Doctor of Philosophy in Psychology - Comparative Cognition and Behaviour

Our program uses an apprenticeship model for graduate training and aims to train skilled and independent researchers who will make significant contributions to the discipline of psychology. Our program encourages early, significant, and sustained involvement in research through apprenticeship-style training, mentored by a group of vigorous world-class faculty members. Our graduate alumni have successful positions in universities and colleges, branches of government, and industry.

The Department of Psychology at the University of Alberta is committed to an equitable, diverse, and inclusive environment. We welcome applications from all qualified persons. We encourage women, First Nations, Mtis, and Inuit persons, members of visible minority groups, persons with disabilities, persons of any sexual orientation or gender identity and expression, and all those who may contribute to the further diversification of our Psychology program.

Spatial Cognition & Navigation - is concerned with how animals find, remember, and navigate to places, and how they recognize objects and scenes. Researchers in comparative cognition study spatial processes in animals ranging from insects to humans.
Neuroethology of Social Behaviour - we study how the process of sexual differentiation contributes to the development of individual differences in social behaviour. Researchers are interested in personality-like differences between members of a species, their underlying neuroendocrinological basis, and the development of sex differences may be involved.
Songbird Neuroethology - deals with songbird vocal production and perception. Researchers are interested in mechanisms of vocal production and perception, along with the effects of the early acoustic environment on adult vocal production/perception, and underlying neural substrates.
Individual differences in asocial and social learning - we have a broad interest in animal behaviour, with a particular focus on how learning and cognitive abilities allow animals to solve problems they face in the wild (e.g., foraging, vocal recognition of conspecifics, how to know what nest to build). We investigate the causes and consequences

Four-year undergraduate degree or graduate degree
Close match of research interests with one or more faculty members
Grade point average of 3.0 or better in last two years or equivalent of study
Upload transcripts from all post-secondary institutions you have attended
Prepare a C.V
Prepare a statement of research interests
When primary language is not English, either:
a satisfactory score on the TOEFL (minimum total score of 88 on the iBT with a score of at least 20 in each skill area) or another approved English language examination
or, baccalaureate degree or its academic equivalent from a recognized institution, in which the language of instruction is English
The Graduate Record Examination (GRE) is a requirement for admission to the graduate program. This requirement can be waived with the explicit written consent of the applicant's potential supervisor(s). In the absence of the supervisor's consent, applications lacking GRE scores will be considered incomplete