General Psychology

Gain the skills and acumen you need to make valuable contributions to the field of psychology. This specialization can help you examine the physical, social, emotional, and cognitive issues impacting human behavior and acquire the foundation necessary to plan and conduct relevant psychological research. You can also explore the real-world legal and ethical issues faced by today’s industry professionals and choose among options to focus on teaching and/or research in psychology.

Completion Requirements

• 105 or 106 total quarter credit hours
  • Courses (45 or 46 cr.)
  • Breadth courses (25 cr.)
  • Electives (15 cr.)
  • Dissertation (20 cr.) 
• Ph.D. residencies (4 four-day sessions)

Time to completion may vary by student, depending on individual progress and credits transferred, if applicable. For a personalized estimate of your time to completion, call an enrollment advisor at 1-866-492-5336.

Curriculum

Course Code	Course Title	Credits
	Quarter 1
PSYC 8000	Foundations of Graduate Study in Psychology	5
	Breadth Course*	5
	Quarter 2
	Breadth Course*	5
RSCH 8100Y	Research, Theory, Design, and Methods	4
	Quarter 3
	Breadth Course*	5
	Breadth Course*	5
	Quarter 4
RSCH 8200Y	Quantitative Reasoning and Analysis	4
	Elective	5
	Quarter 5
	Breadth Course*	5
	Elective	5
	Quarter 6
RSCH 8300Y	Qualitative Reasoning and Analysis	4
	Elective	5
	Quarter 7
PSYC 8115	Writing a Quality Prospectus	5
PSYC 8703	Ethics and Standards of Psychology	5
	Quarter 8
RSCH 8250Y OR RSCH 8350Y OR RSCH 8450Y	Advanced Quantitative Reasoning and Analysis OR Advanced Qualitative Reasoning and Analysis OR Advanced Mixed-Methods Reasoning and Analysis	4
PSYC 8202 OR PSYC 8762	Survey Research Methods (research option) OR Teaching of Psychology (teaching option)	5 5
	Quarter 9
PSYC 8315 OR PSYC 8763	Program Evaluation (research option) OR Principles of Instructional Design (teaching option)	5 5
RSCH 8250Y OR RSCH 8350Y OR RSCH 8450Y OR PSYC 8764	Advanced Quantitative Reasoning and Analysis (research option) OR Advanced Qualitative Reasoning and Analysis (research option) OR Advanced Mixed-Methods Reasoning and Analysis  (research option) OR Instructional Design for Online Course Development (teaching option)	4     5
	Quarter 10
PSYC 9000	Dissertation I	5
	Quarter 11
PSYC 9000	Dissertation II	5
	Quarter 12
PSYC 9000	Dissertation III	5
	Quarter 13
PSYC 9000	Dissertation IV	5

*Breadth Courses (25 cr.)

Must select two courses from the list below:

• PSYC 8207 History and Systems of Psychology
• PSYC 8215 Lifespan Development
• PSYC 8226 Biopsychology
• PSYC 8238 Cognitive and Affective Bases of Behavior
• PSYC 8247 Social Psychology
• PSYC 8316 Tests and Measurement

Must select three more courses from the list above and/or below:

• PSYC 8229 Psychopathology
• PSYC 8721 Advanced Psychopathology
• PSYC 8241 Human Motivation
• PSYC 8762 Teaching of Psychology
• PSYC 8763 Principles of Instructional Design
• PSYC 8764 Instructional Design for Online Course Development
• PSYC 8202 Survey Research Methods
• PSYC 8315 Program Evaluation
• PSYC 8300 Philosophical Foundations in Psychological Research
• PSYC 8701 Culture and Psychology

Elective Course

For your elective courses, select from courses in these Ph.D. in Psychology specializations: Educational Psychology, Forensic Psychology, Health Psychology, Organizational Psychology, or Social Psychology.

Course Descriptions

For assistance in deciding which online degree specialization fits your goals, request information or speak with an enrollment advisor by calling 1-866-492-5336. A list of international toll-free phone numbers is available for students outside the United States.

Note on Licensure

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