Psychology: Applied Cognitive and Brain Sciences PhD

Major: Psychology
Degree Awarded: Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
Calendar Type: Quarter
Total Credit Hours: 90.0 (PhD)
Co-op Option: None
Classification of Instructional Programs (CIP) code: 42.2799
Standard Occupational Classification (SOC) code: 19-3031; 19-3032; 19-3039

About the Program

The Department of Psychological and Brain Science's program in Applied Cognitive and Brain Sciences (ACBS) is a research-oriented, non-clinical program in experimental psychology and cognitive neuroscience. The program places emphasis on psychological questions of real-world significance, grounded in fundamental issues and rigorous methods of basic science.

Additional Information

Please visit the ACBS program website for more information on the ACBS program and the Department of Psychological and Brain Science's website for details on the PhD program requirements. 

Admission Requirements

Drexel University is seeking applicants with a strong academic record, as evidenced by their GRE scores (a quantitative plus verbal sum of 1250 or greater is desirable), strength of undergraduate institution, and GPA (3.5 or greater is preferred). In addition, applicants should have outstanding letters of recommendation (from doctoral-level academic, research-oriented psychologists, if possible), high-quality research experience, and include a statement of purpose that convinces Drexel that a potential student is an excellent match for one or more of our research groups.

Additional Information

For more details on how to apply to this program, please visit the Graduate Admissions Psychology page.

Degree Requirements

The PhD program curriculum requires students to earn a minimum of 90.0 credits. Students completing the concentration in Applied Cognitive and Brain Science take all or most of their core courses within the first two years. The third and fourth years, following the receipt of the master’s degree, successful passing of the qualifying examinations, and advancement to doctoral candidacy, will be spent in enrichment or specialization courses negotiated with their research supervisor and in research activities.

Program Requirements

Required Courses
PSY 512Cognitive Psychology3.0
PSY 530Neuroanatomy and Behavior3.0
PSY 560Teaching, Consultation and Supervision in Psychology1.0-2.0
PSY 600Current Topics in Applied Cognitive and Brain Sciences3.0
PSY 610Data Analysis in Psychology3.0
PSY 611Computer-Based Research Methods for Psychological Research 3.0
PSY 710Data Analysis II3.0
PSY 711Data Analysis III: Advanced Topics3.0
PSY 810Behavioral Data Mining *3.0
or PSY 811 Multilevel Regression
PSY 812Cognitive Neuroscience3.0
PSY 898Master's Thesis in Psychology **3.0
PSY 998Ph.D. Dissertation in Psychology41.0
PSY I899Independent Study in PSY **0.0-12.0
PSY I999Independent Study in PSY **0.0-12.0
PSY electives18.0
Total Credits90.0-115.0
Sample Electives
PSY 510Research Methods I3.0
PSY 511Research Methods II3.0
PSY 516Developmental Psychology3.0
PSY 616Motivation and Emotion3.0
PSY 621Theories of Personality3.0
PSY 630Biological Basis of Behavior and Treatment3.0
PSY 648Forensic Assessment I3.0
PSY 649Forensic Assessment II3.0
PSY 712History and Systems3.0
PSY 720Health Psychology3.0
PSY 746Neuropsychological Evaluation and Intervention of Children and Adolescents3.0
PSY 840Advanced Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy3.0

Sample Plan of Study

The following section outlines the courses required for graduation for entering bachelor's-level students. 

First Year
FallCreditsWinterCreditsSpringCreditsSummerCredits
PSY 5123.0PSY 5303.0PSY 7113.0VACATION
PSY 5601.0-2.0PSY 6113.0PSY Electives6.0 
PSY 6103.0PSY 7103.0  
PSY 8123.0   
 10-11 9 9 0
Second Year
FallCreditsWinterCreditsSpringCredits 
PSY 810 or 811*3.0PSY 8983.0PSY 6003.0 
PSY Electives6.0PSY Electives6.0PSY 9988.0 
 9 9 11 
Third Year
FallCreditsWinterCreditsSpringCredits 
PSY 99811.0PSY 99811.0PSY 99811.0 
 11 11 11 
Total Credits 90-91

Applied Cognitive and Brain Sciences Faculty

Evangelia Chrysikou, PhD (Temple University). Associate Professor. Cognitive neuroscience, neuropsychology, neural basis of language, memory, and executive functions, neurocognitive processes associated with problem solving and flexible thought
Eugenia Ellis, PhD, AIA (Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University). Professor. Natural and electric light sources and effects on biological rhythms and health outcomes; ecological strategies for smart, sustainable buildings of the nexus of health, energy and technology.
Youngmoo Kim, PhD (MIT) Director, Expressive and Creative Interactive Technologies (ExCITe) Center. Professor. Audio and music signal processing, voice analysis and synthesis, music information retrieval, machine learning.
John Kounios, PhD (University of Michigan) Director, PhD Program in Applied Cognitive and Brain Sciences. Professor. Cognitive neuroscience, especially creativity, problem solving, and cognitive enhancement.
Frank J. Lee, PhD (Carnegie Mellon University). Professor. Human-computer interaction; cognitive engineering and science; intelligent software agents for games and education.
Hualou Liang, PhD (Chinese Academy of Sciences). Professor. Neuroengineering, neuroinformatics, cognitive and computational neuroscience, neural data analysis and computational modeling, biomedical signal processing.
Michael Lowe, PhD (Boston College). Professor. Prevention and treatment of eating disorders and obesity; effects of appetitive responsiveness and dietary restraint on eating regulation; psychobiology of obesity-proneness; empirical foundations of unconscious processes.
John Medaglia, PhD (The Pennsylvania State University). Assistant Professor. Applying models and methods developed in neuropsychology, cognitive neuroscience and graph theory to understand and treat brain dysfunction and enhance healthy functioning
Nancy Raitano Lee, PhD (University of Denver) Director of MS and BS/MS Programs. Associate Professor. Neuropsychological and neuroanatomic correlates of intellectual and developmental disabilities; Verbal memory and language difficulties in Down syndrome and other genetic disorders; Comorbid autism spectrum disorder symptoms in youth with genetic disorders; Neuroanatomic correlates of individual differences in typical and atypical cognition
Dario Salvucci, PhD (Carnegie Mellon University). Professor. Human computer interaction, cognitive science, machine learning, applications for driving.
Maria Schultheis, PhD (Drexel University) Vice Provost of Research, Office of Research and Innovation. Professor. Clinical Neuropsychology and rehabilitation following neurological compromise (brain injury, stroke, multiple sclerosis), application of technologies in psychology. Specialization in the use of virtual reality (VR) simulation, and evaluation of the demands of driving after disability.
Patricia A. Shewokis, PhD (University of Georgia). Professor. Roles of cognition and motor function during motor skill learning; role of information feedback frequency on the memory of motor skills, noninvasive neural imaging techniques of functional near infrared spectroscopy(fNIRS) and electroencephalography (EEG) and methodology and research design.
Fengqing (Zoe) Zhang, PhD (Northwestern University). Associate Professor. Neuroimaging data analysis; Data mining; Bayesian inference; High dimensional data analysis
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