution in Ohio. Located in the rolling country of southwestern Ohio, the Miami campus covers more than 1,100 acres and is considered by many to be one of the most beautiful campuses in the country. Miami is renowned for its academic excellence and its commitment to the liberal arts. About 1,500 graduate students and 15,000 undergraduates are on the Oxford campus, with about 4,000 students on the nearby regional campuses in Hamilton and Middletown. The main campus consists of 100 major buildings. Miami University is located in Oxford, a town of about 10,000 nonstudent residents, offering a relaxed atmosphere for graduate study. It is 35 miles north of Cincinnati and 46 miles southwest of Dayton and Middletown, combining the advantages of a small town location with the diversity of big city living.
The Department of Psychology trains students for Ph.D.s in clinical, social, and brain and cognitive psychology. The department also offers a training concentration in developmental psychology as well. There is no terminal master's degree program in the department. The are approximately 35 faculty members in psychology, eight of whom are directly identified as faculty in the Social Program. Currently, there are about 70 graduate students, about a dozen of whom are Social Psychology students. The department does not permit students to pursue graduate studies on a part-time basis.
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