Who is my Academic Advisor?

The academic advisor for new students is the Coordinator of the Psychology Graduate Program.  Currently this person is Vinston J. Goldman, Ph.D., 219 Taylor Education Building (TEB), vgoldman@nccu.edu, (919) 430-6471.  Over the summer months, new students are advised by the Chair of the Department of Psychology.  Currently this person is Pamela P. Martin, Ph.D., 211 TEB, pamela.martin@nccu.edu, (919) 530-641.

How do I register for classes for Fall?

Contact Dr. Goldman or Dr. Martin to discuss the development of an academic plan.  This discussion will include your academic and career goals, the requirements of the Program, the development of an academic plan which includes a projected sequence of courses leading to graduation, and a selection of courses for the Fall semester. 

After you develop your academic plan with consultation from your academic advisor, you will be given an Alternate Personal Identification Number (alternate PIN) by your academic advisor.  This PIN allows the student to use our online system (BANNER) to register for classes.  You may contact Dr. Goldman or Dr. Martin regarding more specific questions pertaining to registration.

Incoming graduate students can begin to contact Dr. Martin by e-mail (pamela.martin@nccu.edu) to make an advising appointment starting May 27, 2013. E-mail is preferred rather than calling to make the initial contact to schedule an advising appointment. Dr. Martin will begin advising incoming graduate students (i.e., 2013-2014 student cohort) starting June 3, 2013.

Please join NCCU's Psychology Department Facebook Page (NCCU Department of Psychology) and Twitter (psych_nccu) for current information. 

General Concentration Students

Who is the coordinator of the General Concentration: Dr. Walter Charles, 213-D Taylor Education Building. (919-530-5280), wcharles@nccu.edu

How Do I Schedule a Meeting with The Coordinator of the General Concentration? You go to the office above or you request one by e-mail or phone.

How Do I know my status as a student in the General Concentration? The psychology department informs students every semester about their matriculation status. In addition, you can obtain such information from Dr. Martin, Dr. Goldman, or Dr. Charles.

How do I dispute information in my graduate student records?

You first draw the Chair’s attention to this misinformation and will be directed about what further action to take.

How do I change my status within the graduate program from one tract to another? You do so in writing, using a form provided by the Department for such a purpose, which specifies categories of information you need to produce in order for such consideration.

How do I select a thesis topic and advisor in the general Concentration? You select a thesis topic from any domain of theoretical or applied psychology that interest you and present this thesis topic in the form of a research question or statement to your thesis advisor. You select a thesis advisor from psychologists in the department that you have interacted with and are confortable working with. They will further advise you about eh composition of the thesis committee. Preferably, theses committee should comprise psychologist from the diverse areas represented in the department.

How do I get update about the progress on my Thesis? Thesis is a class for which you shall get a grade that corresponds to the degree of progress made on the topic during the period in question.

PSYCHOLOGY COURSE DESCRIPTIONS FOR GRADUATE STUDENTS

PSYG 5001. Ethics in Psychology (2)

Prerequisite: Graduate student status. This course provides an overview of ethical issues in psychology. The course focuses on the identification and understanding of basic concepts in ethics, and on the application of ethical principles and guidelines in situations in various areas in the field of psychology. Examples of situations from academia, social psychology, physiological psychology, clinical psychology, forensic psychology, the workplace, and other areas will be discussed in order to develop the student’s readiness for dealing with ethical dilemmas.

PSYG 5002. Cultural Diversity in Psychology (2)

Prerequisite: Graduate status in psychology or in other social science discipline. A course designed to aid students in developing an understanding and appreciation of the differences and similarities of diverse groups. A specific aim of the course is to help students identify characteristics of culture in general and culturally different groups in particular so students will be able to more effectively develop effective strategies for delivering mental health services to members of diverse populations.

PSYG 5011. Introduction to Clinical Psychology (2)

Prerequisites: PSY 3100 (Abnormal) or 4120 (Personality), PSY 3400 (Psychological Measurement) and graduate student status. An overview of the history and the theories, methods, and professional issues of clinical psychology is addressed. This overview includes a discussion of clinical psychology’s scientific tradition, a discussion of the role of the psychologist in the clinical setting, and a summary of diagnostic and therapeutic techniques. The course emphasizes in-depth discussion of the application of ethical and legal issues in the field of clinical psychology.

 PSYG 5025. Personality Assessment Procedures (5)

Prerequisites: PSYG 5011, 5121 and 5170. A basic introduction to techniques in personality assessment is addressed. The course will focus on test administration and on the interpretation, integration, and written reporting of test results. Issues pertaining to ethics and to use of personality assessment techniques with diverse groups will be discussed.

PSYG 5030. Introduction to Methods and Practices in Community Psychology (3)

A study of broad aspects of community services regarding primary, secondary and tertiary intervention and support systems. The effects of social conditions on mental health practices and mental health preventive strategies will be examined. Consultation models for behavior change and appropriate community intervention will be systematically explained.

PSYG 5100. Advanced Statistics (4)

Prerequisite: PSY 4410 (Intermediate Statistics for Students of Psychology). A reinforcement of the conceptual basis of statistics, including analysis of variance, correlation, and regression analysis, followed by the introduction of advanced topics such as multivariate analysis of variance, factor analysis, and more advanced types of regression analysis. Students are introduced to the use of a standard statistical package such as SAS or SPSS and are required to use the program to perform analyses on a variety of data sets.

PSYG 5121. Advanced Abnormal Psychology (4)

Prerequisites: PSY 3100 (Abnormal) and graduate student status. A critical review of contemporary paradigms of abnormal behavior and discussion of the diagnosis, etiology, formulation, and treatment of abnormal behavior or mental disorders cited in the current Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM).

PSYG 5130. History and Systems of Psychology (3)

A critical overview of historical themes which undergird psychology is discussed. Emphasis will be placed upon the development of major schools in psychology (from Aristotle to the systems of functionalism, structuralism, behaviorism, psychoanalysis, etc.) and their impact on the formulation of modern scientific theories of behavior.

PSYG 5160. Research Methods I (3)

Prerequisite: Graduate status in psychology or in another social science discipline. A reinforcement of the basic principles of research, including the development of research ideas, reliability and validity of research designs, experimental and quasi-experimental designs, procedures and strategies for collecting data, topics in participant selection, and the ethical principles of the American Psychological Association (APA) as related to research. The course will provide an introduction to scientific writing, to designing visual displays of information, to writing research papers in APA format, to writing proposals, and to making presentations.

PSYG 5161. Research Methods II (2)

Prerequisites: PSYG 5100 and 5160.  Prerequisite or co-requisite: PSYG 5212. An applied course that will review the various skills involved in psychological/behavioral science research, including the logic of inquiry using the scientific method, and issues of experimental design and statistical analysis. The student will be required to apply these skills to the development of an acceptable research proposal. Several approaches used by behavioral and clinical scientists will be reviewed and demonstrated.

PSYG 5170. The Clinical Interview (3)

Prerequisites: PSYG 5011 and 5121. An in-depth study of the clinical interview including review of its evaluative research and of the ethical and other professional issues associated with use of this assessment technique. The course focuses on the student’s development of clinical interviewing skills and enhancement of the ability to develop clinical formulations and diagnoses, and to present such findings in oral and written reports.

PSYG 5211. Cognitive Assessment (5)

Prerequisites: PSY 3400 (Psychological Measurement) and PSYG 5011. A course designed to give the student practical knowledge and experience in the administration, interpretation, and written reporting of results of cognitive assessment tests.

PSYG 5212. Experimental Design (4)

Prerequisites: PSYG 5100 and 5160. An introduction to research methods and design principles frequently used in psychology is addressed. The course emphasizes factorial designs (including repeated measures and multivariate designs), contrast and trend analyses, correlational and regression designs, and meta-analyses. Students will complete papers or poster presentations which will require reading appropriate literature, designing a study, analyzing results, and writing a final report in APA style for each area. Simulations and data bases developed within the department will provide the data for students’ research projects.

PSYG 5300. Psychotherapy I (3)

Prerequisite or co-requisite: PSYG 5025. An introduction to theories and techniques of psychotherapeutic approaches (Jungian, Adlerian, psychoanalytic, Gestalt, Rogerian, transactional analysis, behavior therapies, etc.) with special attention to case studies.

PSYG 5310. Psychotherapy II (2)

Prerequisite: PSYG 5300. A continuation of PSYG 5300.

PSYG 5220. Practicum/Internship in Clinical Psychology (1-6)

Prerequisites: 24 graduate hours of specified psychology courses, defense of the thesis proposal and department approval. A course designed to provide the student with hands-on experience in the practice of psychology and the delivery of health services as defined in the North Carolina Psychology Practice Act. The student’s practicum/internship experience will meet the criteria outlined by the North Carolina Psychology Board.

 PSYG 5800. Special Topics in Psychology (3)

A study of various topics in psychology is addressed. Topics vary from semester to semester. Emphasis will be placed on contemporary research issues.

 PSYG 5820.  Cognition (3)

This course addresses theory and research in cognitive processes or information processing in human and non-human contexts and their applications to everyday life.  Key topics include psychophysics, perception, attention, imagery, thought, memory, language, emotion, and social cognition. Also elaborated are the cultural and neuropsychological underpinnings of cognition.

PSYG 5900. Thesis (1-6)

Prerequisite: Thesis advisor/department approval. It is recommended that the student have completed PSYG 5100, 5160 and 5212. The research, writing and defense of a thesis (i.e., a formal, extensive research paper based on research conducted by the student under the direction of faculty). The course may be taken more than once but the student may not earn a total of more than six hours.