1. Graduate Program
  2. General Health Psychology
  3. Degree Requirements for General Health Psychology Students

Degree Requirements for General Health Psychology Students

Minimum credit hours required for graduation: 78

In addition to course work listed below, GHP students are required to complete a three degree projects (Second Year Project, Comprehensive Project, and Dissertation) and a practicum experience. Details on the degree projects can be found in the Health Psychology Student Handbook.

 The practicum experience (3-6 credits) can be tailored to the student’s interest and needs. A suitable practicum experience will be identified by the student and his/her advisor, and is typically completed during the third year of residency (often during the summer). To be an eligible practicum experience, the proposed experience must be (a) an offsite (outside of the Psychology Department) research or applied project designed to help the student gain practical experience and skills and (b) require at least 9 hours/week for 10 weeks in practicum-related activity.   The student will be supervised by their advisor and/or a practicum supervisor on location.

 1. Core Health Psychology Courses: (21 credit hours)

  • PSYC 8000 Interdisciplinary Approaches to Health (3)
  • PSYC 8200 Introduction to Health Psychology 1 (3)
  • PSYC 8201 Introduction to Health Psychology 2 (3)
  • PSYC 8243 Diversity in Health Psychology (3)
  • PSYC 8262 Practicum in Health Psychology (3)
  • PHIL 8240 Research Ethics in the Biomedical and Behavioral Sciences (3)

 2. Research Methodology & Analytics: (21 credit hours)

  • PSYC 8102 Research Methodologies in Behavioral Sciences (3)
  • PSYC 8103 Basic Quantitative Analyses for Behavioral Sciences (3)
  • Advanced Methodology Course (3)
  • Advanced Methodology Course (3)
  • PSYC 8999 Dissertation (1-9; 9 total allowed)
 3. Psychological Science Distribution (9 hours)
Select three courses from three of the four domains (i.e., at least three of the four domains must be covered)
  • Biological/Physiological Domain
    • PSYC 6115 Sensation and Perception (3)
    • PSYC 6113 Physiological Psychology (3)
  • Cognitive Domain
    • PSYC 6111 Psychology of Learning and Memory (3)
    • PSYC 6116 Cognition (3)
    • PSYC 6216 Cognitive Science (3)
  • Developmental Domain
    • PSYC 6120 Developmental Psychology (3)
    • PSYC 6124 Psychology of Aging (3)
  • Social-Personality Domain
    • PSYC 6130 Social Psychology (3)
    • PSYC 6135 Psychology of Personality (3)

 4. Interdisciplinary Content: (15 credit hours).

  • Students should carefully select among the courses in other departments in close consultations with their advisors and Advisory Committee.
  • Pre-Approved List:
    • COMM 6000 Topics in Communication/Narratives of Health and Illness (3)
    • GRNT 6600 Current Issues in Gerontology (3)
    • GRNT 6210 Aging and Public Policy (3)
    • HLTH 6201 Social and Behavioral Foundations of Public Health (3)
    • HLTH 6202 Community Epidemiology (3)
    • HLTH 6207 Community Health Planning and Evaluation (3)
    • HLTH 6220 Health Behavior Change (3)
    • HLTH 6221 Community Health (3)
    • HSRD 8000 Introduction to Health Services Research (3)
    • HSRD 8002 Health Care Systems and Delivery (3)
    • KNES 6285 Advanced Cardiopulmonary Physiology (3)
    • KNES 5232 Physiology of Human Aging (3)
    • NURS 6115 Health Policy and Planning in the U.S. (3)
    • PPOL 8661 Social Organization of Healthcare (3)
    • PPOL 8663/HSRD 8005 Health Policy (3)
    • PPOL 8667/HRSD 8004 Economics of Health and Health Care (3)

 5. General Electives* (15 credit hours)

  • PSYC 8899 Readings and Research (up to 9 credits allowed)
  • PSYC 6999 (if student is co-enrolled in an MA program (up to 6 credits allowed)
  • Any courses from Psych Science Distribution or Interdisciplinary pre-approval list that are not used above
  • Additional Methodology courses.

 * Substitutions and electives must be pre-approved by the student’s Advisory Committee and the Health Psychology Director.