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Psychology

Doctorate
Overview
Application Requirements
Concentrations
Faculty
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Application Deadlines
Fall: Dec 1
Spring: n/a
Summer: n/a
School/Department
Psychology
Program Director
Heather Urry
Contact
gradadmissions@tufts.edu
Location
Medford/Somerville
Format
On-campus
Commitment Options
Full-time
Average Duration
5.4 years
Credits
69

Overview

The PhD Program in Psychology conducts cutting-edge research aimed at understanding the causes and consequences of mental processes and behavior. As a PhD student in the Psychology Department, you will undertake innovative and interdisciplinary research, delve into social, cognitive, and neural levels of analysis, and address phenomena that have a direct impact on society.

Program Outcomes

The graduate program's coursework has been designed to further students' professional development and research skills, with an emphasis on effective written communication. As a student in this program, you will receive extensive feedback on writing from personalized faculty committees. In addition, students will gain instruction in oral communication, synthesizing psychological research literature, conducting independent scientific research, statistical competence, professional visibility, and teaching competence.

The graduate program in psychology offers a PhD in Psychology and an interdisciplinary joint PhD in Psychology and Cognitive Science. Both tracks are designed to prepare scholars for entering scientifically-oriented research and teaching jobs.

All students are admitted to the PhD program, which is comprised of a pre-master's and a post-master's part. The program is not designed to grant a terminal master's degree; instead, it is expected that students will proceed to PhD study.

Application Requirements

  • Application Fee
  • Resume/CV
  • GRE General and Subject test scores are optional
  • Official TOEFL, IELTS, or Duolingo English Test, if applicable.
  • Transcripts
  • Three Letters of Recommendation
  • Personal Statement: In 2,000 words or less:
    1. describe your previous experience with the type of research you are interested in;
    2. outline how that experience will facilitate your graduate education; and
    3. describe why you are choosing to pursue graduate education in the Tufts Psychology Department specifically. Your goal should be to outline how well your interests and experience aligns with the Tufts Psychology Program, a specific laboratory, or laboratories. If you are applying for the Cognitive Science Program, please describe why you are interested in that interdisciplinary program.
  • Optional Writing Sample: You may provide a writing sample that provides additional indication of your writing and research experience. This could include a scientific publication, experimental write-up, honors thesis, or other scientific writing.
  • Optional Additional Materials: You may submit additional supporting materials that further demonstrate fit with a lab or an indicated supervisor, if you have not outlined this in your personal statement. (Examples include: online courses, bootcamps, poster presentations, relevant professional development opportunities, certifications in programming languages, videos of an experiment currently in progress, videos of scientific presentations, relevant blog posts, and relevant publications.)

Tuition and Financial Aid

See Tuition and Financial Aid information for GSAS Programs.

Concentrations

The department's areas of concentration reflect the research strengths of the faculty. These include:

  • Biological Psychology
  • Cognition and Perception
  • Developmental Psychology
  • Experimental Psychopathology
  • Social Psychology

Spotlight

Cecilia Hinojosa

Shining a Light on the Biological Origins of PTSD

Cecilia Hinojosa, Phd in Psychology '21, is the first author on a new research paper which finds a brain marker that indicates vulnerability to developing post-traumatic stress disorder. Hinojosa is now a postdoctoral researcher at Emory University.

Faculty

faculty photo

Sam Sommers

Professor and Department Chair of Psychology
Psychology
social perception and judgment; psychology of racial equity and group diversity.
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Aerielle Allen

Assistant Professor
Psychology
Social Processes, Intergroup Relations, Psychology of Racism and Social Equity
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Stephanie Badde

Stibel Family Assistant Professor of Brain and Cognitive Science
Psychology
Perception
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Robert Cook

Professor
Psychology
Animal Cognition and Learning
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J.P. de Ruiter

Professor of Psychology and Computer Science
Psychology
Cognition and Psycholinguistics
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Ariel Goldberg

Associate Professor
Psychology
Psychology of Language, Linguistics
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Xandra Kredlow

Dean of Arts and Sciences Assistant Professor
Psychology
Clinical neuroscience
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Gina Kuperberg

Dennett Stibel Professor of Cognitive Science
Psychology
Cognitive Neuroscience, Language (semantics), Clinical cognitive neuroscience
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Keith Maddox

Professor and Co-Director Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Justice Leadership Program
Psychology
Social Cognition, Stereotyping, Prejudice, Discrimination
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Klaus Miczek

Moses Hunt Professor of Psychology
Psychology
Psychopharmacology
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Paul Muentener

Associate Professor
Psychology
Conceptual Development, Causal Reasoning, Language & Thought
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Aniruddh Patel

Professor
Psychology
Music Cognition
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Alexander Queen

Senior Lecturer
Psychology
Clinical Psychology, Anxiety and Depressive Disorders
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Elizabeth Race

Associate Professor
Psychology
Cognitive Neuroscience
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Jessica Remedios

Associate Professor
Psychology
Social Cognition
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Lisa Shin

Professor
Psychology
Clinical Neuroscience
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Holly Taylor

Professor
Psychology
Spatial Cognition, Language, Memory
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Ayanna Thomas

Professor and Dean of Research for Arts and Sciences
The School of Arts and Sciences
Memory and Aging
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Heather Urry

Professor
Psychology
Emotion and Emotion Regulation
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Nathan Ward

Associate Professor
Psychology
Applied Cognition
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Marcus Weera

Evans Family Assistant Professor
Psychology
Behavioral Neuroscience; Neurobiology of Stress & Addiction

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