Our Program

The Interdisciplinary Ph.D. Program in Social Psychology has existed at the University of Nevada, Reno for almost forty years. The interdisciplinary committee, which operates this program, awards a Regents-approved Ph.D. degree in Social Psychology. Similar to all interdisciplinary graduate programs at the University of Nevada, the Social Psychology Program is an autonomous unit, located independent of its participating departments. The Program is administered by a committee comprised of representatives from the Department of Psychology, the Department of Sociology, the Department of Criminal Justice, the Department of Managerial Science, the Department of Human Development and Family Studies, the School of Public Health, the Sanford Center on Aging, one emeritus professor from Sociology, one emeritus professor from Managerial Science, and two emeritus professors from Psychology. The present Director of the Program is from the Department of Human Development and Family Studies.

The Program has 36 students actively pursuing their Ph.D. degrees. The Program curriculum has a theory core and a methods core as well as a number of seminars, and it emphasizes early involvement in research through several mechanisms.

Research interests of the faculty range widely, and include the study of:

• Bureaucracies
• Health & health policy
• Gender
• Socialization
• Religion
• Attitudes
• Collective behavior
• Law & juvenile studies

The Social Psychology Program also has links with the two judicial education centers at Nevada and with the Grant Sawyer Center for Justice Studies. The Program has special international ties in Great Britain, The Netherlands, Spain, and Australia. Program faculty are also on the editorial boards of a variety of international scholarly journals.

Program Features

Interdisciplinary Focus: The Interdisciplinary Ph.D. Program in Social Psychology at the University of Nevada, Reno is one of the oldest social psychology programs in the country. The interdisciplinary focus allows students to experience wide range of perspectives in the field of social psychology. This holistic approach equips students with knowledge and understanding that prepares them for engaging and rewarding work in both academic and applied settings upon completion of the program.

Financial Commitment to Students: The Program’s goal to find full-time (20 hours/week) support and tuition assistance for all of the students in the program. Through research assistantships, teaching assistantships and participation in research grants, the program has been successful in funding first year students. In addition, virtually all students in their second year and beyond have maintained funding throughout completion of degrees.

Mentoring Program: By the end of the first year, students develop a mentoring relationship with a faculty member of the Program. The faculty mentor can be the student's research supervisor, but need not be; and mentors can be changed.

Encouragement of Professional Involvement and Achievement: Students are encouraged to engage in scholarly research, often in collaboration with faculty, to present research at professional meetings, and to publish in reviewed journals and volumes. The Ph.D. Program and the Graduate Student Association of the University facilitate professional development through financial support of student travel and research.

Brown Bags: The Department also holds brown bags throughout each semester, in which students and faculty from the program present informally in front of their peers, often in preparation for conferences or to elicit ideas on how to improve their research. You can find the current brown bag schedule here and an archive of past brown bags here.

For more information, consult our on-line Handbook (PDF*)

*Requires Acrobat Reader