virginia tech psychology phd

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The Graduate School to Williams Hall

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Psychology Introduction

• December 1 for the Cognitive Neuroscience and Biopsychology, Clinical Science, and Developmental Science concentration areas
• January 1 for the Industrial/Organizational Psychology concentration area

Degree Requirements

Psychology facilities introduction.

Williams Hall is the on-campus home of the Department of Psychology, housing faculty and student offices, research labs, and classrooms. In addition, the department's off-campus Psychological Services Center , Child Study Center , and Virginia Tech Autism Clinic provide the foundation for practicum and research training and offer direct clinical services to children, adults, and families.

Additional department resources include two state-of-the-art laboratories dedicated to undergraduate and graduate teaching and research. The department maintains a computer lab with 20 Dell Optiplex workstations for technology-assisted teaching and research with neurophysiological and cognitive experimental software, statistical analysis software, and data management programs.  This lab includes EEG/Evoked Potential workstations with BioPAC equipment.  There is a second dedicated-research computer laboratory including 12 Dell Optiplex workstations with capabilities for running a variety of customized research software and experiments.

Several faculty are affiliated with the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute (FBRI) in Roanoke, VA , which offers world-class facilities for behavioral research, a premier human functional magnetic resonance imaging facility, and large-scale computational clusters for modeling, simulations, and analyses of large-scale molecular, genomic, biophysical, behavioral, imaging, and population-based data.  FBRI also serves as a hub for a worldwide hyperscanning network for interactive, real-time functional brain imaging. Connecting the Institute's three research-dedicated magnetic resonance imaging scanners to multiple sites across the United States and throughout Europe and Asia, this network provides the world's first very-high-throughput functional brain imaging approach to the study of social cognition. This work is enabling new insights not only into how the brains of healthy children and adults make decisions, but also how traumatic brain injury, post-traumatic stress disorder, and a range of neuropsychiatric disorders affect critical decision-making processes.

Course Listing for Psychology

Psychology is the study of human behavior and the psychological, social, and biological processes related to that behavior. The curriculum emphasizes methods of conducting research and understanding data from behavioral studies, surveys, neuroimaging and other physiological measures.

The program provides a strong, broad-based education. Students study all aspects of psychology and, through research, can pursue an area of interest such as clinical, counseling, developmental, experimental, industrial-organizational, physiological, or social psychology through their choice of courses.

Graduates receive a B.S. and are prepared for positions in community agencies, hospitals, rehabilitation centers, prisons, schools, industry, and government agencies. It is important to note, however, that a career as a professional psychologist requires graduate training.

Courtney Glass

540-231-8148

[email protected]

109 Williams Hall

Want to become a Hokie?

• Available to Fall Transfer Applicants
• Available to First-Year Applicants
• Available to Summer Transfer Applicants
• Not Available to Spring Transfer Applicants
• College of Science

Degree Types

• Bachelor of Science
• Master of Science
• Doctor of Philosophy
• Clinical Science
• Development
• Human Behavior
• Neuroscience
• Pre-Medical
• Psychopathology
• Social Behavior

Undergraduate Major

Undergraduate advising.

• Health and Wellness
• Law and Justice

Related Programs

• Communication
• Pre-Health Professions

Related URLs

• Undergraduate Course Catalog and Academic Policies
• Transfer Guide

Photo by Natalee Waters for Virginia Tech.

Psychology is a rich discipline that lies at the crossroads of biology and society. A hub science, it bridges such disparate fields as biology, education, health, business, sociology, marketing, engineering, and neuroscience. Psychological science is integral to understanding the fundamental building blocks of human behavior and necessary for addressing current societal issues.

Psychology is the study of human and animal behavior and the psychological, social, and biological processes related to that behavior. The curriculum emphasizes methods of conducting research and understanding behavioral data. The program provides a strong, broad-based education. Students study all aspects of psychology and, through research, can pursue an area of interest such as clinical, counseling, developmental, experimental, industrial-organizational, physiological, or social psychology through their choice of courses.

Things to note:

• Laboratory intensive curriculum

career paths

• Health Care
• Higher Education
• School or Business Administration
• Social Work
• Law Enforcement

Graduates receive a B.S. and are prepared for positions in community agencies, hospitals, rehabilitation centers, prisons, schools, industry, and government agencies. It is important to note, however, that a career as a professional psychologist or health professional such as PT, OT, PA, etc. will require additional education.

Visit the Department of Psychology

Visit Virtually

Schedule a virtual tour with the College of Science Undergraduate Recruiter

Child and Adolescent Development Concentration

*M.S. to Ph.D., Ph.D. in Human Development

M.S. to Ph.D., Ph.D. in Human Development

Campus:   Virginia Tech Blacksburg Campus,  Instructions: Residential/On Campus

Concentration Overview

The Child and Adolescent (CAD) content area focuses on understanding how to support optimal development for children and adolescents and their families. Students complete coursework that includes developmental theories, research methods and advanced statistical analysis, socio-emotional development, cognitive development, and parent-child interactions. The doctoral program in CAD focuses primarily on theory and research training for graduates interested in pursuing academic and research careers.

Why choose this program?

• Our faculty members in the Child and Adolescent Development (CAD) area conduct innovative and interdisciplinary research linking theory and methodology. The research currently being conducted draws from theories on attachment, ecological systems, cognitive development, socioemotional, sociocultural, and family systems.
• The department provides students with a plethora of research opportunities, including experimental and observational research in laboratory settings, field research in the surrounding communities, and secondary data analysis.
• Our students are also encouraged to lead research projects and publish in scholarly journals.
• Our small program enables students to get individualized attention with award-winning and research active faculty. 
• Numerous rewarding career opportunities are available for graduates of the CAD focus in the Human Development program. In academe, career options for graduates include teaching, research, and extension service. A wide range of career options also exists outside academe: program development and evaluation, policy analysis and advocacy work, and administration and supervision in private and public human services agencies are just a few examples.

What You'll Study

Students in the CAD focus take courses taught by CAD faculty, as well as faculty in other Human Development content areas, psychology faculty, and other faculty with expertise in research methods and statistical analysis. Students who complete the Ph.D. in the CAD area acquire a breadth of research training, equipping them to conduct independent research using a range of methodological and analytical expertise. Student programs of study typically include courses in:

• Theories of Human Development and Family Science
• Parent-Child Interaction
• Socio-emotional Development
• Cognitive Development
• Sequence of statistics classes

Admissions Requirement

• Minimum GPA 3.0 (4 Scale)
• TOEFL/ IELTS score Required  (If Applicable)

Learn more 

Tuition and Fee

Tuition & Fee Rates

Funding Opportunities

We are currently able to provide assistantship funding to all graduate students who make timely and satisfactory progress. All Ph.D. students that maintain full-time status and maintain a 3.0 GPA will be offered an assistantship (20 hours of work per week). Assistantships may include research obligations, teaching undergraduate level courses, or other administrative tasks. Students on assistantships receive a monthly stipend, tuition waivers/remission, and health benefits.

Find out what loans are available as a graduate student and other opportunities.

How to Apply

Visit this page for information on how to apply, including requirements, deadlines, and application fee.

Course List

• Course List (Blacksburg)

Plan of Study

Download Plan of Study

Frequently Asked Questions

Applications deadlines.

Domestic Application

*Fall: January 5

International Application

*Deadline for admission with full consideration for funding:  January 5

Visit Campus

Visit Campus / Attend an Open House

Contact Program Leader

Erika L. Grafsky, Director of Graduate Studies 840 University City Blvd Suite 1 Blacksburg, VA 24060 540-231-6782 [email protected]

Contact Program Specialist

Meet our students.

Our Graduate Students

Current Students

Time Table of Classes

Student Blog

Faculty Experts In Child and Adolescent Development

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Centers and Labs

Child Development Center for Learning and Research

Children’s Emotions Lab

Learning and Development Lab

Child and Adolescent Development Research Focus

The theoretically captivating research questions examined by the Child and Adolescent Development faculty have employed rigorous analytic techniques that have resulted in publications in top-tier academic journals including Child Development, Developmental Psychology, Journal of Adolescent Psychology, and Social Development. Human Development and Family Science faculty across the focus areas of Adult Development and Aging, Child and Adolescent Development, Family Studies, and Marriage and Family Therapy often collaborate on research and service projects. Graduate students are often a part of research projects and subsequent publications through collaborations with HDFS faculty and faculty in other departments such as Psychology.

Related Programs

Family Studies (M.S. to Ph.D., Ph.D. in Human Development)

Marriage and Family Therapy (Ph.D. in Human Development)

Adult Development and Aging (M.S. to Ph.D., Ph.D. in Human Development)

Faculty Spotlight

Department of psychology faculty spotlight.

Several new faculty members started their careers in the Department of Psychology in the 2023-2024 academic year. Learn how these faculty members are impacting the world of psychology while inspiring the next generation of Hokies to do the same through hands-on, real-world experiences.