Program Overview
Behavioral Science Ph.D.
Program Overview
The Behavioral Science Ph.D. program at the University of North Texas offers training in both basic and applied research, with a focus on high-quality training and intensive student-faculty involvement in joint research.
Program Details
- Degree Type: Doctoral Degree
- Format: On Campus
- Estimated Time to Complete: 5-6 years
- Credit Hours: 42 (with master's) or 72 (with bachelor's)
Program Description
The program exposes students to a variety of content areas, including cognition, social, developmental, motivation, health, and neuroscience. This approach allows students to pursue a focus with a fully informed background and better prepares them to work in collaborative research environments.
Research Areas
- Adult development
- Health psychology
- Neuropsychology
- Personality disorders
- Physiological psychology
- Traumatology
- Memory and Cognition
- Critical Race and Tokenism
- Addiction
- Social Motivation
Marketable Skills
- Oral and written communication
- Research data collection/interpretation
- Current event knowledge
- Idea origination/implementation
- Statistical analysis
Program Highlights
- Individual work is conducted simultaneously with projects leading to publications or grant applications.
- The program offers many teaching opportunities and support for professional development, and it maximizes training for research.
- The Graduate Student Writing Support office can help with writing, and the Center for Interdisciplinary Research offers assistance with statistical research.
- A Dissertation Boot Camp and other specialized workshops are available through the Toulouse Graduate School.
Career Opportunities
A Doctor of Philosophy degree in Behavioral Science will help students move into prominent roles as a researcher or professor at a university or as a research consultant with a counseling center, hospital, mental health center, medical school, or rehabilitation services agency.
Sample Courses
- Cognitive and Affective Bases of Behavior (3 hrs)
- Behavioral and Biopsychosocial Challenges within LGBT Communities (3 hrs)
- Biological Bases of Behavior (3 hrs)
- Independent Research (3 hrs)
- Better Living through Behavioral Science (3 hrs)
- Human Development (3 hrs)
Program Outline
Degree Overview:
The Behavioral Science Ph.D. program at the University of North Texas is a 5-6 year on-campus program requiring 42 credit hours (with a master's degree) or 72 credit hours (with a bachelor's degree). It provides specialized training for careers in human research or academia. The program offers a broad exposure to various content areas, including cognition, social, developmental, motivation, health, and neuroscience, allowing students to pursue a focus with a comprehensive background. This approach prepares students for collaborative research environments.
Objectives:
- To provide high-quality training with intensive student-faculty involvement in joint research.
- To equip students with advanced knowledge and research expertise in one or more specialty areas.
- To develop students' research skills through participation in projects leading to publication or grant applications.
Teaching:
- The program emphasizes one-to-one training, allowing students to acquire research skills while working on projects leading to publication or grant application.
- Faculty members provide individual work with students, leading to publications or grant applications.
- The Graduate Student Writing Support office provides assistance with writing, and the Center for Interdisciplinary Research offers assistance with statistical research.
- The Toulouse Graduate School offers a Dissertation Boot Camp and other specialized workshops, many of which are available online.
Careers:
A Doctor of Philosophy degree in Behavioral Science can lead to prominent roles as:
- A researcher or professor at a university
- A research consultant with a counseling center, hospital, mental health center, medical school, or rehabilitation services agency.
Other:
- The program offers financial support for doctoral students through teaching and research assistantships, teaching fellowships, and scholarships.
- Students gain competence in research through coursework, individual work with faculty members, vertical research teams led by faculty members, and informal research experiences.
- Key research areas for faculty members include:
- Adult development
- Health psychology
- Neuropsychology
- Personality disorders
- Physiological psychology
- Traumatology
- Memory and Cognition
- Critical Race and Tokenism
- Addiction
- Social Motivation
- Marketable skills developed in the program include:
- Oral and written communication
- Research data collection/interpretation
- Current event knowledge
- Idea origination/implementation
- Statistical analysis
