Graduate Program

HISTORY OF THE PROGRAM

The San Diego campus of the University of California was formally established in 1958 around the nucleus of the Scripps Institution of Oceanography. It has since become one of the major research universities in the United States. The Department of Psychology was formed in 1965 and first admitted graduate students in 1966. There are currently 65 graduate students in the Department's doctoral program. As of June 30, 2009, 329 doctoral degrees have been awarded.

The Department remains committed to the belief that the best training for a career in psychology, even one in clinical psychology, is a strong background in experimental psychology.

An aspect of the Department that sets it apart from some others is that our graduate program has been based on an apprenticeship/colleague system in which each graduate student works closely with one or more faculty advisors throughout his or her graduate career. From the beginning of their tenure in our program, graduate students spend a great deal of their time doing research. A year-long research project serves as a major criterion in the evaluation of our first year students. Thus, we strive to ensure that all of our graduate students spend a considerable amount of their time doing research under well-supervised conditions. In addition, because they are often treated more like colleagues than students, our graduate students are intimately involved in the research process.

In addition to our lectures, labs, seminars, and journal clubs, the Department offers a weekly lecture series featuring internationally prominent speakers, with whom students have the opportunity to meet over dinner.