What is Health Psychology?

Health psychology is dedicated to conducting basic and applied research examining the contribution of biological, psychological, behavioral, social, cultural, and environmental factors to health and illness. Health Psychology builds from principles and theories of other areas of psychology, biology, health, and social sciences. Health psychologists are concerned with promotion and maintenance of health, the prevention and treatment of illness across the lifespan, and improvement of systems that promote and maintain health.

The Doctoral Program in Health Psychology at UNC Charlotte offers training in one of the following concentration areas:

• Clinical Health Psychology program
• Community Health Psychology program
• Behavioral Science Health Psychology program

Program Description

A particular emphasis of the program is on the development, implementation, and evaluation of prevention and treatment interventions that involve multiple disciplines. The program has links with other colleges, departments and programs in the university that allows students to select health courses across disciplines. Please see our Student Handbook!

for more information. The Health Psychology Ph.D. Program at UNC Charlotte offers students an opportunity to obtain their Ph. D in Health Psychology with a concentration in one of the following areas: Behavioral Science, Clinical, and Community.

The Health Psychology PhD Program does not offer training at the MA level. Please visit the Department of Psychology for more information about their MA Program in Psychology.

Important Information for Applicants

Application Deadline

All materials must be submitted to The Graduate School by December 2, 2024 to be fully considered for admission for next Fall Semester. Students with master’s degrees in psychology or health related fields (biology, gerontology, nursing and allied health, public policy, and other health disciplines) as well as highly disciplined and competent undergraduates are encouraged to apply. For more information, please visit the “Application Information” tab.

Note: The GRE general test requirement will be waived for the upcoming admission cycle (2024/2025)!

The Clinical Psychology program at UNC Charlotte has been APA-accredited since 2012 and recently received re-accreditation until 2027​. For any questions about the program’s accreditation status or about APA accreditation in general, please contact:

Office of Program Consultation and Accreditation / American Psychological Association

750 First Street, NE, Washington, DC 20002-4242

Phone: (202) 336-5979 / E-mail: apaaccred@apa.org / Web: https://accreditation.apa.org/

• For more information on the Clinical concentration please visit: http://healthpsych.charlotte.edu/concentration-areas/clinical
• For more information on the Behavioral Science concentration please visit: https://healthpsych.charlotte.edu/concentration-areas/behavioralscience
• For more information on the Community concentration please visit: https://healthpsych.charlotte.edu/concentration-areas/community
• For additional information about the Health Psychology Ph.D. program, please contact: Dr. Amy H. Peterman at amy.peterman@charlotte.edu