Health Psychology - PhD in Psychology

The Health Psychology specialization educates students on the complex relationship among psychological, social, and biological factors implicated in health and illness. This research-focused program prepares students to work in a variety of settings, such as health and wellness centers, corporations, research institutions, and academic institutions in research, teaching, psychoeducational, and administrative positions.

Health Psychology students will be able to develop the strong theoretical background to design and conduct research on the biological, psychological, behavioral, social, cultural, and environmental factors that contribute to health and illness. By learning how to apply advanced research methodologies, students can promote positive health behaviors and encourage change as a researcher in academic, medical, business, government, and community settings.

The Health Psychology specialization consists of a foundation course, core and specialization courses, three elective courses, demonstration of research competency, and a dissertation.

Specialization Curriculum

Fast-Track Option Course Sequence for BS Entry

Note: PhD in Psychology specialization Fast-Track Option courses are identified with an APSY course prefix for enrollment purposes. APSY course descriptions align with corresponding PSYC courses, as listed below.

Students undertake courses in the following sequence.
Quarter	Course	Credits
1	PSYC 8004 - Foundations for Graduate Study in Psychology	3 cr.
	PSYC 8252 - Themes and Theories of Psychology	5 cr.
	PSYC 8215 - Lifespan Development♦ ¹	5 cr.
2	PSYC 8701 - Culture and Psychology♦	5 cr.
	RSCH 8110 - Research Theory, Design, and Methods♦	5 cr.
	PSYC 8745 - Health Psychology♦	5 cr.
3	PSYC 8762 - Teaching of Psychology♦	5 cr.
	RSCH 8210 - Quantitative Reasoning and Analysis♦	5 cr.
	PSYC 8226 - Biopsychology♦	5 cr.
	PSYC 9000 - Dissertation ²	1 cr.
4	PSYC 8412 - Research Foundations	5 cr.
	PSYC 8214 - Consulting for Organizational Change♦	5 cr.
	PSYC 8747 - Psychoneuroimmunology	5 cr.
	PSYC 9000 - Dissertation ³	1 cr.
5	RSCH 8360 - Advanced Qualitative Reasoning and Analysis	5 cr.
	PSYC 8315 - Program Evaluation♦ ⁴	5 cr.
	PSYC 8242 - Changing Health Behavior: Theory and Practice♦ ⁵	5 cr.
	PSYC 9000 - Dissertation ⁶	1 cr.
6	RSCH 8260 - Advanced Quantitative Reasoning and Analysis	5 cr.
	PSYC 8702 - Dissertation Literature Review Lab ⁷	2 cr.
	PSYC 9000 - Dissertation ⁸	1 cr.
7	PSYC 8115 - Writing a Quality Prospectus OR PSYC 8185 - Writing a Quality Prospectus	5 cr.
	PSYC 8920R - Research Practicum OR PSYC 8920T - Teaching Practicum	5 cr.
	PSYC 9000 - Dissertation ⁹	1 cr.
8–10+	PSYC 9000 - Dissertation	5 cr. per term for a minimum of 4 terms; taken continuously until completion

¹PSYC 8215 aligns with APSY 8216.
²PSYC 9000 aligns with APSY 9000A Dissertation Prep.
³PSYC 9000 aligns with APSY 9000B Dissertation Prep.
⁴PSYC 8315 aligns with APSY 8314.
⁵PSYC 8242 aligns with APSY 8242B.
⁶PSYC 9000 aligns with APSY 9000B Dissertation Prep.
⁷PSYC 8702 aligns with APSY 8700.
⁸PSYC 9000 aligns with APSY 9000B Dissertation Prep.
⁹PSYC 9000 aligns with APSY 9000B Dissertation Prep.

Fast-Track Option Course Sequence for MS Entry

Students undertake courses in the following sequence.
Quarter	Course	Credits
1	PSYC 8004 - Foundations for Graduate Study in Psychology	3 cr.
	PSYC 8762 - Teaching of Psychology♦	5 cr.
	PSYC 8745 - Health Psychology♦	5 cr.
2	PSYC 8412 - Research Foundations	5 cr.
	PSYC 8214 - Consulting for Organizational Change♦	5 cr.
	PSYC 8226 - Biopsychology♦	5 cr.
	PSYC 9000 - Dissertation ¹	1 cr.
3	RSCH 8360 - Advanced Qualitative Reasoning and Analysis	5 cr.
	PSYC 8315 - Program Evaluation♦ ²	5 cr.
	PSYC 8747 - Psychoneuroimmunology	5 cr.
	PSYC 9000 - Dissertation ³	1 cr.
4	RSCH 8260 - Advanced Quantitative Reasoning and Analysis	5 cr.
	PSYC 8242 - Changing Health Behavior: Theory and Practice♦	5 cr.
	PSYC 8702 - Dissertation Literature Review Lab ⁴	2 cr.
	PSYC 9000 - Dissertation ⁵	1 cr.
5	PSYC 8920R - Research Practicum OR PSYC 8920T - Teaching Practicum	5 cr.
	PSYC 8115 - Writing a Quality Prospectus OR PSYC 8185 - Writing a Quality Prospectus	5 cr.
	PSYC 9000 - Dissertation ⁶	2 cr.
6–8+	PSYC 9000 - Dissertation	5 cr. per term for a minimum of 4 terms; taken continuously until completion

¹PSYC 9000 aligns with APSY 9000A Dissertation Prep.
²PSYC 8315 aligns with APSY 8314.
³PSYC 9000 aligns with APSY 9000A Dissertation Prep.
⁴PSYC 8702 aligns with APSY 8700.
⁵PSYC 9000 aligns with APSY 9000A Dissertation Prep.
⁶PSYC 9000 aligns with APSY 9000B Dissertation Prep.

Note on Licensure

The Health Psychology specialization in the PhD in Psychology is not a licensure program and does not prepare an individual to become a licensed psychology professional.