Graduate Student Handbook (Psychological Science)

Current version for 2025-2026 academic year.

Handbook Overview

Welcome to the Psychological Science Graduate Program! This handbook is intended to help you make the most of your experience as a graduate student, to familiarize you with policies and procedures of the program, and to clarify expectations.

The information contained in this handbook is based on Psychological Science program policies as of the date indicated on the cover page. However, requirements and procedures change periodically, so check the Psychological Science program and the WSU Graduate School’s websites regularly to ensure that you are following the most up-to-date procedures.

Because the handbook is updated periodically, make sure you use the most recent version which is posted on the Psychology Department’s website (psychology.wsu.edu) and is also available in the program’s Microsoft Teams folder.

Program Introduction

The doctoral program in Psychological Science at Washington State University is designed to produce highly skilled, innovative, and productive experimental psychology researchers and educators. Each student will build their program of study around one or more specialty areas in Biological, Cognition, Health, Industrial/Organizational, and/or Social. Degree recipients are expected to be highly knowledgeable about their specialty areas, to have a strong background in general psychological science, to be able to identify significant research problems, to be conversant with a wide variety of strategies for generating and testing hypotheses that emerge from these problems, and to be able to effectively communicate these ideas. It is expected that graduates will leave Washington State University well equipped to become successful professionals in competitive research and teaching positions in academia, as well as competitive research or applied positions in government and industry.

Program Objectives:

1. Produce highly skilled, ethical, creative, and productive research psychologists.
2. Produce highly skilled, ethical, creative, and effective instructors capable of teaching general psychology and/or teaching in one or more specialty areas of psychology.
3. Prepare students to become successful professionals in research and teaching positions in academia, as well as research or applied positions in government and industry.

Outcomes for Each Program Objective

1. To produce highly skilled, ethical, creative, and productive research psychologists in one or more specialty areas, the program aims to provide a variety of experiences that will help students to:
   • Become independent, self-motivated, ethical researchers with the ability to recognize problems in their field of expertise and formulate solutions to the problems.
   • Develop a comprehensive knowledge of previous and current research in their field of expertise.
   • Generate viable questions and identify significant research problems within their field of expertise, and be conversant with a wide variety of strategies for generating and testing hypotheses that emerge from these questions/problems.
   • Apply sound methods to research problems in their field of expertise and describe the methods effectively.
   • Perform statistical analyses of research data and present the results in a way that makes clear sense of the data and conclusions to be drawn.
   • Discuss the solution to the research problem and the support or lack of support for the hypothesis in a way that effectively describes the contribution of the research to the area of study.
   • Communicate information clearly and effectively in written and oral form according to professional standards.
   • Achieve a mastery of knowledge in the general field of psychological science and the highest level of expertise in a specific, defined area of this field. Develop a general knowledge of different psychological research methods, analyses, and data presentation tools to best answer a research question and convey this information clearly.
   • Develop a general knowledge of different psychological research methods, analyses, and data presentation tools to best answer a research question and convey this information clearly.
2. To produce highly skilled, ethical, creative, and effective instructors capable of teaching general psychology and/or teaching in one or more specialty areas of psychology, the program aims to provide a variety of experiences that will help students to:
   • Become independent, self-motivated, ethical teachers with the ability to utilize appropriate teaching techniques and technologies in order to develop effective and engaging lecture material, class activities, and assignments relevant to the class being offered.
   • Communicate information clearly and effectively in oral and written form and create a positive learning environment that encourages student understanding and utilization of the information presented.
   • Develop effective quizzes and examinations to successfully evaluate learning in a manner that is fair to all students enrolled in the class.
3. To enable students to become successful professionals in preparation for competitive research and teaching positions in academia, as well as research or applied positions in government and industry, the program aims to provide a variety of experiences that will help students to:
   • Achieve professional competency.
   • Present research to local, regional, national, and international audiences through publications in professional (peer-reviewed) journals and conference posters/papers.
   • Participate in professional organizations; becoming members, attending meetings, and taking leadership roles where appropriate.
   • Broaden professional foundations through activities such as teaching, and submitting fellowship and grant applications.
   • Secure employment.

People

Executive committee:

The executive committee is made up of all active, tenured, and tenure-track faculty members in the Psychological Science program (see faculty lists on page 48 of this document) and is chaired by the Director of Psychological Science Training (referred to as DPST henceforth). Program-related issues including, but not limited to, admissions, annual student evaluations, curriculum changes, and disciplinary actions are decided by the executive committee. All program decisions that require a vote are passed when a simple majority of the eligible faculty votes in the affirmative.

Director of Psychological Science Training:

Carrie Cuttler is located on the WSU Pullman campus (carrie.cuttler@wsu.edu; JT 317; 509-592-0151).

Graduate program coordinator:

Stacy Gessler, is the coordinator for both the psychological science and clinical psychology doctoral programs. She is located on the WSU Pullman campus in the Department of Psychology (stacy.gessler@wsu.edu; JT 233B, 509-335-2633). All psychological science graduate students must provide a local mailing address, telephone number(s), and e-mail address to the Program Coordinator, and keep her advised of any changes to their contact information.

Note: Stacy currently uses two email addresses. Use psych.grad.sign@wsu.edu for scheduling, signature requests, and submitting forms. For all other inquiries, use stacy.gessler@wsu.edu.

Grad student representatives:

Each year, two psychological science graduate students (1 Pullman, 1 Vancouver) serve as student representatives during the executive committee meetings. Student representatives will not attend discussions in which it would be inappropriate/unethical for them to do so (e.g., student annual reviews, data review for admissions decisions), but their feedback on program issues is valued.

Psychology graduate resource coordinator:

Paul Strand is located on the Tri-Cities campus (pstrand@wsu.edu; CIC 125S, 509-372-7177). He is available as a resource to graduate students in both the psychological science and clinical programs on all campuses, providing guidance and referral on a wide range of issues and concerns in the event that students do not wish to take these concerns to their major advisor, DPST, or the department chair.

Other helpful staff contacts:

• Annette Bednar is the Pullman Psychology Finance/Personnel manager and processes graduate student appointments for Pullman-based students. She is located on the WSU Pullman campus (abednar@wsu.edu; JT 401; 509-335-2634)
• Jen Barnes is the Vancouver Psychology Administrative Manager and processes graduate student appointments for Vancouver-based students (jen.barnes@wsu.edu; VMMC 202; 360-546-9640).
• Diego Murillo is the WSU Vancouver CAS Graduate Program Director. Vancouver-based students should contact Diego to enroll in courses each semester (diego.murillo@wsu.edu; VSCI 230; 360-546-9360).
• Sarah Bauer (sarah.g.buaer@wsu.edu) is the WSU Pullman department’s senior secretary and can assist with questions regarding WSU Pullman facilities (e.g., issuing office keys) and shares general information with the all campus departments (including the Monday Memo, to which you should refer weekly).
• Janet Dewitt (jldewitt@wsu.edu) is the WSU Vancouver department’s senior secretary and can assist with questions regarding WSU Vancouver facilities and general information related to WSU Vancouver.

Admissions

The Psychological Science program typically admits 2-6 new graduate students each year (in the Fall), and has approximately 15-20 students in the program at any one time. Students are typically full-time, and matriculate at the WSU campus at which their major research advisor is located (Pullman, Vancouver, Tri-Cities, or Spokane). Faculty review applications and make admissions recommendations to the DPST.

Admission Requirements:

• Completed at least 18 credits in Psychology or in area of study related to their Psychology research specialty.
• Earned at least 3.00 cumulative undergraduate GPA.
• A minimum of 3 letters of recommendation (at least 2 of which must come from a faculty member in a university or medical setting).

For those who meet the above qualifications, evaluation of the application is based on:

• Undergraduate GPA (3.0 minimum; average of admitted students is approximately 3.5)
• Graduate GPA, if any
• Unofficial transcripts
• Letters of recommendation
• Research experience and productivity (e.g., co- or first author on conference presentation, peer-reviewed publications, grants, etc.)
• Background in statistics and experimental methods
• Teaching experience, if any
• The variety and difficulty of coursework completed, with the expectation that the student has completed a large number of upper-division courses both within and outside of the major
• Demonstrated ability to function independently and responsibly
• Goodness of fit in terms of research interests, with one or more WSU Psychological Science core faculty (read more about goodness of fit below)

The GRE is currently not required and is not considered in application evaluations.

Goodness of fit: The extent to which the applicant’s interests match those of the faculty is very important; applicants should discuss with whom they would like to study and why in their personal statements. Applicants should contact prospective advisor(s) to discuss shared interests and determine whether the prospective advisor intends to recruit a new student during that application year. Every effort is made to evaluate each applicant individually; applicants who have special skills or qualifications that they feel strengthen their application are encouraged to state them in the personal statement.

Faculty are selective in the admission process because they expect that students admitted to the program will complete the PhD, rather than admitting a large entering class with the intent to winnow the class at the end of the first or second year. Our goal is to provide the research mentorship, instruction and financial support needed for every student to become a skilled Psychological Scientist and to earn their PhD in a timely manner.

The Psychological Science PhD program at Washington State University admits students based on a careful assessment of their potential as psychologists, without regard to race, sex, or creed. The program welcomes applications from those who feel they are qualified, and who have identified one or more faculty whose research interests closely match their own.

International students please review the information in this link: International Graduate Student Admission Information (WSU Graduate School).

Expectations for Graduate Student Behavior

The Psychological Science program considers graduate students to be professionals-in-training in regard to succeeding in course work, developing research skills, and developing teaching and other professional skills. Professional expectations include the following:

Demonstrate efficiency and dependability to faculty, fellow students, and undergraduate students.

• Respond in a timely and professional manner to email and other communications.
• Meet requirements of research expectations as stipulated in your Psych 700/800 memos.
• Meet milestones and other deadlines of the program in a timely manner.
• Attend all classes, TA/RA meetings, and team meetings.

Participate actively in the program and discipline.

• Attend department/program seminars and professional talks including but not limited to job talks, practice defense talks, Psych 506 talks, and student prelim seminars.
• Present research during program seminars (e.g. Psych 506), and at professional meetings when financially feasible (Note: a number of travel awards are available to psychological science graduate students including a department travel award, WSU graduate school travel award, and Craft travel award).
• Join professional organizations when financially feasible.
• Take initiative to seek out and participate in optional training opportunities (e.g., on grant writing).

Treat others, whether part of the program, department, or greater professional community, with respect.

• Be proactive in reporting and/or resolving conflict in a calm, fair and open-minded manner.
• Avoid gossip and/or spreading rumors and misinformation.
• Be mindful of your professional versus private persona when engaging with others over email, on social media, websites, etc. Consider carefully before sharing private information if you want this information to be potentially viewable to program faculty, students, and/or employers. Also consider carefully whether it is appropriate to share professional information (e.g., talking about confidential research information) as doing so could be unethical or unprofessional. Note: WSU email should not be used for personal communication.
• Familiarize yourself with University policies including Executive Policy 15 (Policy prohibiting discrimination and harassment) and Standards of Conduct for Students.
• Follow APA’s Ethical Principles and Code of Conduct.
• Follow WSU’s Academic Integrity Policy.
• Follow WSU’s policy on consensual relationships. Note that this policy applies to you as a graduate student as well as a teaching assistant, research assistant, or course instructor.
• Also see the WSU Graduate School Policies and Procedures Manual which details policies and regulations that all graduate students at WSU are expected to follow.

Role of faculty advisors:

• To be available for regular interaction to provide guidance and professional feedback to you, so that you can continually improve your performance.
• To be responsive to your questions and concerns.
• To assist you in learning about sub-discipline-specific opportunities for professional development.

What to do if conflicts arise:

1. Try to talk to your major research advisor first. If they cannot assist or you are not comfortable consulting with them, it is recommended that you seek guidance from the:
2. DPST (Carrie Cuttler; carrie.cuttler@wsu.edu); if the DPST cannot assist you or you are uncomfortable consulting with them, then you can seek assistance from the:
3. Department Chair (David Marcus; david.marcus@wsu.edu); if the chair cannot assist or you are uncomfortable consulting with them, then you can seek assistance from the:
4. Psychology Graduate Resource Coordinator (Paul Strand; pstrand@wsu.edu)
5. Per the WSU Graduate School policies and procedures manual, if the matter cannot be resolved following the above steps, an appointment can be made with the Vice Provost for Graduate Education (Tammy Barry; tammy.barry@wsu.edu) or one of the associate deans of the Graduate School.

Depending on the nature of the issue, you may wish to consult WSU Compliance and Civil Rights (ccr.wsu.edu) or the WSU Ombudsman (ombudsman.wsu.edu). Be aware that if you report illegal or university-prohibited behaviors (e.g., sexual harassment or discrimination) to any faculty or staff member, they are required to report it.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) Use Policy

As artificial intelligence (AI) tools become increasingly available in academic settings, the Department of Psychology at Washington State University recognizes their potential to assist with select aspects of research, communication, and professional development. However, AI use must be consistent with the values of academic integrity, ethical research, and the development of independent scholarly ability. This policy outlines the approved and prohibited uses of AI by graduate students in the program. Note that for all coursework you must abide by the AI policies set forth in the syllabus.

Permitted uses (with prior faculty approval)

Graduate students may use AI tools for limited academic and administrative purposes, only with prior approval from their faculty mentor. These approved uses include:

1. Brainstorming and Conceptual Development:
   • Assisting with early-stage development of themes in qualitative research and/or items for psychological instruments. Finding relevant articles. Use for this purpose needs to be disclosed and your faculty mentor needs to review and approve the transcript from AI.
2. Reference and Citation Management
   • Formatting citations and bibliographies (e.g., APA style) and organizing reference lists.
3. Statistical Programming Support
   • Writing or refining code in statistical software platforms (e.g., R, SPSS, Python), provided the student can explain and interpret the code and results. Use for this purpose needs to be disclosed and your faculty mentor needs to review and approve the transcript from AI.
4. Administrative and Communication Tasks
   • Summarizing or drafting notes from meetings for personal or research group use.
   • Assisting in the drafting of professional emails (e.g., scheduling, inquiries), while maintaining professional tone.

Prohibited uses

All other uses of AI are strictly prohibited. The following are examples of unacceptable uses, which include but are not limited to:

• Drafting, editing, or generating content for master’s theses or doctoral dissertations
• Using AI to prepare any aspect of preliminary exams
• Composing or revising manuscripts intended for peer-reviewed publication
• Conducting literature reviews or summarizing research findings
• Interpreting data or drawing conclusions from research results
• Drafting or rewriting any academic work that is meant to demonstrate the student’s independent scholarly contribution.
• Uploading or sharing with AI any confidential information (e.g., client records, student information, participant information).

Such uses are considered violations of this policy and may also violate the university’s standards of academic integrity.

When in doubt

Students are expected to exercise good judgment. If uncertain whether a particular use of AI is permissible, students must consult their faculty mentor and/or the Director of Psychological Science Training before using AI.

Compliance and academic integrity

All AI use must align with this policy and the broader ethical standards of the discipline. Violations may constitute academic misconduct and will be handled in accordance with the Washington State University Academic Integrity Policy.

The Department of Psychology is committed to preparing students as ethical, independent scholars. This policy is intended to support the responsible integration of emerging technologies while safeguarding the integrity of academic work.

Annual Academic Performance Evaluation

The academic performance and progress of each graduate student in the Psychological Science program is reviewed annually at a formal meeting of the Psychological Science Program faculty. This meeting takes place at the end of each Spring semester, although in special cases such evaluations may be held at the end of the Fall semester. Each student’s progress in research, and in general academic and professional performance is carefully evaluated by the entire psychological science faculty.

Each student receives an “Annual Evaluation” form on which they provide performance/progress information and self-evaluation; the student sends this completed form and an updated curriculum vita (CV) to their major faculty advisor. The CV should be up-to-date and accomplishments for the academic year (since the last review) should be highlighted in yellow. The major advisor adds their comments to the student’s annual review and all program faculty meet to discuss each student’s progress in the program.

The DPST oversees the review process and adds comments to the student’s annual review, such as recommended areas of focus for the next academic year. Students are encouraged to use this constructive feedback to improve their performance, keeping in mind that the intent of the feedback is to help students progress at a reasonable pace through the program, and to become strong researchers and competent professionals who will be competitive in the job market.

Satisfactory progress and performance through the program is based on the following:

1. Completing coursework in a timely manner.
2. Maintaining at least 3.0 GPA.
3. Satisfactorily completing goals related to Psych 700/800 memos/credits each semester.
4. Timely completion of MS and PhD requirements (e.g., thesis, preliminary exam, dissertation).
5. Completing planned professional activities which include the following (minimally):

Planned Professional Activities (item 5 above) include the following, minimally:

Upon entry into the program, and in consultation with the major faculty advisor, each student needs to identify professional activities they will complete that meet minimum program expectations. These activities are to be completed in collaboration with the student’s major advisor unless otherwise approved by the advisor. The student’s progress towards these goals is evaluated during the annual review process each year. These are minimum expectations for graduation; students are strongly encouraged to complete these products as soon as possible, and prior to the preliminary examination.

Written Research Product (choose one of the following options):

1. Option 1: First-authored manuscript of an empirical study
   • Submission of a manuscript to a peer-reviewed journal that describes the results of an original empirical research study (but can use preexisting data). Acceptance for publication is not required, but manuscript review is required (i.e. the manuscript cannot be desk-rejected). The journal must conduct peer review and cannot require a fee for review or publication unless approved by the student’s major advisor and the DPST.
2. Option 2: Principal Investigator (PI) on a research grant or fellowship proposal
   • Submission of a major grant/fellowship proposal in support of the student’s research. Obtaining grant funding is not required. The proposal must include a scientific literature review, specific aims, and research proposal/strategy (4-6 page minimum). Examples: NIH Predoctoral Fellowship (F31), NSF Graduate Research Fellowship, ADARP graduate student grant. Student awards, departmental awards/support (e.g., Marchionne Research Awards, Adam’s Awards), and travel awards do not fulfill this option.

Other Scholarly Product (choose one of the following options):

1. Option 1: First-authored oral conference presentation
   • Acceptance and presentation of a first-authored oral presentation (e.g., symposium, paper session) at a national or international research conference. The presentation should be based on original empirical research (but can be based on preexisting data), and the work must be formally reviewed and accepted for presentation at the conference.
2. Option 2: Two first-authored conference posters
   • Acceptance and presentation of a first-authored poster at a national or international research conference. Presentations should be based on original empirical research (but can be based on preexisting data), and the work must be formally reviewed and accepted for presentation at the conference.
3. Option 3: Additional manuscript (first- or co-authored)
   • Submission of a manuscript to a peer-reviewed journal to which the student made a substantial contribution. The manuscript can report the outcomes of an original empirical study, or be a conceptual/theoretical article, or a review article. Acceptance for publication is not required, but manuscript-review is required (i.e. the manuscript cannot be desk-rejected). The journal must conduct peer review and cannot require a fee for review or publication unless approved by the student’s major advisor and the DPST.
4. Option 4: Additional research grant or fellowship proposal (PI or Co-I)
   • Submission of a grant/fellowship proposal to which the student made a substantial contribution. Grant funding is not required. The proposal must include a scientific literature review, specific aims, and research proposal/strategy. Examples: in addition to those listed under A, smaller grants such as those from professional organizations are acceptable. Departmental awards/support and travel awards are not included.

Psych 700/800 Memos:

To clarify expectations for student performance in regard to earning research credits (Psych 700 and 800 research credits), the student, in consultation with their major advisor, will complete a memo at the beginning of each semester (including summer session if applicable) outlining minimum requirements for successful completion (passing with an “S”). These memos outline expectations for achieving program milestones (e.g., thesis proposal/defense) in addition to other research-related tasks independent of their thesis/dissertation. Failure to complete all outlined requirements will result in a grade of “U”. Per WSU Graduate School policy, two semesters of “U” grades in Psych 700/800 will result in dismissal from the program. Students and advising faculty should review guidance from the Graduate School regarding the scope of overlap between research credits and assistantship duties.

At the time of the preliminary exam (described in the Doctoral Degree section of this document), the student will update their preliminary exam committee on their progress towards meeting the professional activity expectations outlined above. Students who have not yet met these expectations will need to integrate these products into their Psych 800 plans for their remaining semesters until the work is complete.

Remediation Policies and Procedures:

If any of the following circumstances arise, the program executive committee will discuss the issue and draft a remediation plan.

Circumstances that merit remediation

1. a student’s performance is evaluated as less than satisfactory during the course of the annual review procedure (e.g., receiving first “U” based on 700/800 memo expectations),
2. the student’s academic performance falls below the minimum acceptable level during the course of the year (e.g., below a 3.0 GPA),
3. the student receives a grade below a B-, or
4. the student demonstrates behaviors that are a cause for serious concern during the academic year (e.g., plagiarism; unauthorized use of AI),

The DPST, the student’s major professor, and the student (and when appropriate, the assistantship supervisor) will meet to discuss the concern and the remediation plan. Following this meeting, the plan may be modified. The final plan will be presented in writing and include steps for correcting the problem, how the program can support the student in addressing the problem, criteria for satisfactorily addressing the problem, and consequences for failing to satisfactorily address the problem. After the student receives the written plan, they will meet with the DPST and major professor to discuss the plan and address any questions that they have about the plan. The plan will also contain target outcomes and dates for follow-up assessments of progress. This written document will be signed by the DPST, the student, and the student’s major professor, with copies given to all parties involved and placed in the student file. Throughout the remediation period, students are encouraged to meet regularly with their major professor and the DPST to discuss progress with the plan. This group (DPST, student, major professor) will meet on the follow-up date(s) to assess the student’s progress with the remediation plan and provide the student with feedback regarding their progress.

Based on the relevant evidence (e.g., course grades if it is an academic issue, progress on thesis/dissertation if it is an issue of failing to make appropriate progress, etc.), this group will recommend to the program executive committee that either:

1. no further remediation is necessary,
2. the student is making progress but that the remediation plan needs to be continued or adjusted, or
3. the student has not been able to remediate and may need to be terminated from the psychological science program.

Financial Support

There are a variety of sources of financial assistance within the Department of Psychology. The most common forms of support are half-time teaching assistantships and research assistantships. While admission to the program does not guarantee financial support, admission into the graduate program is usually accompanied by a 4-year commitment of financial support. Students on an assistantship must become a state of Washington resident within the first semester of admittance to be eligible for in-state tuition waivers. Out-of-state tuition waivers are provided during the first year only.

Union affiliation/collective bargaining agreement:

Academic student employee (ASE) positions are union represented and governed by the collective bargaining agreement as written or amended between Washington State University and the United Automobile, Aerospace, and Agricultural implement Workers of America (UAW). Please reference this agreement for details on all ASE benefits, including, but not limited to, vacation (Article 28), holidays (Article 29), and sick leave (Article 30). Additional information regarding leave requests can be found at the College of Arts and Sciences leave information page.

Required trainings and attestations:

Graduate students on an assistantship are required to complete several online trainings and attestations, including:

• Responsible Conduct of Research Training: The graduate school requires all graduate students on an assistantship complete the web-based Responsible Conduct of Research Training. The current requirement is for the Collaborative Institutional Training Initiative (CITI) RCR.
• Training in Ethical Treatment of Research Subjects: All WSU employees, including graduate students, involved in research with human participants must complete training in the ethical and equitable treatment of participants in research. Those involved in research, teaching, training, and production using live vertebrate animals must complete Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee training. Contact your graduate advisor to determine which trainings and modules are appropriate.
• Discrimination, Sexual Harassment, and Sexual Misconduct Prevention (DSHP) training: This training is mandatory for all WSU employees, including graduate students on assistantship. The training is offered online through the WSU Human Resource Services. An online employee annual refresher is required each year for continuing students and employees.
• Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) training: Required for all students who will be teaching (including as a teaching assistant).
• Sexual Misconduct Statement (SMS): To comply with state of Washington law (RCW 28B.112), any student desiring to be considered for an assistantship must declare whether the student is the subject of any sustained findings of sexual misconduct in any current or former employment or is currently being investigated for, or have left a position during an investigation into, a violation of any sexual misconduct policy at the applicant’s current or past employers. The SMS form will be sent to graduate students after they have accepted an offer of admission.
• Additional University required trainings are outlined on the Human Resource Services New Employee Training website.

Fellowship and Grant Opportunities

Fellowships and grants are available through the Psychology Department, the Graduate School, the College of Arts and Sciences, and WSU.

The grants and fellowships offered annually through the department are competitive, and serve to financially support travel to conferences and financially reward teaching and research excellence. The Department currently awards one teaching fellowship and 2-3 research fellowships annually thanks to the Marchionne Foundation. The department also offers Marchionne Summer Research Fellowships annually and offers conference travel awards annually.

Other opportunities for funding are available through several programs at WSU, depending on research interests such as the Alcohol and Drug Abuse Research Program’s Graduate Research Grant Program and the Center for Cannabis Policy, Research, and Outreach’s (CCPRO’s) summer research grant program. See the document outlining possible opportunities in the Program’s Microsoft Teams folder.

Students are encouraged to apply to the WSU General Scholarship Application for other sources of support, and can search the Scholarship Database for other opportunities.

Medical and Parental Leave

Medical and parental leave can be requested. Students who have a medical issue that is interfering with their academic performance or assistantship, and students who are soon to be parents are encouraged to go on medical leave. If a student has a medical issue or is soon to be a parent, they should inform the DPST and their major professor. Information and forms regarding medical and parental leave can be found on the Graduate School website.

Facilities and Resources

The Psychology Department has modern, specially designed laboratories and equipment for a wide variety of research in applied psychology, perception, cognition, biopsychology, psychophysiology, and social psychology. The Pullman location also has electronic, metal, and wood shops for the construction and maintenance of equipment. The department on all campuses maintains computer terminals connected to the main university system, and computers for data analysis. Word processing, statistical software, experimental design software, survey software, and high-speed reproduction equipment is housed within the department to facilitate preparation of manuscripts, grant proposals, and other scholarly works at all locations.

Student Financial Services:

• Pullman Student Financial Aid Services
• Spokane Student Financial Aid Services
• Vancouver Student Financial Aid Services

Student Health Services:

• Pullman Student Health Services
• Spokane Student Health Services
• Vancouver Student Health Services

Student Health Insurance:

Graduate Student Health Insurance coverage is a benefit for students on assistantship appointments. The coverage includes dental and vision, enhancement for mental outpatient services, “routine” health care including inoculations and testing, and the option to purchase equivalent coverage for spouses, partners, and dependents. 

Graduate and Professional Student Association:

Graduate and Professional Student Association

Specialty Areas of Training

The Psychological Science program emphasizes several major specialty areas: Biological, Cognition, Health, Industrial/Organizational, and Social. The specialty areas provide a broad intellectual context in which specific interests in that area can be pursued. The following describes how each of the specialty areas is conceived of by the faculty.

Biological

Neuropharmacological and behavioral approaches are combined to explore the relationship between the biology of the organism and its behavior. Research in this area incorporates neurochemical, molecular, immunohistochemical, and genetic techniques to determine causation of behavior from numerous perspectives, in collaboration with faculty in the department of Integrative Physiology and Neuroscience (IPN). These collaborations greatly facilitate the quality of training and the post-doctoral and job placement opportunities for our students. Students who select this specialty area are expected to take, in addition to the core course in biopsychology (Psychology 574), graduate courses in Behavioral Pharmacology (Psychology 577) and Neuroscience (various). Supplemental courses for the biopsychology specialty area should be selected through consultation with the major advisor and may include courses in biology and molecular biosciences. Faculty in this area are located on the Pullman and Vancouver campuses.

Faculty associated with this area

• Angela Henricks (Pullman)
• Ryan McLaughlin (Pullman)
• Mike Morgan (Vancouver)

Cognition

The study of mental processes and how they relate to brain function are a major focus of human research in the department. Areas of faculty expertise include attention, perception, memory, executive functioning, affect, decision making and general information processing at both the micro and macro levels. Some faculty collaborate with researchers at the University of Idaho and Wright Patterson Air Force Base who conduct research on attention, perception, memory, and decision making in applied environments. Students entering the program with an emphasis in cognition will follow the general requirements of all psychological science students and are expected to take Psych 592 (Cognition and Affective Basis of Behavior) and design an elective program that suits their specific needs and aspirations in consultation with their major advisor. It is expected that students in this specialty area will take supplemental courses in computer science, statistics, neuroscience, and engineering psychology/human factors, in consultation with their major advisor. Faculty in this area are located on the Pullman and Spokane campuses.

Faculty associated with this area

• Carrie Cuttler (Pullman)
• Lisa Fournier (Pullman)
• Devon Hansen (Spokane)
• Kimberly Honn (Spokane)
• Kimberly Meidenbauer (Pullman)
• Paul Whitney (Pullman)

Health

Health psychology in the department focuses on how biological, psychological, environmental, and cultural factors affect health. Research in health psychology examines the causes and development of illness, methods to help individuals develop lifestyles to promote health and prevent illness, interventions to help people cope with and reduce stress and pain, biopsychosocial effects on immune function, and factors in the recovery, rehabilitation, and psychosocial adjustment of individuals with serious health problems, including mental health problems and substance use problems. Faculty research interests include: quality of life in medical populations; mechanisms and clinical treatment of pain; occupational health, well-being, and safety; methodological and statistical approaches to health research; neuropsychological substrates of mental and physical health; substance use and mental health; applying social psychological perspectives to health behavior motivation and change. Students pursuing the Health track are expected to take Psych 523 (Health Psychology) and are encouraged to complete Psych 550 (Social Psychology); additional courses relevant to the student’s research will be selected in consultation with the major advisor. Note that the Health Psychology interest area within the Psychological Science PhD program does not prepare students to be clinical psychologists. If interested in a Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology, please consult the description of the clinical psychology program. Faculty in this area are located on the Vancouver, Pullman, and Spokane campuses.

Faculty associated with this area

• Carrie Cuttler (Pullman)
• Jessica Fales (Vancouver)
• Angela Henricks (Pullman)
• Benjamin Ladd (Vancouver)
• Renee Magnan (Vancouver)
• Kimberly Meidenbauer (Pullman)
• Sarah Tragesser (Tri-Cities)

Industrial/Organizational

Faculty research in this area focuses on occupational health psychology and examination of the impact of a variety of workplace stressors (e.g., job insecurity, work-family conflict, sexual harassment, discrimination) on individual, job-related, and organizational outcomes. Students pursuing this track are expected to take Psych 519 (Industrial/Organizational Psychology) and Psych 529 (Occupational Health Psychology) and are encouraged to complete Psych 550 (Social Psychology); additional courses relevant to the student’s research will be selected in consultation with the major advisor. In general, students are encouraged to seek advanced training in quantitative and statistical methods and to enroll in relevant coursework available through the Management Department in the Carson College of Business. Graduates in this area have successfully gone on to applied and academic positions (both in Business Schools and Psychology Departments). Faculty in this area are located on the Vancouver campus.

Faculty associated with this area

• Tahira Probst (Vancouver)

Social

Laboratory-based studies are utilized to study social psychological processes including cooperation, individual differences in social behavior, the interface between social factors and physical health, and social cognitive processes. Graduates in this area may find employment in academic settings, government agencies, private research firms, and businesses. Students are expected to take Psych 550 (Social Psychology), and design an elective program that suits their specific needs and aspirations in consultation with their major advisor. Training in statistics and methodology beyond the departmental core requirements is encouraged. Faculty in this area are located on the Pullman and Vancouver campuses.

Faculty associated with this area:

• Elizabeth Canning (Pullman)
• Renee Magnan (Vancouver)
• Kimberly Meidenbauer (Pullman)

Advanced Quantitative Methods in Psychology

Although not a specific specialty area within the program, the curriculum in the Department of Psychology provides students the opportunity to acquire skills in advanced quantitative methods. In addition to the two courses that all Psychological Science graduate students are required to take [i.e., Psych 511 (Experimental Design, T-Tests, and Analysis of Variance) and Psych 512 (Non-Experimental Designs, Correlation, and Regression)], a number of other quantitative courses are available for elective credits including Psych 514 (Psychometrics), and Psych 516 (Applied Structural Equation Modeling). Additional advanced quantitative courses are also regularly available in the doctoral programs in Educational Psychology and Prevention Science. Students are encouraged to earn a Certificate in Applied Measurement and Quantitative Methods.

Curriculum

All first-year graduate students will begin their careers at Washington State University with the assumption that they have had the following undergraduate courses or acceptable equivalents (either through undergraduate or previous graduate work): research methods/experimental design, statistics, biological psychology, cognition/learning or sensation/perception, and social/personality. Those who are lacking appropriate background in these areas (as determined by the DPST when they enter the program) must remedy the deficiency by one of the following methods:

1. Take a graduate course in the deficient area(s), with the consultation and consent of the instructor;
2. Take (or in some cases audit) an undergraduate course in the area(s);
3. Other method, with the approval of the DPST. The principal objective is to work out a plan for meeting the assumption of basic knowledge so that the student can succeed in advanced courses.

The following was adopted as a general policy by the faculty in the Psychology Department: “All resident candidates for a graduate degree in psychology are required each semester to be involved in research, teaching, and/or clinic assistance. The level of involvement is expected to be 20 hours per week. This requirement applies to each student, whether or not the student holds an assistantship appointment. Exceptions to this policy may be made only by the Department Chair.” The implication of this policy for students in Psychological Science is that they will be involved in research as soon as they enter the program. This may involve participating in ongoing research projects in their major advisor’s laboratory, developing their own research interests in collaboration with appropriate faculty, beginning work on a Master’s Thesis, or some other involvement, depending on the student’s needs, goals, previous experience, and other circumstances. The faculty consider research to be the most important activity for an experimental psychologist, and graduate students should expect to be involved in research at all times throughout their graduate careers.

Although students typically enter the program assigned to work with a particular faculty advisor, the DPST may serve as a secondary advisor for all new students in the program, or at any time during their graduate training in which students would like to consult with another faculty member. If a student wishes to switch major advisors, the DPST should be consulted before any actions are taken, and necessary forms will need to be filed with the Graduate School.

The program requires that the student work closely with their major faculty advisor. The advisor will chair the student’s Master’s and Doctoral Committees. By the end of the second semester in residence, the student will meet with their advisor and plan the remaining years of their program. While it is not required that the student keep the same major advisor throughout their graduate career, maximum continuity of training is achieved when the Master’s committee chairperson (if applicable) also serves as the Doctoral Committee chairperson. Students are strongly encouraged to maintain regular contact with their advisor at all stages of their training, and to regularly ask for feedback regarding performance expectations.

Core requirements

The following is the usual curriculum for graduate students in the Psychological Science program. It assumes that the student has no previous graduate training in psychology and that the student is on a half-time teaching or research assistantship or its equivalent. Exceptions to these assumptions will require appropriate adjustments.

Students who enter the program with previous graduate course experience may request their graduate records be evaluated by the DPST, who, in consultation with relevant faculty members and major faculty advisor(s), will determine which requirements have been met, which courses to transfer, and an appropriate first-year schedule. No more than 13 credits of relevant graded coursework completed in another graduate program may be applied to the PhD program of study. Students who wish to have graduate-level courses and/or their Master’s thesis evaluated, should submit detailed syllabi and/or a completed thesis document to the DPST and graduate coordinator for possible transfer consideration (typically by June 1 prior to starting the program). To be evaluated as equivalent, a syllabus is required for each course you want to transfer, you must have received at least a B in the course (or A- for first year statistics courses), and it must be recorded on your official transcript from an accredited graduate institution. Students should communicate with the DPST early to request an exception if the June 1 deadlines is not feasible. Only well-written theses based on empirical research will be acceptable.

Master’s degree

A master’s degree requires completion of at least 30 credit hours of coursework, including a minimum of 21 hours of graded coursework plus a minimum of 4 credit hours of Psych 700 (Master’s Research). The student must sign up for at least 1 credit of Psych 700 each semester until the thesis is completed, and 2 credits of Psych 700 the semester of the thesis defense.

• Required coursework for the MS degree includes completion of at least 5 graded courses under the Psychological Science Program’s core requirements as noted below (items A. Required Graded Courses and B. Core Graded Electives).

Doctoral degree

The doctoral degree requires completion of at least 72 credit hours of coursework (including those earned under the Master’s program of study), including a minimum of 26 hours of graded coursework and a minimum of 20 hours of Psych 800 (Dissertation Research). The student must sign up for at least 1 credit of Psych 800 each semester until the dissertation is completed, and at least 2 credits of Psych 800 the semesters of the preliminary exam and dissertation defense. Note that to earn the required minimum of 20 Psych 800 credits, a student will need to register for more than 1-2 credits each semester.

• Required coursework for the doctoral degree includes completion of at least 6 graded courses under the Psychological Science Program’s core requirements as noted below in the “Required Graded Courses” and the “Core Graded Electives.”

All students must complete the Psychological Science Program’s core requirements. These include 6 graded courses:

A. Required graded courses

The following 3 graded courses are required of ALL students:

• Psych 504: History of Psychology: Theoretical and Scientific Foundations (3 credits)
• Psych 511: Experimental Designs, T-tests, and Analysis of Variance (3 credits; see note below)
• Psych 512: Non-Experimental Designs, Correlation, and Regression (3 credits; see note below)

Note: Psych 511 and 512 must be taken during the first year and a grade of B or better must be obtained.

B. Core graded electives

From the following 8 graded courses, students must choose at least 2 courses for the MS and 3 courses for the PhD:

• Psych 530 or 540: Bioethics (2 credits) or Ethics for Social Scientists (3 credits)
• Psych 519: Industrial/Organizational Psychology (3 credits)
• Psych 523: Health Psychology (3 credits)
• Psych 529: Occupational Health Psychology (3 credits)
• Psych 550: Social Psychology (3 credits)
• Psych 574: Clinical and Experimental Biopsychology (3 credits)
• Psych 592: Cognition and Affective Basis of Behavior (3 credits)

Note: These courses are typically offered on two-year rotation schedules, so you are encouraged to take courses as soon as they become available.

C. Current Research in Psychology (Psych 506)

All first-year students (pre or post MS) are required to complete two semesters the first year. This is a one-credit, non-graded (Spring/Fall) seminar.

D. Teaching Introductory Psychology (Psych 505)

All first year Pullman-based students [P] who will be supported on a teaching assistantship while enrolled in the program are required to take this course in the Spring of Year 1 and Fall of Year 2. Vancouver-based students interested in teaching are also welcome to take this course. This is a non-graded (Spring/Fall) seminar.

E. Introduction to Online Instruction (Psych 510)

All students supported on teaching assistantships (any campus) are required to take this course the Spring of their first year if supported on a teaching assistantship. This course is required before a student (on any campus) can serve as a Global Campus instructor for Psychology which is often offered as a means of financial support for Pullman students during summer. This course is only offered Spring semesters. This is a one-credit, non-graded (Spring/Fall) seminar. 

Course Requirements and Information for Pre-Masters Students

Students must register for 10 credits each semester (or more, if one credit of Psych 700 increases the total above 10). The difference between 10 total credits required and the number earned from coursework are credits earned for research (Psych 700 credits); thus, after the first year, most students enroll in fewer course credits and more Psych 700 credits.

The Master’s degree requires 21 hours of graded coursework before or during the semester in which the final thesis defense (T2) is conducted. The 5 required courses for the MS yield 15 graded credit hours. Thus, students must complete 6 credits of additional graded credits (2 additional 3-credit courses) before or during the semester of the thesis defense to earn the required 21 graded credits. Students are encouraged to choose additional elective core courses as this is required for the PhD. However, students may also choose non-core elective credits to meet the requirement for 21 graded credits. Therefore, students must complete Psych 504, Psych 511, and Psych 512; at least two core electives (under item B above); and at least 2 additional graded 3-credit courses to receive their MS.

Students who leave campus before the T2 is completed and need to return for an oral defense must register for 2 credits of Psych 700 during the semester in which the defense is conducted. The student will be responsible for paying the tuition fees associated with these 2 credits if they are not on an assistantship.

Recommended courses for first-year students entering without an approved Master’s degree

Psych 506, Psych 511 and Psych 512 must be completed during the first year.

Fall semester, First year:

• Psych 506 (1 credit, pass/fail)
• Psych 511 (3 credits, graded)
• Psych 504 (3 credits, graded)
• Additional core elective (3 credits, graded)
• Psych 700 (1 credit, pass/fail)

Spring semester, First year:

• Psych 506 (1 credit, pass/fail)
• Psych 512 (3 credits, graded)
• Additional core electives and/or other electives (3 credits, graded)
• Psych 505 (1 credit, pass/fail, Pullman students)
• Psych 510 (1 credit, pass/fail)
• Psych 700 (1+ credit, pass/fail)

Course requirements and information for post-Master’s students

Students must register for 10 credits each semester (or more, if one credit of Psych 800 increases the total above 10). The difference between 10 total credits required and the number earned from coursework are credits earned for research, Psych 800; thus, most students at the post-master’s level enroll in fewer course credits and more Psych 800 credits.

The doctoral degree requires 26 hours of graded coursework. Thus, students must complete an additional 5-6 graded credits of electives (in addition to the 21 credits required for the master’s degree). Students must complete Psych 504, Psych 511, and Psych 512; and three core graded electives (under item B above) to receive their PhD. Therefore, if the student did not take all three graded core electives (under item B above) during the master’s program of study, at least one course must be from that category. Students must have 6 or fewer remaining credits to complete during the semester of the Preliminary Exam. All students must register for Psych 800 credits during each semester after the MS is completed (at least 20 Psych 800 credits total by the time of the D2).

Students who leave campus before their final dissertation defense (D2) is completed and need to return for an oral defense must register for 2 credits of Psych 800 during the semester in which the defense is conducted. The student will be responsible for paying the tuition fees associated with these 2 credits if they are not on an assistantship.

If entering the program with an approved Master’s degree, students must take Psych 506, Psych 511, and Psych 512 during the first year unless transfer credits have been approved. Students should aim to complete as much graded course work as possible in the first year so as to not delay progress of completing the preliminary exam (which requires no more than 6 graded credits remaining).

Recommended courses by area of concentration

* Refers to courses students are expected to take for specific specialty areas

Electives for ALL students (required for those on assistantships)

• Psych 505: Teaching Introduction to Psychology (Spring, Fall)
• Psych 510: Introduction to Online Instruction (Spring only)

Recommended courses for students in Biopsychology:

• Psych 574: Clinical and Experimental Biopsychology (* required for students in this specialty area)
• Psych 592: Cognition and Affective Basis of Behavior (* required for students in this specialty area)
• Neurosci 404 or 430: Neuroanatomy or Principles of Neurophysiology
• Neurosci 504: Affective Neuroscience
• Neurosci 520: Fundamentals of Neuroscience
• Neurosci 540-543: Special Topics in Neuroscience courses

Recommended courses for students in Cognition:

• Psych 592: Cognition and Affective Basis of Behavior (* required for students in this specialty area)
• Psych 523: Health Psychology
• Psych 550: Social Psychology
• Psych 561: Human-Computer Interaction (cooperative with U of I) Psych 562: Advanced Human Factors (cooperative with U of I) Psych 574: Clinical and Experimental Biopsychology
• Psych 516: Applied Structural Equation Modeling
• Ed Psych 575: Multilevel Modeling

Recommended courses for students in Health:

• Psych 523: Health Psychology (* required for students in this specialty area)
• Psych 514: Psychometrics
• Psych 516: Applied Structural Equation Modeling
• Psych 592: Cognition and Affective Basis of Behavior
• Ed Psych 575: Multilevel Modeling
• Psych 533: Adult Psychopathology
• Psych 574: Clinical and Experimental Biopsychology

Recommended courses for students in Industrial/Organizational:

• Psych 519: Industrial/Organizational Psychology (* required for students in this specialty area)
• Psych 523: Health Psychology
• Psych 529: Occupational Health Psychology
• Psych 550: Social Psychology
• Psych 514: Psychometrics
• Psych 516: Applied Structural Equation Modeling
• Ed Psych 575: Multilevel Modeling

Recommended courses for students in Social:

• Psych 550: Social Psychology (* required for students in this specialty area)
• Psych 523: Health Psychology
• Psych 514: Psychometrics
• Psych 516: Applied Structural Equation Modeling (or equivalent in HD or Ed Psych)
• Ed Psych 575: Multilevel Modeling
• Mktg 507: Consumer Behavior Theory
• Pol S 533: Topics in Political Psychology

Recommended electives for students interested in non-academic or industry careers

• Data 301: Introduction to R
• Data 302: Introduction to Python
• Data 303: Introduction to Structured Query Language
• Psych 514: Psychometrics
• Psych 516: Applied Structural Equation Modeling
• Ed Psych 575: Multilevel Modeling
• Prev Sci 508: Longitudinal Structural Equation Modeling
• Prev Sci 512: Finite and Growth Mixture Modeling
• Prev Sci 510: Multilevel Modeling II: Advanced Multilevel Models for Longitudinal Data

Graduate courses offered in Psychological Science

Below are the course numbers and descriptions of Psychological Science courses offered at Washington State University (or cooperatively at the University of Idaho). This list does not include most courses that belong to the Clinical Psychology program, although such courses are occasionally taken by Psychological Science students. Additionally, graduate students may take up to 6 credits of upper division undergraduate courses.

A complete listing of all graduate Psychology Department courses can be found in the Washington State University online catalog. Following each course description is a set of notes, the principal purpose of which is for intra-departmental reference. Such notes are used by faculty and students to provide clarification of the purpose and content of each course, and to help maintain continuity from year to year regarding how the course is taught.

• Psych 504 History of Psychology: Theoretical and Scientific Foundations (3 credits) Roots of scientific explanation in psychology traced through various philosophical schools and psychological movements.
  • Note: This course is offered every year (alternates between WSU-Vancouver and WSU-Pullman, typically with videoconferencing to the other campus). Its purpose is to provide students with an understanding of how scientific method and explanation evolved, particularly as it is applied to psychology. Various approaches may be used, depending on the instructor. The emphasis may be on the philosophical development of ideas and thought, the development of scientific method, advances in epistemology, and/or the historical development of schools and theories in psychology. The principal idea is to ensure that students understand why psychologists approach questions the way they do, how such strategies developed and their historical context, and what the advantages and disadvantages are of such conceptions.
• Psych 505 Teaching Introductory Psychology (1 credit) Problems and techniques related to teaching Introductory Psychology; for graduate students who are teaching their own courses.
  • Note: This course is offered every fall and spring to students who are teaching their own sections of undergraduate courses. It is a seminar-format course designed to help new instructors develop effective lectures, solve problems related to grading and examinations, learn audio-visual techniques, etc. It should be taken first in the spring before the first semester of independent teaching (usually in Spring of the first year, to prepare to teach independently in Fall of the second year).
• Psych 506 Current Research in Psychology (1 credit) May be repeated for credit.
  • Note: This course is offered every fall and spring and is required for all new students to introduce the various research areas represented in our department. In some weekly meetings, a faculty member or graduate student will present a research seminar, providing the theoretical background for the research problem, discussing some of the most current findings, and explaining how the problem fits into the larger context of their subdiscipline within psychology. Other meetings involve discussion of professional development issues for Psychological Science graduate students, to help new students adjust to the demands of graduate training.
• Psych 508 Special Topics in Psychology (V1-3 credits) May be repeated for credit.
  • Note: This seminar is used for special topics that lend themselves to a variable credit format.
• Psych 510 Introduction to Online Instruction (1 credit) Instruction in teaching online courses addressing issues faced by instructors and students; students are mentored while teaching online.
  • Note: This course provides formal training in, and supervision of, online instruction. It is taken by students who are teaching or are planning to teach online (can be taken the same semester as the online course being taught). Instruction covers the first 3 weeks of the semester with additional assignments through Week 10. This course is ONLY offered in the Spring semester of each academic year. It is required that any student on a TA take it their second semester of Year 1. This course is required for all students (on any campus) to teach WSU Global Campus courses including summer session and winter intersession.
• Psych 511 Experimental Designs, t-Tests, and Analysis of Variance (3 credits) Parametric, nonparametric, repeated-measures, and multivariate ANOVA; planned comparisons; confidence intervals and power analysis; experimental design and variants.
  • Note: This is the first graduate-level statistics course, taken by all graduate students in psychology (psychological science and clinical) unless waived on the basis of previous work. It assumes that the student has had at least one undergraduate level course in statistics. It covers a variety of basic rationales and techniques (as indicated in the above description), preparing the student to use a number of basic designs in research. To pass the course, students must receive a minimum grade of B.
• Psych 512 Non-Experimental Designs, Correlation, and Regression (3 credits) Simple and multiple correlation and regression; time-series analysis; factor analysis; field research and quasi-experimental design.
  • Note: Like 511, this course is required of all graduate students in psychology. After having completed the 511-512 sequence, the student should be well prepared to use a wide variety of sophisticated research designs and analyses as well as be conversant with necessary basic computer skills. To pass the course, students must receive a minimum grade of B.
• Psych 513 Seminar in Quantitative Methods and Research Design (3 credits) May be repeated for credit. Prereq Psych 512. Advanced topics in specialized quantitative procedures and in design of research in psychology.
• Psych 514 Psychometrics (3 credits) Prereq Psych 512. Scientific construction of behavioral assessment instruments, including validation and reliability; types of scales and responses; statistical scaling; test theory issues.
• Psych 515 Multilevel and Synthesized Data (3 credits) Prereq Psych 512. Structural equation modeling, hierarchical linear modeling and meta-analysis and the software used to conduct these analyses.
• Psych 516 Applied Structural Equation Modeling with Current Software (3 credits) Prereq Psych 512; Psych 514. Confirmatory factor analysis, path analysis, structural regression analysis, multilevel analysis and latent growth analysis with current software.
• Psych 519 Industrial/Organizational Psychology (3 credits) Overview of research, theory, and application of psychological principles in the workplace; includes topics such as personnel selection, performance appraisal, training, work motivation, teams, leadership, and job attitudes.
• Psych 523 Health Psychology (3 credits) Overview of the field of health psychology from a social-cognitive perspective; includes a focus on health behavior models addressing how beliefs, expectations, affect, and other social influences impact health decisions and behavior.
• Psych 529 Occupational Health Psychology (3 credits) Overview of major occupational health psychology content areas and foundational theories; causes and consequences of work-related stressors, injury, and illness; individual and organizational interventions.
• Psych 550 Social Psychology (3 credits) Attitude structure, function, and change; social cognition and motivation, and attributions.
  • Note: This course provides an in-depth survey of the research in social psychology directed at attitude structure and function, as well as the cognitive processes that underlie social interaction. It serves as a foundation for students interested in specializing in social psychology.
• Psych 561 Human-Computer Interaction (3 credits) Overview of human-computer interaction (HCI) topics, including user models, dialog, display design, usability, software development, groupware, and multimedia.
• Cooperative course taught by University of Idaho (Psyc 561); open to WSU students. NOTE: you must sign up for these courses early. See timeline and procedures at the U of I – WSU Coop page at the University of Idaho website.
• Psych 562 Advanced Human Factors (3 credits) Review of topics and theories germane to human factors such as performance measurement systems, design specifications, research issues, controls and displays, human reliability, and illumination.
• Cooperative course taught by University of Idaho (Psyc 562); open to WSU students. NOTE: you must sign up for these courses early. See timeline and procedures at the U of I – WSU Coop page at the University of Idaho website.
• Psych 574 Clinical and Experimental Biopsychology (3 credits) Neuroanatomical, neurochemical, and other biological cases of human and animal behavior.
  • Note: This course is recommended for all experimental students. It provides a solid background in biological psychology, giving students in the other specialty areas important perspectives from which to view some of the work in their own specialty area.
• Psych 577 Behavioral Pharmacology (3 credits) Survey of drugs which affect brain function with emphasis on animal models and clinical applications.
  • Note: This course is taught every 2-3 years. It is a required elective for students in the biological area, providing coverage of a rapidly changing specialty in that area.
• Psych 592 Cognition and Affective Basis of Behavior (3 credits) Experimental approaches to human information processing, memory, and cognition.
  • Note: This course is a recommended first-year course for all psychological science graduate students. It covers advanced topics in attention, perception, memory, decision-making, problem solving, and language, and how affect influences these processes. This course serves as a foundation for future work that students elect to do in cognitive psychology; it also provides needed breadth of experience for students in other specialty areas.
• Psych 700 Master’s Research, Thesis, and/or Examination (Variable credit). Independent research and advanced study for students working on their master’s research, thesis and/or final examination.
  • Note: This course number is used whenever the student is working on any aspect of a formal Master’s Thesis. The student must enroll in at least one Psych 700 credit each semester until the thesis defense is successful.
• Psych 800 Doctoral Research, Dissertation, and/or Examination (Variable credit). Independent research and advanced study for students working on their doctoral research, dissertation and/or final examination.
  • Note: This number is used whenever the student is working on any aspect of a doctoral dissertation. The student must enroll in at least one credit of Psych 800 during each semester after the MS is completed, including the semester in which the final oral examination is scheduled.

Degree Requirements and Timeline

Major requirements include completion of the following:

1. Required coursework
2. Master’s Thesis (T2; or approved degree from another program/institution)
3. Preliminary Examination (P2)
4. Minimum expectations for professional activities
5. Doctoral Dissertation (D2)

Suggested timeline of major requirements

If entering program with Bachelor’s Degree:

Year 1

• Begin coursework
• Submit M.S. program of study
• Propose M.S. thesis research [T1] (Spring) Plan professional activities to complete

Year 2

• Complete M.S. coursework
• Defend M.S. thesis research [T2] (Spring)

Year 3

• Submit Ph.D. program of study (Fall)
• Complete preliminary exam proposal [P1] (Fall)
• Complete preliminary exam [P2] (Spring)

Year 4

• Complete all coursework
• Propose Ph.D. dissertation research [D1] (Fall)

Year 5

• Complete minimum expectations for professional activities
• Defend Ph.D. dissertation research [D2] (Spring)

If entering program with approved Master’s Degree:

Year 1

• Begin coursework
• Engage in research Plan professional activities to complete

Year 2

• Complete coursework (must have 6 or fewer graded credits left to complete)
• Submit Ph.D. program of study (Fall)
• Complete preliminary exam proposal [P1] (Fall)
• Complete preliminary exam [P2] (Spring)

Year 3

• Propose Ph.D. dissertation research [D1] (Fall)

Year 4

• Complete minimum expectations for professional activities
• Defend Ph.D. dissertation research [D2] (Spring)

Notes on timeline (per the Graduate School)

• The program of study must be submitted to the Graduate School by their deadline to ensure approval prior to the T2, P2, or D2: see Graduate School deadlines.  
• Students must have 6 or fewer graded credits left to complete to schedule the P2.
• The D2 cannot be scheduled sooner than four months after passing the P2.
• Students must complete the D2 within four years of passing the P2.

Master’s Degree

All students entering the program are expected to obtain an MS degree on their way to the PhD unless they enter the program with an acceptable Master’s degree from another institution. A psychology-related Master’s thesis earned at another institution should be submitted to the DPST during the summer before enrolling so that acceptability of the thesis can be determined as soon as possible. This should be submitted no later than June 1. Only well-written theses based on empirical research will be acceptable. No more than 13 credits of relevant graded coursework completed in another graduate program may be applied to the PhD. The course(s) must be listed on the student’s official transcript from their prior institution. Detailed syllabi must be submitted to the DPST as soon as possible so that previous coursework can be evaluated for possible transfer (typically by June 1 prior to starting the program). Students should communicate with the DPST early to request an exception if these deadlines are not feasible.

Requirements for a master’s degree

• Completion of at least 30 credit hours of coursework, including a minimum of 21 hours of graded coursework plus a minimum of 4 credit hours of Psych 700 (Master’s research). The student must sign up for at least 1 credit of Psych 700 each semester until the thesis is completed, and 2 credits of Psych 700 the semester of the thesis defense. Graded coursework for the Master’s degree must include three required courses (Psych 540, Psych 511, and Psych 512) and at least two core elective courses.
• Completion (conducting and passing defense) of a Master’s Thesis. The focus of the Master’s Thesis should be an original piece of empirical research performed by the student. While the demands for comprehensiveness of treatment, scope, and impact on the field are less than for the dissertation, the research should be original and of publishable quality. Every effort should be made by the student and their faculty advisor(s) to publish the work. Normally the best strategy for planning and executing the Master’s research is to address a single question in an elegant and clear manner rather than to attempt to answer several questions in an unclear and inconclusive manner. The emphasis should be on simplicity and elegance rather than on comprehensiveness.

Master’s thesis committee

During the first year of study, the student should choose faculty members to serve on their Thesis Committee in consultation with their major advisor.

Requirements for committee composition.

The Thesis Committee consists of three or more faculty members, including the chairperson. The chairperson (usually the student’s major research advisor) must be a member of the core, active tenured or tenure-track research faculty in the Psychology Department (and their primary appointment must be in Psychology). Two co-chairs (in some cases, a co-chair from outside of Psychology) may be permissible if one of the co-chairs is a core, active research faculty in the Psychological Science program. At least one additional faculty member serving on the committee must have a primary appointment in Psychology. Additional committee members who hold the highest appropriate degree and whose special knowledge is particularly important to the proposed program, but who are not members of the faculty, may be appointed to the committee after discussion with the DPST and approved by the Department Chair and the Graduate School.

Forming the committee

It is recommended that students meet with the DPST when deciding on committee members to ensure that all committee members meet the Psychological Science Program requirements. A list of faculty currently approved to serve on committees is available on page 48 of this Handbook.

Approval of the committee

The Thesis Committee is subject to approval by the chairperson of the major and minor (if applicable) departments, the DPST, the Department Chair, and the Graduate School.

Master’s program of study

After selecting the members of the Thesis Committee, the student should download the “Program of Study Request” form from the Graduate School Website, fill out the form with relevant completed and planned coursework, and obtain signatures from all committee members on the same form. The Master’s degree program of study should be submitted before the end of the student’s first year. Students are strongly encouraged to send a draft of their program of study form to the Graduate Program Coordinator to confirm that their form has been completed correctly before obtaining signatures.

This completed document should be submitted to the Graduate Program Coordinator at the following email address: psych.grad.sign@wsu.edu. She will review and approve the form before obtaining approval from the DPST and will then submit the form to the Graduate School. The DPST signs only after the Program Coordinator’s review.

Requirements for the Master’s Program of Study.

Specific requirements and deadlines regarding the Master’s program of study are detailed in the “Policies and Procedures” on the Graduate School website.

Thesis proposal development

Student Responsibilities

The student, under the direction of the committee chair, is responsible for conducting a literature search, preparing the proposal, and the developing required skills and competencies. The student is also responsible for consideration and solution of logistical problems related to the research. Students should edit the proposal carefully and obtain their major advisor’s approval before it is disseminated to committee members. Students are prohibited from using AI in the writing of their thesis and proposal (see page 9-10).

Chairperson and committee member involvement.

The relative involvement of the chairperson may vary, depending on the student’s background and the nature of the problem. It is valuable to discuss relative contributions/expectations, responsibilities, and authorship with the major advisor at this stage. The American Psychological Association’s Ethical Principles of Psychologists instructional aids should be the guide. The chairperson of the committee should help the student to carefully edit the proposal, and indicate preliminary approval of the proposal before it is submitted to other committee members. Members of the committee should be involved at this stage in a consultant capacity. Ideally, students should meet with their Thesis Committee annually (at the end of each academic year) to discuss their progress.

Thesis proposal meeting (T1):

When the student has completed a research proposal, in consultation with the major advisor and possibly other members of the Master’s Committee, a formal meeting is held to discuss and approve the research plan. The T1 is scheduled through the department, not through the Graduate School.

The T1 meeting typically includes only the student and their Thesis Committee, although others may attend with permission of the committee chair. The function of the T1 meeting is to discuss and evaluate the proposal. This results in a judgment of feasibility and scientific merit and an action accepting the proposal, recommending changes, or rejecting the proposal.

Pilot data for the T1 meeting may be useful but is not necessary. However, the student should meet with their Thesis Committee prior to starting any data collection for the thesis. It is very important that the research is proposed rather than completed at the time of the T1 because the point of the meeting is for the committee to critique the empirical question and methodological approach and advise on required and recommended changes.

Scheduling the T1 meeting

It is the student’s responsibility to determine the availability of committee members and to identify a date and 2 hour time interval for the meeting. Once a date and time has been set, the student should notify the Graduate Program Coordinator of this date as soon as possible. A 2-hour time period must be scheduled for the T1.

• For students in Pullman, room scheduling should be requested through the Psychology Graduate Program Coordinator.
• For students on Vancouver or Spokane campuses, room scheduling should be requested through the appropriate administrative assistant, with the Graduate Program Coordinator cc’d on these requests.
• If Zoom is needed for the meeting, the Graduate Program Coordinator will set this up after the room has been reserved (if applicable). The student should provide the names and emails of their committee members, and WSU room number (if applicable) in their request. The student CANNOT be the person to set up Zoom meetings.

Paperwork for the T1 meeting.

Students must complete the Thesis Proposal (T1) Form located in the Psychological Science Program’s Microsoft Teams folder. This form must be signed by all committee members and submitted to the Graduate Program Coordinator (psych.grad.sign@wsu.edu) within five business days after the T1 is completed (regardless of the outcome). The DPST should be cc’d on this email.

Thesis Proposal format.

Most decisions regarding format, length, and organization are up to the Master’s Thesis Committee. Unless the intention is to be published in a non-APA journal, the proposal should be written in the style described in the most recent edition of the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association.

Content to include in the Thesis Proposal.

See the Preparation of Thesis (T1) and Dissertation (D1) Proposals section in this Handbook.

Distribution of the Proposal for the T1 meeting.

Students should send their Thesis Proposals to committee members at least two weeks prior to the scheduled meeting.

Oral presentation for the T1 meeting.

The student should prepare a brief (20-30 minute), well-organized visual and oral overview of the proposed project. The student should consult with their major advisor on the presentation. The degree of formality of the T1 meeting varies with chairpersons and committees. The student should consult with their major advisor ahead of time to discuss expectations. Regardless of the degree of formality, the student should cover the following list of topics (bulleted items below). These concern what is already available in the proposal, but remind the Thesis Committee of details, help to maintain a logical order, and permit the student to summarize the proposal.

• Statement of your background, interests, and professional goals (very brief).
• Why you are interested in a particular problem area. How is it related to your goals?
• Theoretical or empirical background, leading to a precise statement of hypotheses to be tested.
• Statement of procedures, including participants materials, procedure, and timeline.
• Description of empirical design, showing how the design will test the hypotheses.
• Description of proposed statistical analyses.
• Statement of predicted results (with graphics if appropriate) and how particular outcomes will be interpreted.
• Description of the implications of the research.

Review by the Thesis Committee.

Committee members and any other faculty in attendance may ask questions related to any of the above points, or any other matters relevant to the thesis and to the student’s graduate and professional experience.

The Thesis Committee’s role and responsibility.

The committee members judge the significance, soundness, and feasibility of the proposed research and the ability of the student to successfully complete it. The action of the committee at this meeting may be to:

1. Accept the proposal as presented.
2. Suggest changes in the procedure.
3. Suggest limitations or expansion in the scope of the research.
4. Suggest a different emphasis or direction.
5. Reject the proposal.

Actions (2), (3), (4), or (5) may require additional meetings of the committee. If an additional meeting is scheduled, responsibilities for scheduling and distribution of materials should be as described above. If an additional meeting is not required but changes are needed, the student should prepare a statement of those changes and distribute a copy to each committee member. Rejection of the proposal usually results in the selection of a new research question/problem. After development of the new proposal, students should schedule a second thesis proposal meeting following procedures outlined above, and submit a new Thesis Proposal Form to the Graduate Program Coordinator after the T1 meeting. Depending on how much the new proposal deviates from the original proposal, a change in committee or chairperson may be warranted.

Chairperson and committee member involvement after project approval.

The chairperson should be cognizant of progress in all stages of the research. Periodic informal reports of progress – particularly when the project takes longer than 1 year to complete – should be made to committee members by the student. Significant changes in design or procedure should be reported to the committee. The determination of “significant” will be made by the student and their chairperson.

Applying for graduation 

Applying for Graduation must occur at the beginning of the semester that the student plans to complete their T2. Consult the Graduate School deadlines page for specific deadlines and procedures.

Thesis defense meeting (T2):

After the thesis project is completed, a final oral presentation and examination is conducted. The T2 should be conducted during the Fall or Spring semester. The student must register for a minimum of 2 credits of Psych 700 during the semester they defend. If the defense must be conducted during the Summer, the student will need to:

1. Ensure all committee members are willing/able to attend a summer defense (note: most faculty are off contract in the summer),
2. Enroll in 2 credits of Psych 700, and
3. Pay associated tuition and fees.

The T2 should not be scheduled until the student has produced a thesis draft that the committee chair judges to be defensible. Typically, this requires multiple revisions of the document; students should edit the document before it is given to the committee. However, the student has the right to proceed with a defense even if the committee feels that the document is not defensible; in that case an outside member of the Graduate Mentor Academy should be requested to attend the defense (this requires providing documents to the Graduate Program Coordinator 17 business days prior to scheduled defense).

Scheduling the T2 meeting.

It is the student’s responsibility to determine the availability of committee members and to identify a date and 2-hour time window for the meeting. All members of the committee must participate in the defense, and must be present (in the room or via WSU videoconference or Zoom, not on the phone). A 2-hour time period must be scheduled for the T2, with no exceptions.

Important: Before the meeting can be formally scheduled (which must happen at least two weeks prior to the meeting date), the committee members must have two weeks to review the final thesis document before their signatures are obtained on the scheduling form. Therefore the thesis should be completed one month prior to the planned defense date.

Paperwork and formal scheduling

The student should consult the “Policies and Procedures” of the Graduate School for University requirements. Since specific requirements change periodically, the student should contact the Graduate School early in the project for information about forms to be filed and deadlines.

Tips about paperwork and scheduling

• The student should download the scheduling form from the Graduate School forms website.  
• The graduate school encourages a member of the student’s committee be present in person during a defense; however, the T2 may be conducted in person (in a WSU videoconference-enabled room), over Zoom, or a combination of the two.
  • For students in Pullman, room scheduling should be requested through the Psychology Graduate Program Coordinator.
  • For students on Vancouver or Spokane campuses, room scheduling should be requested through the appropriate administrative assistant, with the Graduate Program Coordinator cc’d on these requests.
• All thesis defenses are public. To meet this requirement, a Zoom link to attend should be made available. The Graduate Program Coordinator will set this up after a room has been reserved (if applicable). The student should provide the names and emails of their committee members, and WSU room number (if applicable) in their request. The student CANNOT be the person to set up Zoom meetings. Members of the public are permitted to attend thesis defenses but only faculty can remain for the questioning portion of the meeting.
• After the committee has two weeks to review the thesis document, the student should obtain signatures from all committee members on the same form and then submit the form to the Graduate Program Coordinator (psych.grad.sign@wsu.edu). This form, along with documentation of appropriate review board approval/exemption (e.g. IRB), should be submitted 12 business days before the scheduled defense which gives an additional two business days for the department to process and submit the form to Graduate School by their deadline of 10 business days. 
  • Students are encouraged to send a draft of their scheduling form to the Graduate Program Coordinator to confirm it has been completed correctly before obtaining signatures.
• Because the thesis must be sent to committee members at least two weeks before the scheduling form is due, the thesis must be finalized at least one month before the scheduled exam date.

Graduate School Copy

Students must submit an electronic draft of the thesis to the Graduate School no later than 10 business days before the examination. See Theses and Dissertations page at the Graduate School website.

Department Copy

An electronic copy (PDF) of the thesis must be submitted to the Psychology Graduate Program Coordinator (psych.grad.sign@wsu.edu) at least 5 business days before the oral examination. Following the oral examination, a final electronic copy (PDF) of the thesis should be emailed to psych.grad.sign@wsu.edu for the Psychology Department’s permanent collection no later than 10 business days after the defense (this is the same deadline as the Graduate School).

Formatting the thesis document

• For the committee and department: Most decisions regarding format, length, and organization of the thesis are up to the Thesis Committee. In general, the paper should be written in the style described in the most recent edition of the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, unless the student will publish the work in a non-APA journal.
• For the Graduate School: For format and copies required by the Graduate School, see the Graduate School website.

Conducting the thesis defense meeting

This is a formal oral examination designed to assess the student’s breadth and depth of knowledge and ability to think logically. An examiner may ask about any topic that they feel the student should know as a research psychologist, even if it does not pertain directly to the study being presented. The primary purpose of these questions is to ensure that the student possesses master’s-level knowledge of psychology. The student should prepare an oral presentation of the study with visual aids. Typically, the presentation is approximately 20-30 minutes long, although the major advisor may recommend a shorter or longer presentation.

The thesis defense is a is a public meeting scheduled with the Graduate School. The thesis presentation portion of the meeting is open to any member of the public; however, the oral examination is closed to members of the public. Primary responsibility for conducting this examination belongs to the Thesis Committee. The student will be examined by all members of the committee, and may also be examined by any other members of the faculty who attend the defense. Non-voting eligible attendees (e.g., family members, friends) may attend the presentation but may not ask questions and must leave the meeting before the oral examination begins. The DPST will attend when possible. If they cannot attend (or is a member of the committee), they may designate a member of the Psychological Science Faculty to act as proxy. All other Psychological Science Faculty are encouraged to attend.

After the oral examination, the student is required to leave the meeting so that the committee and other attending faculty can deliberate privately. During deliberation, committee members may request changes to the final thesis document prior to the student submitting it to the Graduate School. The student should rejoin the meeting to hear the results of the examination and be informed of requested changes if applicable.

The Graduate Program Coordinator (psych.grad.sign@wsu.edu) and DPST (carrie.cuttler@wsu.edu) should be informed of the results of the exam to keep track of outcomes.

If the student or committee anticipate significant conflicts at the defense, an outside member of the Graduate Mentor Academy (appointed by the Graduate School) should be requested to attend the defense. Please contact the Graduate Program Coordinator to set this up, and be aware that the scheduling form is due 17 business days prior to the scheduled defense date when a member of the Graduate Mentor Academy is requested.

Failed examination

In the event of a failed examination, the student will receive a grade of “U” for Psych 700 for that semester and will be re-examined for a second and final attempt per WSU Graduate School guidelines (see the Graduate School Policies and Procedures for exceptions to this policy; Chapter 1.E.2, Examination Failure). The second attempt may be scheduled after a period of at least three months. Scheduling for a second examination requires submission of the scheduling form to the Graduate Coordinator (psych.grad.sign@wsu.edu) at least 17 business days in advance of the exam. A member of the Graduate Mentor Academy (appointed by the Graduate School) must be present. A second failure of the exam will result in a grade of “U” for Psych 700 for that semester, and dismissal from the program as stipulated by the Graduate School. The student as the right to appeal the decision by filing a formal grievance with the Graduate School.

Grievances by the student.

If not informally resolvable, grievances may be discussed with one or more of the following: the committee chairperson, the DPST, the Department Chair, the Dean of the College, and the Vice Provost of Graduate and Professional Education. See the Graduate School website.

After a successful defense, the student must:

1. Address any required changes to their thesis document and seek approval from their committee.
2. Submit the formal thesis to the Graduate School (after approval of any changes by their committee).
3. Create a service request in my.wsu.edu for e-approval of thesis.

Submitting the formal thesis to the Graduate School

Within 10 business days of a success defense, the student is required to submit a formal thesis to the Graduate School (conforming to the formatting requirements by the Graduate School) in addition to the copy submitted to the department. The format required by the Graduate School is available on the Graduate School website.

E-approval of thesis

The following steps must be completed within 10 business days of the successful defense:

1. The student should download and complete the Thesis/Dissertation Approval Form from the Graduate School forms website and upload it in my.wsu.edu.
2. The student should create a service request in my.wsu.edu. This will generate approval requests that are sent to the Graduate Program Coordinator and Thesis Committee members. Their approval serves as final approval of the thesis.
3. Students can check the status of their request by going to the service request portion of the profile page.
4. The 10-day deadline includes receiving faculty approval through myWSU. Thus, a student should submit these final documents as soon as possible prior to the 10-day deadline.

Graduate School Requirements

See also Graduate School forms and paperwork requirement for thesis defense and deposit of thesis to Graduate School on the Graduate School website.

Doctoral Degree

Requirements for a doctoral degree

1. Completion of at least 72 credit hours of coursework (including those earned under the Master’s program of study), including a minimum of 26 hours of graded coursework and a minimum of 20 hours of Psych 800 (Dissertation Research). The student must sign up for at least 1 credit of Psych 800 each semester until the dissertation is completed, and at least 2 credits of Psych 800 the semesters of the preliminary exam and dissertation defense. Note that to earn the required minimum of 20 Psych 800 credits, a student will need to register for more than 1-2 credits each semester.
2. Completion (preparing and passing) of the preliminary examination. Following successful completion of the preliminary examination, the student officially becomes a candidate for the PhD.
3. Completion (conducting and passing defense) of a Doctoral dissertation. Many considerations that define an appropriate dissertation and its approach, type of data, and design are dictated by the nature of the problem chosen for study and cannot adequately be anticipated or delineated in a formal policy statement. In general, the dissertation is a scholarly, original study that represents a significant, novel contribution to the field of psychology. It should be a major piece of research, comprehensive in scope. Ordinarily, a dissertation should be designed with strong theoretical underpinnings rather than being strictly exploratory. The emphasis should be on an experimental rather than a non-experimental approach. It is recognized, however, that many important questions in psychology cannot be addressed through experiments, and such questions are sometimes appropriate for dissertation research. Because nonexperimental and quasi-experimental approaches afford less opportunity for control than is the case with experiments, they must be conducted with special care and comprehensiveness to be sufficiently high-quality for a dissertation.

Doctoral Committee

Immediately following completion of the Master’s degree, the student should choose a Doctoral Committee in consultation with their major advisor. The purpose of the Doctoral Committee is to assist the student in preparing for the preliminary exam, completing the preliminary exam, advising on the dissertation, and conducting a final examination on completion of the dissertation. Ideally, students should meet with their Doctoral Committee annually (at the end of each academic year) to discuss their progress.

Requirements for committee composition

The Doctoral Committee must consist of three or more faculty members, including the chairperson. The chairperson (usually the student’s major research advisor) must be a member of the core, active tenured or tenure-track research faculty in the Psychology department (and their primary appointment must be in Psychology). Two co-chairs (in some cases, a co-chair from outside of Psychology) may be permissible if one of the co-chairs is a core, active research faculty in the Psychological Science program. At least one additional committee member must have a primary appointment in Psychology. Additional committee members who hold the highest appropriate degree and whose special knowledge is particularly important to the proposed program, but who are not members of the faculty, may be appointed to the committee after discussion with the DPST, and approval by the Department Chair and the Graduate School.

Forming the committee

It is recommended that students meet with the DPST when deciding on committee members to ensure that the committee meets the Psychological Science Program requirements. A list of faculty currently approved to serve on committees is available in the Faculty in Psychological Science section of this Handbook.

Approval of the committee

The Doctoral Committee is subject to approval by the chairperson of the major and minor (if applicable) departments, the DPST, the Department Chair, and the Graduate School.

Doctoral program of study

After selecting members of the Doctoral Committee, the student should download the “Program of Study Request” form from the Graduate School Website, fill out the form with relevant completed and planned coursework, and obtain signatures from all committee members on the same form. This form should be submitted after completion of the master’s degree (T2), prior to the preliminary exam proposal (P1), and no later than the beginning of the semester preceding the anticipated preliminary exam (P2). (October 1 deadline to guarantee a Spring preliminary exam; March 1 deadline to guarantee a Fall preliminary exam; see graduate school deadlines). Students are encouraged to submit their program of study form within two semester of earning their Master’s degree in the program or entering with an approved Master’s degree but must do so no later than during the third semester per Graduate School policy. Students are strongly encouraged to send a draft of their program of study form to the Graduate Program Coordinator or DPST to confirm that their form has been completed correctly before obtaining signatures.

The completed document should be submitted to the Graduate Program Coordinator at the following email address: psych.grad.sign@wsu.edu. She will review and approve the form before obtaining approval from the DPST and will then submit the form to the Graduate School. The DPST signs only after the Program Coordinator’s review.

Changes to committee after preliminary exam.

Usually the Doctoral Committee consists of the same faculty as the Preliminary Examination Committee. However, the student and their major advisor may decide to add to, or change, the committee. In this case, the student should inform relevant committee members of this decision and then submit a “change of committee” form (located on the Graduate School Website) to the Graduate Program Coordinator at psych.grad.sign@wsu.edu.

Requirements for the Doctoral Program of Study.

Specific requirements and deadlines regarding the doctoral program of study are detailed in the “Policies and Procedures” on the Graduate School website.

Preliminary examination

The preliminary examination must conform to all rules of the Graduate School, as stated in the “Policies and Procedures” of the Graduate School. For the Graduate School’s purposes, the preliminary exam is evaluative and is a gatekeeping step used to formally admit students to doctoral candidacy.  

Ideally, the Preliminary Exam is completed within 2 semesters after the T2 (or within 4 semesters after entering the program with a Master’s degree). To complete the exam within this timeframe, the Doctoral Committee should be formed no later than 6 months after completing the T2.

The Preliminary Exam for the Psychological Science program requires that students complete a major area review paper and oral defense, and give a research presentation to the program (typically as a Psych 506 seminar). Thus, the Preliminary Exam serves three goals:

1. Prepare the student for their dissertation project.
2. Evaluate their ability to comprehend scientific literature, to synthesize ideas, and develop sound conclusions from the literature.
3. Promote professional development by providing opportunities for professional feedback.

Component 1: Major Area Review Paper

• A comprehensive and critical review of the literature on a topic within the student’s area of specialization (i.e. topic of the dissertation). The manuscript should address a gap in the literature and represent a sophisticated, critical analysis of the literature in a particular area of psychology. It should integrate information from within the subject area, incorporate material from relevant areas, and establish implications for the field. The paper must not merely be a summary of study descriptions; rather it must include important details of reviewed studies (e.g., methods, type of sample), involve a critical analysis of the research (e.g., limitations of the research), attempt to resolve conflicting findings, identify gaps in the literature and propose future directions, and demonstrate understanding of theoretical and methodological issues in the field. A table summarizing past findings is strongly encouraged. Citations must be accurate and involve primary (not secondary) sources of information. Publications that could serve as examples include those in Psychological Bulletin, Psychological Review, and Annual Review of Psychology. During the prelim proposal meeting [P1], students will provide the prelim committee with a planned reading list and detailed outline. The committee will help evaluate the novelty and comprehensiveness of the proposed review and reading list. Students should incorporate feedback from the committee members discussed during the meeting, but the final version of the paper should be submitted to the committee without editing by the faculty mentors. Students are prohibited from using AI in the writing of their prelim and prelim proposal [see Artificial Intelligence (AI) Use Policy].
• Students may wish to seek guidance from the Graduate Writing Center for assistance with writing style, but they may not seek guidance from members of their prelim committee on aspects of the writing or content after the P1 meeting.
• Oral examination of major area review paper: During the preliminary exam ballot meeting [P2], the student will give an oral presentation and answer questions from the prelim committee about the area paper. Students present a brief overview of the area paper. The committee may ask questions about the presentation, paper, and other relevant topics.

Component 2: Presentation to psychological science program

• After the proposal meeting (P1), but before the preliminary exam ballot meeting (P2), the student must give a presentation to the Psychological Science program. Prior to the semester in which you plan to present, email the DPST to request to be added to the Psych 506 seminar schedule.
• The student will give a presentation in Psych 506 (approximately 30 minutes to present, 10-15 minutes for questions) based on their area of research to the faculty and students of the psychological science program. The presentation should be based on their area of research and can include a conference-style research talk (presenting findings from one or multiple projects) or summary of their research program (similar to a job talk). All attending faculty will complete a seminar evaluation, the results of which will be summarized by the committee chair and provided to the student. The prelim committee’s review of the evaluation summary and the presentation slides will be part of the preliminary exam.
  • Alternative times may be scheduled in rare cases should seminar times not be available that the student and/or committee members can attend. Contact the DPST for assistance with scheduling.
• If the presentation is judged to be unsatisfactory (overall evaluation mean below 3), the student may be required to give a second presentation. In that circumstance, the student will provide only the most recent evaluation summary and presentation slides for the Prelim Balloting meeting (P2).

Prelim Development

The student, under direction of their committee chair, is responsible for identifying a novel area paper topic, creating an initial literature reading list, and an area paper outline.

Prelim exam proposal meeting (P1):

Within six months of completing the master’s degree, the student should hold the preliminary exam proposal (P1) meeting. Students entering with an approved master’s degree should plan to propose their prelim by the Spring of their first year (preferred), or early in the Fall of their second year.

The purpose of this meeting is to gain consensus on the:

1. Scope, goals, and expectations of the area paper
2. Date of completion.

This meeting also serves as an opportunity to review student progress on their expected professional activities (see expectations regarding professional activities under “Annual Reviews”, in the Annual Academic Performance Evaluation section of this document), to obtain feedback for goals of Psych 800 credits moving forward. Thus, students should prepare a written update regarding progress towards these products. The P1 meeting will include only the student and their committee, although the DPST may attend.

Documents to prepare

The student should prepare the following documents and distribute them to their committee at least one week in advance of the meeting. These include:

1. Preliminary reading list of literature to include in the area paper
2. Proposed outline of area paper
3. Written update of completion of professional products expected by the program and/or plans for completing these products prior to the dissertation defense.
4. Up-to-date CV

Scheduling the P1 meeting

It is the student’s responsibility to determine the availability of committee members and to identify a date and time for the meeting. Once a date and time has been set, the student should notify the Graduate Program Coordinator of this date as soon as possible. A minimum 1-hour time period must be scheduled for the P1.

• For students in Pullman, room scheduling should be requested through the Psychology Graduate Program Coordinator.
• For students on Vancouver or Spokane campuses, room scheduling should be requested through the appropriate administrative assistant, with the Psychology Graduate Program Coordinator cc’d on these requests.
• If Zoom is needed for the meeting, the Graduate Program Coordinator will set this up after the room has been reserved. The student should provide the names and emails of their committee members as well as the room information in their request. The student CANNOT be the person to set up Zoom meetings.

Paperwork for the P1 meeting

The student must complete the Prelim (P1) approval form located in the Psychological Science Program’s Microsoft Teams folder. The student should make sure to identify a date of completion (in agreement with the committee) and work to stick to this goal. This form should be signed by the committee chair on behalf of the committee and submitted to the Graduate Program Coordinator (psych.grad.sign@wsu.edu) within 5 business days after the P1 is completed. The DPST should be cc’d on this email.

Chairperson and committee member involvement after the prelim proposal

The chairperson should be cognizant of the student’s progress toward completing the various components of the prelim. However, the chairperson and committee members should not be involved in the area paper beyond feedback on the initial reading list and outline. Students should not solicit feedback from the committee on drafts of their paper.

Prelim exam and ballot meeting (P2):

Once the student has written the area paper and given their 506 presentation, they will distribute the area paper, presentation summary, and 506 presentation slides to the prelim committee. These documents should be submitted to the committee at the time of the request for scheduling, if not sooner.

To schedule the P2 meeting, a student must have an approved doctoral program of study with the Graduate School and must have 6 or fewer graded credits left to complete on the program of study. A student cannot take the exam in the same semester they submit their Program of Study. See the Graduate School deadlines.

A minimum of 4 months must elapse after a successful preliminary exam before the student can schedule the final dissertation defense.

The P2 should be conducted during the Fall or Spring semester. Students must register for a minimum of 2 credits of Psych 800 during the semester in which they complete the prelim exam. Preliminary examinations may not be taken during the Summer except in extraordinary circumstances and requires approval of the prelim committee, the DPST, and the Department Chair, and students will be responsible for paying associated tuition and fees.

Scheduling the P2 meeting

It is the student’s responsibility to determine the availability of committee members and to identify a date and 2 hour time window for the meeting. All members of the committee must participate in the defense, and must be present (in the room or via Zoom, not on the phone). Once a date and time have been set, the student should notify the Graduate Program Coordinator of this date as soon as possible. A 2-hour time period must be scheduled for the P2. The P2 meeting typically includes only the prelim committee although the DPST may attend.

Details by campus location

• For students in Pullman, room scheduling should be requested through the Graduate Program Coordinator.
• For students on Vancouver or Spokane campuses, room scheduling should be requested through the appropriate administrative assistant, with the Graduate Program Coordinator cc’d on these requests.
• If Zoom is needed for the meeting, the Graduate Program Coordinator will set this up after the room has been reserved (if applicable). The student should provide the names and emails of their committee members, and WSU room number (if applicable) in their request. The student CANNOT be the person to set up the Zoom meeting.

Students should submit their area paper, presentation summary, 506 presentation slides, and the prelim exam evaluation form to their committee members at the time they request their committee schedule the examination, if not sooner.

Paperwork and formal scheduling

Students must download the scheduling form from the Graduate School website. The student should obtain signatures from all committee members on the same form and then submit the form to the Graduate Program Coordinator (psych.grad.sign@wsu.edu). The form should be submitted 12 Business Days before the scheduled defense which gives an additional two business days for the department to process and submit the form to Graduate School by their deadline of 10 Business Days.

Students are encouraged to send a draft of their scheduling form to the Graduate Program coordinator to confirm it has been completed correctly before obtaining signatures.

Conducting the Preliminary Exam meeting.

The student should give a brief presentation that overviews the area paper. The committee may ask questions about the presentation, paper, and any other topic they deem relevant. Faculty committee members are expected to attend the meeting having read the final paper and other documents, and be prepared to critically evaluate the student’s defense of these products. The student should consult with their major advisor ahead of time to discuss expectations regarding length, content, and formality of this presentation.

After the oral examination and questioning period is complete, the student will be excused from the meeting for the committee members to deliberate. During this time, the committee members will complete the evaluation form of the area paper and oral examination and privately discuss their assessment of these components. The committee chair will summarize the evaluations and provide feedback to the students on these elements. The student will then be invited back into the meeting to hear the outcome of the examination.

The Graduate Program Coordinator (psych.grad.sign@wsu.edu) and DPST (carrie.cuttler@wsu.edu)  must be informed of the results of the exam to keep track of outcomes.

Determining Exam Outcomes

Each member will indicate their approval or disapproval to recommend the student to advance to doctoral candidacy.

A successful examination

requires an overall evaluation of a B or better on the area paper and defense.

Failed Examination

In the event of a failed examination, the student will receive a grade of “U” for Psych 800 for that semester, and the student will be re-examined for a second and final attempt (per WSU Graduate School guidelines). The student will receive summary feedback about the components that were unsatisfactory and can revise those components and resubmit to the committee. For the re-examination, the student should include a point-by-point description of how they have addressed the deficiencies identified by the prelim committee.

At least 3 months but not longer than two semesters, must lapse between a failed examination and re-examination. Scheduling for a second examination requires submission of the scheduling form to the Graduate Coordinator (psych.grad.sign@wsu.edu) at least 17 business days in advance of the exam. A member of the Graduate Mentor Academy (appointed by the Graduate School) must be present. A second failure of the preliminary exam will result in a grade of “U” for Psych 800 for that semester, and dismissal from the program as stipulated by the Graduate School. The student as the right to appeal the decision by filing a formal grievance with the Graduate School.

All But Dissertation (ABD) Status

A student is considered ABD if they have passed their preliminary exam and completed their formal program of study coursework. Students who have reached ABD status are considered doctoral candidates.

Dissertation proposal development

Student Responsibilities

The student, under the direction of the committee chair, is responsible for a literature search, preparation of the proposal, and the development of required skills and competencies to complete the dissertation. The student is also responsible for consideration and solution of logistical problems related to the research. Students are encouraged to edit the proposal carefully and have it reviewed and approved by the committee chair before it is disseminated to committee members. Students are prohibited from using AI in the writing of their dissertation and proposal [see Artificial Intelligence (AI) Use Policy].

Chairperson and committee member involvement.

The relative involvement of the chairperson may vary, depending on the student’s background and the nature of the problem. It is valuable to discuss relative contributions/expectations, responsibilities, and authorship with the major advisor at this stage. The American Psychological Association’s Ethical Principles of Psychologists should be the guide. The chairperson of the committee should help the student to carefully edit the proposal, and indicate preliminary approval of the proposal before it is submitted to other committee members. Members of the committee should be involved at this stage in a consultant capacity.

Dissertation proposal meeting (D1):

When the student has completed a research proposal, in consultation with the major advisor and possibly other members of the Doctoral Committee, a formal meeting is held to discuss and approve the research plan. The D1 is not scheduled through the Graduate School, but is scheduled through the department.

The D1 meeting typically includes only the student and their committee, although others may attend with permission of the committee chair. The function of the D1 meeting is to discuss and evaluate the proposal. This results in a judgment of the feasibility and scientific merit and a decision about whether the proposal is accepted as is, whether changes are recommended, or whether the proposal is rejected.

The D1 meeting must be held after the student passes the Preliminary Exam (P2), but may be held before completing all expected professional activities outlined in the annual review.

Pilot data for the D1 meeting may be useful but is not necessary. However, the student should meet with their Doctoral Committee prior to starting any data collection for the dissertation. It is important that the studies be proposed rather than completed at the time of the D1 because the point of the meeting is for the committee to critique the empirical question and methodological approach. Rare exceptions may be appropriate – consult with the DPST before proceeding.

Scheduling the D1 meeting

It is the student’s responsibility to determine the availability of committee members and to identify a date and 2 hour time window for the meeting. Once a date and time has been set, the student should notify the Graduate Program Coordinator of this date as soon as possible. A 2-hour time period must be scheduled for the D1.

Room scheduling

• For students in Pullman, room scheduling should be requested through the Graduate Program Coordinator.
• For students on Vancouver or Spokane campuses, room scheduling should be requested through the appropriate administrative assistant, with the Graduate Program Coordinator cc’d on these requests.
• If Zoom is needed for the meeting, the Graduate Program Coordinator will set this up after the room has been reserved. The student should provide the names and emails of their committee members, and WSU room number (if applicable) in their request. The student CANNOT be the person to set up the Zoom meeting.

Paperwork for the D1 meeting

Students must complete the Dissertation Proposal (D1) Form located on the Psychological Science Program’s Microsoft Teams folder. This form must be signed by all committee members and submitted to the Graduate Program Coordinator (psych.grad.sign@wsu.edu) within 5 business days after the D1 meeting date (regardless of the outcome). The DPST should be cc’d on this email.

Dissertation Proposal format

Most decisions regarding format, length, and organization are up to the Doctoral Committee. Unless the intention is to be published in a non-APA journal, the proposal should be written in the style described in the most recent edition of the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association.

Content to include in the Dissertation Proposal.

See the “Preparation of Thesis (T1) and Dissertation (D1) Proposals” section of this handbook for more information.

Distribution of the Proposal for the D1 meeting.

Students should send their Dissertation proposals to committee members at least two weeks prior to the scheduled meeting.

Oral presentation for the D1 meeting.

It is generally advisable to prepare a brief (20-30 minute), well-organized visual and oral overview of the proposed project. Students should consult with their major advisor on the presentation. The degree of formality of the D1 meeting varies with chairpersons and committees. The student should consult with their major advisor ahead of time to discuss expectations. Regardless of the degree of formality, the student is asked to cover the following list of topics (bulleted items below). These concern what already is available in the proposal, but remind the committee of details, help to maintain a logical order, and permit the student to summarize the proposal.

Topics to cover during meeting

• Statement of your background, interests, and professional goals (very brief).
• Why you are interested in a particular problem area. How is it related to your goals?
• Theoretical or empirical background, leading to a precise statement of hypotheses to be tested.
• Statement of procedures, including subjects, apparatus, steps in procedure, and timeline.
• Description of experimental design, showing how the design will test the hypotheses.
• Description of proposed statistical analyses.
• Statement of predicted results (with graphics if appropriate) and how particular outcomes will be interpreted.

Review by the D1 committee.

Committee members and any other faculty in attendance may ask questions related to any of the above points, or any other matters relevant to the dissertation and to the student’s graduate and professional experience.

The D1 committee’s role and responsibility.

The committee members judge the significance, soundness, and feasibility of the proposed research and the ability of the student to successfully complete the research. The decision of the committee at this meeting may be to:

Possible committee actions at meeting

1. Accept the proposal as presented.
2. Suggest changes in the procedure.
3. Suggest reduction or expansion in the scope of the research.
4. Suggest a different emphasis or direction.
5. Reject the proposal.

Actions (2), (3), (4), or (5) may require additional meetings of the committee. If an additional meeting is scheduled, responsibilities for scheduling and distributing materials should be as described above. If an additional meeting is not required but changes are needed, the student should prepare a statement of those changes and distribute a copy to each committee member. Rejection of the proposal usually results in the selection of a new research question/problem. After development of the new proposal, students should schedule a second dissertation proposal meeting following procedures outlined above, and submit a new Dissertation Proposal (D1) Form to the Graduate Program Coordinator after the D1 meeting. Depending on how much the new proposal deviates from the original proposal, a change in committee member(s) or chairperson may be warranted.

Chairperson and committee member involvement after project approval

The chairperson should be cognizant of progress in all stages of the research. Periodic informal reports of progress – particularly when the project takes longer than 1 year to complete – should be made to committee members by the student. Annual meetings with the committee are encouraged to keep them updated on your progress.

Significant changes in design or procedure should be reported to the committee as soon as possible. The determination of “significant” will be made by the student and their chairperson.

Applying for graduation

Applying for Graduation must occur at the beginning of the semester that the student plans to complete their D2. Consult the Graduate School website for specific deadlines and procedures.

Dissertation Defense Meeting (D2):

After the dissertation project is complete, a final oral presentation and examination is conducted. The D2 should be conducted during the Fall or Spring semester. Students must register for a minimum of 2 credits of Psych 800 during the semester they defend.

If the defense must be conducted during the Summer, the student will need to:

1. Ensure all committee members are willing/able to attend a summer defense (Note: most faculty are off contract in the summer),
2. Enroll in 2 credits of Psych 800, and
3. Pay associated tuition and fees.

The D2 should not be scheduled until the student has produced a dissertation draft that the committee chair judges to be defensible. Typically, this requires multiple revisions of the document; students are advised to carefully edit the document before it is given to the committee. However, the student has the right to proceed with a defense even if the committee feels that the document is not defensible; in that case an outside member of the Graduate Mentor Academy (appointed by the Graduate School) should be requested to attend the defense (this requires providing documents to the Graduate Program Coordinator 17 business days prior to scheduled defense).

Scheduling the D2 meeting.

It is the student’s responsibility to determine the availability of committee members and to identify a date and 2 hour time window for the meeting. All members of the committee must participate in the defense, and must be present (in the room or via Zoom, not on the phone). Once a date and time have been set, the student should notify the Graduate Program Coordinator of this date as soon as possible. Per the Graduate School, a 2-hour time period must be scheduled for the D2, with no exceptions.

Important note: Before the meeting can be formally scheduled (which must happen at least two weeks prior to the meeting date), the committee members must have two weeks to review the final dissertation document before their signatures are obtained on the scheduling form. Therefore the dissertation should be completed one month prior to the planned defense date.

Paperwork and formal scheduling

The student should consult the “Policies and Procedures” of the Graduate School for University requirements. Since specific requirements change periodically, the student should contact the Graduate School early in the project for information about forms to be filed and deadlines.

• The student should download the scheduling form from the Graduate School forms website.
• The graduate school encourages a member of the student’s committee be present in person during a defense; however, the D2 may be conducted in person (in a WSU videoconference-enabled room), over Zoom, or a combination of the two.
  • For students in Pullman, room scheduling should be requested through the Psychology Graduate Program Coordinator.
  • For students on Vancouver or Spokane campuses, room scheduling should be requested through the appropriate administrative assistant, with the Graduate Program Coordinator cc’d on these requests.
• After the committee has two weeks to review the dissertation document, the student should obtain signatures from all committee members on the same form and then submit the form to the Graduate Program Coordinator (psych.grad.sign@wsu.edu). This form, along with documentation of appropriate review board approval/exemption (e.g., IRB approval), should be submitted 12 BUSINESS DAYS before the scheduled defense which gives an additional two business days for the department to process and submit the form to Graduate School by their deadline of 10 BUSINESS DAYS.
  • Students are encouraged to send a draft of their scheduling form to the Graduate Program coordinator to confirm it has been completed correctly before obtaining signatures.
• Because the dissertation must be sent to committee members at least two weeks before the scheduling form is due, the dissertation must be finalized at least one month before the scheduled exam date.

Graduate School Copy

Students must submit an electronic draft of the dissertation to the Graduate School no later than 10 business days before the examination. See Theses and Dissertations page at the Graduate School website.

Department Copy

An electronic copy (PDF) of the dissertation must be submitted to the Graduate Program Coordinator (psych.grad.sign@wsu.edu) at least 5 business days before the oral examination. Following the oral examination, a final electronic copy (PDF) of the thesis should be emailed to psych.grad.sign@wsu.edu for the Psychology Department’s permanent collection no later than 10 business days after the defense (this is the same deadline as the Graduate School).

Formatting the dissertation document

• For the committee and department: Most decisions regarding format, length, and organization of the dissertation are up to the Doctoral Committee. In general, the paper should be written in the style described in most recent edition of the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, unless the student will publish the work in a non-APA journal.
• For the Graduate School: For format and copies required by Graduate School, see the Graduate School website.

Conducting the dissertation defense meeting

This is a formal oral examination designed to assess the student’s breadth and depth of knowledge and ability to think critically and logically. An examiner may ask about any topic that they feel the student should know as a research psychologist, even if it does not pertain directly to the study being presented. The primary purpose of these questions is to ensure that the student possesses doctoral-level knowledge of psychology. The student should prepare an oral presentation of the study with visual aids. Typically the presentation is approximately 20-30 minutes long, although the major advisor may recommend a shorter or longer presentation.

The dissertation defense is a public meeting scheduled with the Graduate School. The dissertation presentation portion of the meeting is open to any member of the public; however, the oral examination is closed to members of the public. Primary responsibility for conducting this examination belongs to the Doctoral Committee. The student will be examined by all members of the committee, and may also be examined by any other members of the faculty who attend the defense. Non-voting eligible attendees (e.g., family members, friends) may attend the presentation but may not ask questions and must leave the meeting before the oral examination begins. The DPST will attend when possible. If they cannot attend (or is a member of the committee), they may designate a member of the Psychological Science Faculty to act as proxy. All other Psychological Science Faculty are encouraged to attend.

After the oral examination, the student is required to leave the meeting so that the committee and other attending faculty can deliberate privately. During deliberation, committee members may request changes to the final dissertation document prior to the student submitting it to the Graduate School. The student should rejoin the meeting to hear the results of the examination and be informed of requested changes if applicable.

The Graduate Coordinator (psych.grad.sign@wsu.edu) and DPST (carrie.cuttler@wsu.edu) should be informed of the results of the exam to keep track of outcomes.

If the student or committee anticipate significant conflicts at the defense, an outside member of the Graduate Mentor Academy should be requested to attend the defense. Please contact the Graduate Program Coordinator to set this up, and be aware that the scheduling form is due 17 business days prior to the scheduled defense date when a member of the Graduate Mentor Academy is requested.

Failed Examination

In the event of a failed examination, the student will receive a grade of “U” for Psych 800 for that semester, and in most cases, will be re-examined for a second and final attempt per WSU Graduate School guidelines (see the Graduate School Policies and Procedures for exceptions to this policy; Chapter 1.E.2, Examination Failure). The second attempt may be scheduled after a period of at least three months. Scheduling for a second examination requires submission of the scheduling form to the Graduate Coordinator (psych.grad.sign@wsu.edu) at least 17 business days in advance of the exam. A member of the Graduate Mentor Academy (appointed by the Graduate School) must be present. A second failure of the exam will result in a grade of “U” for Psych 800 for that semester, and dismissal from the program as stipulated by the Graduate School. The student as the right to appeal the decision by filing a formal grievance with the Graduate School.

Grievances by the student

If not informally resolvable, grievances may be discussed with one or more of the following: the committee chairperson, the DPST, the Department Chair, the Dean of the College, and the Vice Provost of Graduate and Professional Education. See the Graduate School website.

After a successful defense, the student must:

1. Address any required changes to their dissertation document and seek approval from their committee
2. Submit the formal dissertation to the Graduate School (after approval of any changes by their committee).
3. Create a service request in my.wsu.edu for e-approval of dissertation.

Submitting the formal dissertation to the Graduate School

Within 10 business days of a success defense, the student is required to submit a formal dissertation to the Graduate School (conforming to the formatting requirements by the Graduate School) in addition to the copy submitted to the department. The format required by the Graduate School is available on the Graduate School website.

E-approval of dissertation

The following steps must be completed within 10 business days of the successful defense:

• The student should download and complete the Thesis/Dissertation Approval Form from the Graduate School forms website and upload it in my.wsu.edu.
• The student should create a service request in my.wsu.edu. This will generate approval requests that are sent to the Graduate Program Coordinator and Doctoral Committee members. Their approval serves as final approval of the dissertation.
• Students can check the status of their request by going to the service request portion of their my.wsu.edu profile page.
• The 10-day deadline includes receiving faculty approval through myWSU. Thus, a student should submit these final documents as soon as possible prior to the 10-day deadline.

Graduate School Requirements

See also Graduate School forms and paperwork requirement for dissertation defense and deposit of dissertation to Graduate School on the Graduate School website.

Preparation of Thesis and Dissertation Proposals

Content and Format of a thesis/dissertation should include:

• Title, name of investigator, and abstract
• Objectives. Statement of the major objectives of the work (aims) and its significance in relation to the present state of knowledge in the field.
• Background Literature. Summary of relevant research literature, including details germane to the proposed research. Considerable care should be taken with this background section, for it is an index of scholarly preparation for the project.
• Hypothesis/Predictions. A step-by-step theoretical and empirical development of the questions or hypotheses to be investigated.
• Methods and Procedures
  • Participants, including relevant background information concerning development, health, age, sex, and species.
  • Apparatus and/or Materials, including description of anything that needs to be constructed.
  • Design; this should include a step-by-step analysis of preliminary and experimental treatments, and a rationale for what is to be done, including controls. Procedural contingencies, depending on outcomes, also should be described.
  • Principal procedures for data analyses should be described, as well as supplemental analyses where appropriate.
• Expected Results. A statement of expected results, preferably in graphic form. It is a good idea to consider alternative outcomes and suggest how the project as designed will contribute some useful knowledge about the problem, regardless of outcome.
• Significance. A general statement of the significance and implications of the potential outcomes.

Filing Program Paperwork

Instructions for graduate school forms:

After all signatures are obtained on the same form, these forms should be submitted to the Graduate Program Coordinator (psych.grad.sign@wsu.edu) who will review and approve the form before obtaining approval from the DPST. DPST approval is done through the Graduate Record Management (via my.wsu.edu). The DPST does not sign (physically or digitally) before forms are sent to the Program Coordinator unless they are serving as a committee chair/member on a student’s committee. Students do not submit these forms directly to the Graduate School.

Students and individual committee members can sign these forms via the following methods (1) print, sign, and scan (content must be legible after scanning), or (2) insert a digitized signature. Once the form is complete, the student should email the form to the Program Coordinator (psych.grad.sign@wsu.edu).

All other forms are departmental and can be obtained from the Psychological Science Microsoft Teams folder.

All forms should be submitted to the Graduate Program Coordinator using this email address: psych.grad.sign@wsu.edu. This is a dedicated email for all communications about committee meetings and Graduate School paperwork. To expedite processing of forms and requests, please try to use the subject lines indicated below.

Graduate Student Forms

Program of Study for Master’s Degree

• Available at Graduate School forms
• The student should download the “Program of Study Request” form from the Graduate School Website and then, complete and obtain all committee member signatures on the same form. The form should be submitted to the Program Coordinator no later than the second semester in the program. Use the subject line “Program of Study – Student Name”.
• We recommend students send a draft of their program of study form to the Graduate Program Coordinator or DPST to confirm that their form has been completed correctly before obtaining signatures.

Thesis Proposal (T1) Form

• See Appendix
• The student should bring this form to their proposal meeting and get signatures from their thesis committee members after successful completion of the proposal. This form should be submitted to the Program Coordinator within 5 business days of the proposal meeting. Use the subject line “Thesis Proposal Approval – Student Name”.

Thesis Final Examination Scheduling Form

• Available at Graduate School forms
• The student should download the “Scheduling Exam: Doctoral/Thesis Final, Non-thesis Final, and Preliminary Exams” form from the Graduate School Website and then, complete and obtain all committee member signatures on the same form. This form should be submitted to the Program Coordinator at least 12 business days prior to the final defense of the master’s thesis. Use the subject line “Thesis Defense Scheduling Form – Student Name”.

Program of Study for Doctoral Degree

• Available at Graduate School forms
• The student should download the “Program of Study Request” form from the Graduate School Website and then, complete and obtain all committee member signatures on the same form. The form should be submitted to the Program Coordinator after successfully passing the master’s defense and 4 months prior to the preliminary exam date. Students entering the program with a Master’s degree should complete this form by the beginning of their second year. Use the subject line “Program of Study – Student Name”.
• We recommend students send a draft of their program of study form to the Graduate Program Coordinator or DPST to confirm that their form has been completed correctly before obtaining signatures.

Preliminary Exam Proposal (P1) Form

• See Appendix
• The student should bring this form to their preliminary exam proposal meeting and get a signature from their committee chair after receiving approval to proceed with their prelim. This form should be submitted to the Graduate Coordinator within 5 business days of the proposal meeting. Use the subject line “Prelim Proposal Approval – Student Name”.

Preliminary Exam Scheduling Form

• Available at Graduate School forms
• The student should download the “Scheduling Exam: Doctoral/Thesis Final, Non-thesis Final, and Preliminary Exams” form from the Graduate School Website and then, complete and obtain all committee member signatures on the same form. The form should be submitted to the Program Coordinator at least 12 business days prior to the exam date, a minimum of 4 months after the doctoral program of study is submitted, and a minimum of 4 months prior to the final doctoral defense. Use the subject line “Prelim Exam Scheduling Form – Student Name”.

Dissertation Proposal (D1) Form

• See Appendix
• The student should bring this form to their proposal meeting and get signatures from their Doctoral Committee members after successful completion of the proposal. This form should be submitted to the Program Coordinator within 5 business days of the proposal meeting. Use the subject line “Dissertation Proposal Approval – Student Name”.

Dissertation Final Examination Scheduling Form

• Available at Graduate School forms
• The student should download the “Scheduling Exam: Doctoral/Thesis Final, Non-thesis Final, and Preliminary Exams” form from the Graduate School Website and then, complete and obtain all committee member signatures on the same form. The form should be submitted to the Program Coordinator at least 12 business days prior to the exam date and a minimum of 4 months after the preliminary exam. The dissertation exam must be scheduled no later than 3 years after the preliminary exam. Use the subject line “Dissertation Defense Scheduling Form – Student Name”.

Faculty in Psychological Science

A description of core faculty and their research interests are on the Department of Psychology website under “Psychological Science Graduate Studies”.

Faculty approved to serve on Psychological Science Graduate Student Committees

Core, Active Tenured or Tenure-Track Research Faculty in Psychological Science Program (can serve as Committee Chair, Committee Co-Chair, or Committee Member)

• Elizabeth Canning (Pullman; Psychological Science Faculty)
• Carrie Cuttler (Pullman; Psychological Science Faculty)
• Jessica Fales (Vancouver; Clinical and Psychological Science Faculty)
• Lisa Fournier (Pullman; Psychological Science Faculty)
• Angela Henricks (Pullman; Psychological Science Faculty)
• Benjamin Ladd (Vancouver; Clinical and Psychological Science Faculty)
• Renee Magnan (Vancouver; Psychological Science Faculty)
• Kimberly Meidenbauer (Pullman; Psychological Science Faculty)
• Mike Morgan (Vancouver; Psychological Science Faculty)
• Herry Patel (Vancouver; Psychological Science Faculty)
• Tahira Probst (Vancouver; Psychological Science Faculty)
• Sarah Tragesser (Tri-Cities; Psychological Science Faculty)
• Paul Whitney (Pullman; Psychological Science Faculty)

Emeritus Faculty in Psychological Science Program (can serve as Committee Co-Chair or Committee Member)

• John Hinson (Pullman; Emeritus Psychological Science Faculty)
• Raymond Quock (Pullman; Psychological Science Faculty)

Active Affiliate Faculty in Psychological Science Program (can serve as Committee Co-Chair or Committee Member)

• Devon Hansen (Spokane; Elson S. Floyd College of Medicine; Affiliated Psychology)
• Kimberly Honn (Spokane; Elson S. Floyd College of Medicine; Affiliated Psychology)
• Ryan McLaughlin (Pullman; Integrative Physiology & Neuroscience; Affiliated Psychology)

Other (can serve as Committee Co-Chair or Committee Member)

• John Roll (Spokane; College of Nursing; Affiliated Psychology)
• Alex Spradlin (Vancouver; Career Track Psychology Faculty)
• Hans Van Dongen (Spokane; Elson S. Floyd College of Medicine; Affiliated Psychology)

Active Tenured or Tenure-Track Research Faculty in Clinical Psychology Program (can serve as co-chair or committee member)

• Christopher Barry (Pullman; Clinical Psychology Faculty)
• Tammy Barry (Pullman; Clinical Psychology Faculty)
• Len Burns (Pullman; Clinical Psychology Faculty)
• Hsin-Ya Liao (Pullman; Clinical Psychology Faculty)
• Chang Liu (Pullman; Clinical Psychology Faculty)
• David Marcus (Pullman; Clinical Psychology Faculty)
• Maureen Schmitter-Edgecombe (Pullman; Clinical Psychology Faculty)
• Walter Scott (Pullman; Clinical Psychology Faculty)
• Christine So (Pullman, Clinical Psychology Faculty)
• Paul Strand (Tri-Cities; Clinical Psychology Faculty)

Other (can serve as a Committee Member only)

• Stephanie Bauman (Tri-Cities; Clinical Psychology Faculty)
• Jeremy Beus (Pullman; Carson College of Business)
• Naomi Chaytor (Spokane; Elson S. Floyd College of Medicine)
• Lee Daffin (Pullman; Career Track Psychology Faculty)
• Blythe Duell (Pullman, Career Track Psychology Faculty)
• Courtney Kurinec (Spokane; Translational Medicine and Physiology)
• Matthew Layton (Spokane; Medical Education and Clinical Sciences)
• Allison Matthews (Tri-Cities; Career Track Psychology Faculty)
• Sterling McPherson (Spokane; Elson S. Floyd College of Medicine)
• Andrew Perkins (Pullman; Marketing and International Business)
• Janet Peters (Tri-Cities; Career Track Psychology Faculty)
• Dee Posey (Pullman; Career Track Psychology Faculty)
• David Rossi (Pullman; Integrative Physiology & Neuroscience)
• Brieann Satterfield (Spokane; Translational Medicine & Physiology)
• Rohny Saylors (Vancouver; Business Administration & Entrepreneurship)
• Samantha Swindell (Pullman; Career Track Psychology Faculty)
• Thomas Tripp (Vancouver; Management Information Systems and Entrepreneurship)

Notice of Nondiscrimination

Please visit Washington State University’s (WSU) Notice of Nondiscrimination web page for more information. Everything there applies to all WSU graduate students.

Forms

Forms and documents available at the Graduate School forms website

• Master’s Program of Study
• T2 Master’s Thesis Defense Scheduling Form
• Doctoral Program of Study
• Preliminary Exam Scheduling
• D2 Doctoral Defense Scheduling Form
• Application for Graduation

Forms and documents in the appendix

• Course Checklist
• Sample Timeline
• T1 Proposal Form
• Preliminary Exam Proposal Form
• D1 Proposal Form

Other Forms

• Course Checklist
  • (Psychological Science Program’s Microsoft Teams folder; see appendix)
• Sample Timeline
  • (see appendix)
• Master’s Program of Study
  • (see Graduate School forms)
• T1 Proposal Form
  • (Psychological Science Program’s Microsoft Teams folder; see appendix)
• T2 Master’s Thesis Defense Scheduling Form
  • (see Graduate School forms)
• Doctoral Program of Study
  • (see Graduate School forms)
• Preliminary Exam Proposal Form
  • (Psychological Science Program’s Microsoft Teams folder; see appendix)
• Preliminary Exam Scheduling
  • (see Graduate School forms)
• D1 Proposal Form
  • (Psychological Science Program’s Microsoft Teams folder; see appendix)
• D2 Doctoral Defense Scheduling Form
  • (see Graduate School forms)
• Application for Graduation
  • (see Graduate School forms)

Questions about required forms? Ask the Psychology Graduate Program Coordinator.

Appendix List (departmental/program forms)

• Program Requirements Checklist
• Sample Timeline
• T1 Form
• P1 Form
• D1 Form