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General Psychology
The General Psychology specialization gives you the opportunity to develop a broad base of knowledge, strong research and critical thinking skills, and an appreciation for diversity as you work to apply principles of psychology and conduct research related to your area of interest. You will develop a strong core of psychological knowledge, including expertise in the biological and social bases for behavior, the fascinating process of human development, the amazing history of psychology and its impact on today’s culture, and the role of ethics and diversity training in psychology. You will further develop your understanding of psychological principles and learn how to apply them to personal, social and global issues. You will also further develop your scholarly communication skills in order to successfully convey your knowledge to the professional community and to society at large. As a graduate, you will be prepared to follow a number of career options in research and education in both the public and the private sector in setting such as schools, hospitals, clinics, research centers, business and part of health care teams.
General Degree Requirements
The PhD in Psychology degree requires a minimum of 60 credit hours at the graduate level beyond the master’s degree.
The University may accept a maximum of 12 semester credit hours in transfer toward the doctoral degree for graduate coursework completed at an accredited college or university while enrolled in a doctoral program with a grade of "B" or better.
Completion Period for Doctoral Degrees
Northcentral University allows 7 years to complete all doctoral programs of 60 credits or less. Normal time to complete varies depending upon course take rate and credits transferred in.
Competencies for PhD Programs in Psychology
- Graduate-Level Research Methods Competency - PhD students are required to complete PSY7103, PSY7106, PSY7108, and PSY7109 at Northcentral.
- Graduate-Level Statistics Competency - PhD students are required to complete PSY7107 at Northcentral.
- Computer Competency - Doctoral students are required to have computer skills necessary for completing a dissertation. Students must be able to prepare documents using advanced word processing skills (e.g., creation of tables and figures, headers and footers, page breaks, tables of contents, hanging indents). Students must use computer programs for the statistical analysis of data (e.g., SAS). Students must produce a computer-based presentation (e.g., PowerPoint) for their dissertation oral defense.
Course Length
All new students enrolling in the Business PhD program are automatically enrolled in courses that are eight weeks in length. All eight-week courses are indicated by a "-8" (dash eight) at the end of the course code.
Credit Hours - The PhD program may be completed in 60 credits. Up to an additional 15 credit hours will be allowed as needed to complete dissertation research.
Course Code | Name | Course Description |
|---|---|---|
PSY7101 | Foundations for Doctoral Study in Psychology | This course is an orientation to Northcentral University and to the essential skills needed to pursue a PhD degree in Psychology. Doctoral level skills, such as academic integrity, time management, effective use of the Northcentral Library, comprehending complex scholarly texts and research articles, and APA form and style in professional communication are also introduced. Students will complete the course with a better understanding of personal goals, strengths, and challenges, and a roadmap to navigate their way to completion of their educational aspirations. |
PSY7102 | Scholarly Writing and Professional Communication in Psychology | In this course, students will learn to formulate ideas, search for and appraise text and online resources, and critically analyze and thoughtfully synthesize research findings. The student will become familiar with various writing and communication formats, such as evaluation reports, proposals, papers, poster presentations, annotated bibliographies, PowerPoint Presentations, scholarly Web sites, and blogs, and practice those appropriate to their degree and career goals. The student will also develop techniques for following APA form and style and avoiding plagiarism. |
Required Courses | ||
PSY7103 | Research Methods | This doctoral-level course focuses on the fundamentals of quantitative, qualitative, and mixed methods approaches to psychological research. Students gain an understanding of the strengths and limitations of each approach, and how these methods apply to a research topic. The concepts of research ethics, scholarly research writing, and developing a research proposal will also be explored and practiced. |
PSY7104 | Statistics I | This course provides an introductory exploration of statistics for the graduate student. It includes instruction on the calculation, use, and interpretation of descriptive statistics, and introduces inferential statistical analysis. The emphasis of this course is on providing a working knowledge of basic statistical concepts to help the student understand statistical methodology used in psychology, and also more generally, developing a working knowledge of statistical usage in everyday life. |
PSY7105 | Tests and Measurements | Students in this doctoral-level course are introduced to practice and theory of psychological test construction. They learn how to evaluate tests for use in research and examine current issues in test construction. |
PSY7106 | Quantitative Research Design | This course provides students with the skills essential for designing experimental, quasi-experiment, and survey studies; analyzing the data collected in these studies, and interpreting the results of data analyses. Students will explore designs and statistical techniques to use with their envisioned dissertation research. |
PSY7107 | Statistics ll | This course is an intermediate examination of statistical analyses commonly used for research in behavioral and health sciences. It prepares the doctoral student with the skills required to plan, conduct (using SPSS), report, and interpret quantitative statistical analyses. Topics include: basic statistical knowledge, probability theory, exploratory date analysis, assumptions for statistical tests, parametric and nonparametric tests. Specific analyses include: correlation, regression (simple, multiple, and logistic), basic ANOVA and advanced ANOVA techniques. |
PSY7108 | Qualitative Research Design | This course is an examination of qualitative methods for studying human behavior including grounded theory, narrative analysis, ethnography, mixed methods, and case studies. |
PSY7109 | Planning Dissertation Research in Psychology | Students in this course will begin the process of writing a dissertation for a research or professional doctorate. The course will address the University dissertation process and aids to successfully complete a dissertation, including self-care and time management. |
Course Code | Name | Course Despcription |
|---|---|---|
PSY7011 | History and Systems of Psychology | This doctoral-level course presents a history of psychology beginning with the early Greeks. It shows how philosophy combined with developments in natural science and experimental physiology to form the major schools of psychology today. |
PSY7012 | Professional Ethics, Law, and Psychology | In this course, students will learn to formulate ideas, search for and appraise text and online resources, and critically analyze and thoughtfully synthesize research findings. The student will become familiar with various writing and communication formats, such as evaluation reports, proposals, papers, poster presentations, annotated bibliographies, PowerPoint Presentations, scholarly Web sites, and blogs, and practice those appropriate to their degree and career goals. The student will also develop techniques for following APA form and style and avoiding plagiarism. |
PSY7013 | Human Development and Functioning | This is a Doctoral-level study of the psychological development of the individual from conception through late adulthood, examining the processes of change and the influences affecting the developing person including motor, language, social and intellectual skills across the lifespan. |
PSY7014 | Social Psychology | This course provides an introductory exploration of statistics for the graduate student. It includes instruction on the calculation, use, and interpretation of descriptive statistics, and introduces inferential statistical analysis. The emphasis of this course is on providing a working knowledge of basic statistical concepts to help the student understand statistical methodology used in psychology, and also more generally, developing a working knowledge of statistical usage in everyday life. |
PSY7015 | Biopsychology | This doctoral-level course will introduce the student to psychological test construction, administration and interpretation as well as current research in the area. Commonly used tests to assess cognition and personality will be studied. |
Course Code | Name | Course Description |
|---|---|---|
PSY8100 | Theories of Personality | The course is based on a framework of six important domains of knowledge about personality functioning with connections to theoretical approaches. These six domains are the dispositional domain (traits, trait taxonomies, and personality dispositions over time), the biological domain (physiology, genetics, evolution), the intrapsychic domain (psychodynamics, motives), the cognitive/experiential domain (cognition, emotion, and the self), the social and cultural domain (social interaction, gender, and culture), and the adjustment domain (stress, coping, health, and personality disorders). The course is based on the notion that these domains of knowledge represent the organizing structure of contemporary personality psychology. |
PSY8101 | Multicultural Psychology | This doctoral-level course is designed to increase awareness of multicultural issues in psychology, including some issues of social diversity, with a focus on theoretical models, research, and techniques and interventions for working with culturally diverse populations in various settings. |
PSY8103 | Cognition, Emotion and Motivation | This doctoral-level course is designed as a comprehensive overview of the theory of human cognition and cognitive psychology. Issues to be presented and researched will include, but are not limited to, attention, imagery and memory, consciousness, schemata, cognitive maps, decision making and problem solving. |
PSY8104 | Positive Psychology | This course focuses on the positive psychology principles of positive subjective experience, positive traits, and positive institutions. It is an emerging shift within the field of psychology. The emphasis includes a scientific investigation of the latest research of positive psychology focusing on positive human strengths such as optimism, gratitude, hope, and justice. The course offers an opportunity for theoretical exploration and practical application. |
PSY8105 | Community Psychology | This course focuses on the theories, research findings, and applications of community psychology. Relationships between environmental conditions and the development of the health and well-being of all members of a community are also examined. |
PSY8106 | Human Communication- Interviewing Skills | This doctoral-level course assists students in developing an understanding of the process of communication and the skills related to affecting the change process. It includes theory, practice and application. An emphasis is placed on the counseling interview and the developing personhood of the client and the counselor. |
Course Code | Name | Course Description |
|---|---|---|
CMP9500P | Comprehensive Exam | In their pursuit of any doctoral degree (PhD, DBA, or EdD) at Northcentral University, students gain expertise in their academic discipline and in one or more specializations that complement their academic discipline. The Doctoral Comprehensive Examination is intended to assure that students have mastered knowledge of their discipline before candidacy status is achieved and research in support of their dissertation is initiated. The Doctoral Comprehensive Examination is taken following the completion of all content and Research courses. This course is graded using Satisfactory (S), In Progress (IP), and Unsatisfactory (U) grading criteria. The Doctoral Comprehensive Examination must be successfully completed with an ”"S” grade prior to beginning any Dissertation Research course. The exam is twelve weeks. |
DIS9501P | Dissertation Research* | In this course sequence, students work progressively on completing each doctoral dissertation milestone toward the completion of the PhD degree. These milestones include Committee and University approval of a dissertation concept paper, a dissertation proposal paper, an approved IRB application by the Northcentral University Institutional Review Board, the collection and analysis of research data, the preparation and approval of the final dissertation manuscript, and the successful completion of the oral defense. Courses are taken continually and sequentially until all dissertation milestones have been completed. Throughout these courses, students often work independently but are required to be in communication with the Chair of their Dissertation Committee at least every 28 calendar days. These courses are graded utilizing Satisfactory (S) and Unsatisfactory (U) as the grading criteria. |
DIS9502P | Dissertation Research* | In this course sequence, students work progressively on completing each doctoral dissertation milestone toward the completion of the PhD degree. These milestones include Committee and University approval of a dissertation concept paper, a dissertation proposal paper, an approved IRB application by the Northcentral University Institutional Review Board, the collection and analysis of research data, the preparation and approval of the final dissertation manuscript, and the successful completion of the oral defense. Courses are taken continually and sequentially until all dissertation milestones have been completed. Throughout these courses, students often work independently but are required to be in communication with the Chair of their Dissertation Committee at least every 28 calendar days. These courses are graded utilizing Satisfactory (S) and Unsatisfactory (U) as the grading criteria. |
DIS9503P | Dissertation Research* | In this course sequence, students work progressively on completing each doctoral dissertation milestone toward the completion of the PhD degree. These milestones include Committee and University approval of a dissertation concept paper, a dissertation proposal paper, an approved IRB application by the Northcentral University Institutional Review Board, the collection and analysis of research data, the preparation and approval of the final dissertation manuscript, and the successful completion of the oral defense. Courses are taken continually and sequentially until all dissertation milestones have been completed. Throughout these courses, students often work independently but are required to be in communication with the Chair of their Dissertation Committee at least every 28 calendar days. These courses are graded utilizing Satisfactory (S) and Unsatisfactory (U) as the grading criteria. |
DIS9504P | Dissertation Research* | In this course sequence, students work progressively on completing each doctoral dissertation milestone toward the completion of the PhD degree. These milestones include Committee and University approval of a dissertation concept paper, a dissertation proposal paper, an approved IRB application by the Northcentral University Institutional Review Board, the collection and analysis of research data, the preparation and approval of the final dissertation manuscript, and the successful completion of the oral defense. Courses are taken continually and sequentially until all dissertation milestones have been completed. Throughout these courses, students often work independently but are required to be in communication with the Chair of their Dissertation Committee at least every 28 calendar days. These courses are graded utilizing Satisfactory (S) and Unsatisfactory (U) as the grading criteria. |
At Northcentral University, we pride ourselves in being completely transparent when it comes to tuition and fees. We have adopted an all-inclusive tuition model that gives you the cost of your Doctor of Philosophy in Psychology tuition and fees in one flat program rate*. The only additional cost above your PhD Psy program rate is books. Learn more about the NCU’s PhD Psy costs below:
- Per credit cost: $845
- Per 3 credit course cost: $2,535
- Program cost: $50,700-63,375
- Average Book cost per course: $150
- Application Fee: $0
- Technology Fee: $0
- Registration Fee: $0
Click here to learn more about payment and financing options.
*Program rates are subject to change and generally increase at the start of each calendar year.
If there’s one thing we’ve learned about our students, it’s that they are motivated and ambitious—but they are also busy! At Northcentral University, we’ve designed our education experience to work with you, not against you, so you can achieve your academic goals without sacrificing the quality, flexibility and support you need to be successful.
- Regionally Accredited
- No Physical Residency Requirements
- One-to-One Teaching
- 100% Doctoral Faculty
- Flexibility of Online Learning
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