Social Psychology (PhD)

What is A Social Psychology (PhD) Degree?

Psychology is the scientific study of human behavior and mental processing–the mind.  So, it’s a field that people really enjoy studying because what’s not to like about basically learning about you?!  The field has a very broad application, even though many people think it’s mainly about counseling people and helping them with their problems.  Social psychology is the sub-field of psychology that looks at people in their social environments—how they behave and how they are affected by these interactions.  Social psychologists look at how we interact with friends/acquaintances and how we react to where we are and what’s going on around us.

The PhD in Social Psychology will prepare students to do independent research in the field and to teach in higher education.  It can also open doors to consulting in businesses or with agencies trying to bring about societal changes.  Coursework may include subjects like society and human development, multicultural factors in society, advanced research and statistics, organizational psychology, social inequalities, quantitative reasoning and analysis, etc.  It’s likely you’ll need to write and defend a dissertation in order to earn the degree.

The videos below discuss “typical” programs, so they should help regardless of which school you are considering.