Doctor of Philosophy in Psychology - Behavioral and Brain Sciences - Neuroscience

The Department of Psychology is a nationally recognized department with award-winning professors. Graduate work leading to the PhD degree is offered in behavioral and brain sciences, clinical psychology, and industrialorganizational psychology.
The UGA Department of Psychology, within the Franklin College of Arts and Sciences, is a nationally recognized department with award-winning professors who are dedicated to providing the highest quality graduate education possible to our graduate students. The Department of Psychology offers graduate programs leading to the Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) degree.

Graduate work leading to the PhD degree is offered in behavioral and brain sciences, clinical psychology, and industrialorganizational psychology. Students are admitted directly into one of the three doctoral programs, and they are ordinarily required to obtain the master's degree on the way to the doctoral degree. Foreign language proficiency is not required by the department.

The Neuroscience group within the Behavior and Brain Sciences (BBS) area of the Psychology department includes a diversity of interdisciplinary approaches to the study of the biological basis of mental phenomena and clinical disorders. Topics of research range from microscopic neurochemical processes to the functional organization of large scale cerebral systems. We have extensive expertise in the fields of Behavioral Neuroscience, Clinical Neuroscience, Cognitive Neuroscience and Social / Affective Neuroscience.

To be admitted to the program, an applicant must be endorsed by a faculty member (likely to become the student's Major Professor), and then approved by the faculty of the Behavioral and Brain Sciences Program, the Department of Psychology, and finally the Graduate School. Students who are interested in the work of a specific faculty member are encouraged to send an introduction email. Selection is based on the match between a student's research interest and that of the potential Major Professor. Criteria considered for admission include previous research experience, letters of recommendation, prior academic record, and GRE scores. A prospective graduate student visit day is held one time per year by invitation.

Students who have Bachelor's Degrees serve as TAs for an instructor. Students with Mater's Degrees may teach their own classes. More limited opportunities for Research Assistantships (RAs) are available, which are funded by a faculty member's grant, or via competitive University-wide Fellowships awarded through the Graduate School.

Applicants to the Ph.D. in Psychology must submit all of the following items in order to receive full consideration:

UGA Graduate School application and application fee.
Select Athens Campus and Doctoral Degree Level. Select PhD, Psychology (PHD_PSCH). Select an intended area of emphasis -- Industrial-Organizational Psychology, Behavioral and Brain Sciences, or Clinical Psychology.
In the Graduate School application, you will be asked to provide:
Transcripts (unofficial) from each institution of higher education attended. Please see the Graduate School's instructions for submitting transcripts.
GRE scores (general test). Required for applications to the Clinical and Industrial-Organizational programs. Optional for applications to the Behavioral and Brain Sciences program. Use institution code 5813 when submitting official scores. Policy updated July 1, 2021.
Three letters of recommendation. List the names and e-mail addresses of three references within the Graduate School application. References will receive a link to access a secure page where they can submit recommendations electronically.
Curriculum Vitae. A summary of educational background and relevant experience.
Statement of Purpose. Submit a 500-1000 word statement that addresses your academic and professional goals, your perceived fit with the program and faculty of interest, and describes the experiences that have prepared you for graduate study (including, as relevant for your area of interest: research, teaching or mentoring, experience with diversity and inclusion, clinically relevant experience).
Optional items copy of thesis, paper presentations, publications or other evidence of scholarly or professional work may be uploaded in the application portal.

Psychology Department supplemental application. Please use the appropriate link below to complete the supplemental application for your program. This short survey asks about educational background, prospective faculty mentors of interest, and other relevant information.

Minimum TOEFL score requirement: overall score of 80 with at least 20 on speaking and writing.
Minimum IELTS score requirement: overall band-width of 6.5, with no single band (score) below 6.0