The Experimental Psychology Program at the University of North Texas provides training for students interested in a career in behavioral research. Most students who are admitted aspire to a position in academics; however, opportunities for employment in private industry or research institutes also exist. The program offers students training in both basic and applied research. Focus is on high quality training with intensive student-faculty involvement in joint research. Students are expected to participate actively in research with faculty members throughout their tenure in the program. This emphasis on one-to-one training allows students to acquire research skills while working on projects leading to publication or grant application. Each student will eventually develop advanced knowledge and research expertise in one or more specialty area(s).

Program faculty

Kimberly Kelly, Ph.D., Program Director, Psychoneuroimmunology
Mike Beyerlein, Ph.D., Industrial/Organizational Psychology
Russell Clark, Ph.D., Social Psychology
Joseph Critelli, Ph.D., Personality Theory
Bert Hayslip, Jr., Ph.D., Psychology of Aging, Life Span Development
Paul Lambert, Ph.D., Statistics, Research Design
Linda Marshall, Ph.D., Social Psychology
Trent Petrie, Ph.D., Counseling Psychology and Sport Psychology

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Philosophy and Objectives

The experimental psychology program at the University of North Texas immerses students in scientific inquiry to prepare them for prominent roles as researchers in universities and as research consultants in business and industry, counseling centers, hospitals, mental health centers, medical schools and rehabilitation services. Students participate in investigation from the beginning of their training in the university's laboratories and interdisciplinary research centers.

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Opportunities for Graduate Studies

The experimental psychology program provides specialized training in human research while remaining flexible to accommodate individual interests. Students may focus on aspects of cognitive neuroscience or developmental psychology, for example, which would include research into aspects of memory and cognition; stress and its physiological consequences; or the link between brain activity and behaviors.

Sports psychology training also is offered. The Center for Sport Psychology and Performance Excellence gives students access to training and information concerning athletic populations. Additionally, students may take courses in industrial-organizational psychology and work with UNT's Center For Collaborative Studies, which sponsors workshops and an international conference for business professionals and acts as an information clearinghouse. The program also includes a specialization in quantitative psychology, with an emphasis on statistical methodology and its uses.

Faculty actively research aspects of human development and aging, the social aspects of women's lives, and personality and minority issues. The program offers many teaching opportunities and support for professional development, and it maximizes training for research.

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