Graduate Program

Prospective PhD Students

Current PhD Students

History of the Program

The San Diego campus of the University of California was formally established in 1958 around the nucleus of the Scripps Institution of Oceanography. It has since become one of the major research universities in the United States. The Department of Psychology was formed in 1965 and first admitted graduate students in 1966. There are currently 73 graduate students in the Department's doctoral program. As of June 30, 2011, 344 doctoral degrees have been awarded.

The Department remains committed to the belief that the best training for a career in psychology, even one in clinical psychology, is a strong background in experimental psychology.

The apprenticeship/colleague system, in which each graduate student works closely with one or more faculty advisors throughout his or her graduate career, distinguishes our Department from others.  Our graduate students are actively engaged in research from the beginning of their tenure, starting with a year-long research project which serves as a major criterion in the evaluation of our first year students. Spending a considerable amount of their time conducting well-supervised research throughout their graduate careers, our graduate students are often treated more like colleagues than like students, being intimately involved in the research design, implementation, analysis, and publication processes.

In addition to our lectures, labs, seminars, and journal clubs, the Department offers a weekly lecture series featuring internationally prominent speakers, with whom students have the opportunity to meet over lunch.