Graduate Programs

Degrees Offered -MA and PhD . The PhD is offered jointly with UNB-Fredericton .

Chairperson - Dr. Enrico DiTommaso

Director of Graduate Studies - Dr. Lilly Both

Faculty members of the Graduate Academic Unit (GAU):

  • LISA A. BEST, BA (Glendon), MA (Arkansas), PhD (Maine). Graphical Perception, History of Psychology.
  • LILLY E. BOTH , BA (Manitoba), MA, PhD (Waterloo). Developmental Psychology.
  • MICHAEL T. BRADLEY , BSc (Victoria), MA, PhD (Manitoba). Social Psychology; Psychophysiology.
  • CAROLINE BRUNELLE, B.A. (Laval), Ph.D. (McGill). Biological and personality risk factors in addiction, comorbidity of alcoholism with substance use.
  • MARY ANN CAMPBELL,B.A. (Dalhousie), M.A.(Lakehead), Ph.D. (Dalhousie). Forensic Psychology.
  • ENRICO DiTOMMASO, BA (McGill), MA, PhD (UNB). Attachment; Loneliness, Measurement/Scale Development.
  • PAUL GENDREAU , BA, MA (Ottawa), PhD (Queen's). Criminal Behaviour.
  • MURRAY GODDARD , BA (Calgary), PhD (McMaster). Animal Learning; Blocking; Occasion-Setting.
  • R.D. GUPTA , BSc, MSc (Meesut) MA, PhD (Dalhousie). Multivariate Analysis; Statistical Inference.
  • HARALD TAUKULIS , BA (Northern Illinois), MSc, PhD (Memorial). Psychopharmacology; Conditioned Drug Effects; Defensive Behaviour; Panic Disorder; Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder.
  • J.M. TERHUNE , BSc, MSc (Guelph), Lic Scient (Aarhus). Vertebrate Physiology; Marine Mammals.
  • ALEXANDER E. WILSON , BA (Mount Allison), MA, PhD (Manitoba). Perception; Illusions; Masking.

RESEARCH AND FACILITIES

The research and teaching facilities at UNBSJ include laboratories for human and animal research. The laboratories for human participants are equipped for 1) experimentation with both children and adults (observation rooms), 2) studies of lie detection or other types of research that involve polygraphic recording , 3) studies of perceptual phenomena, 4) neuropsychological testing, 5) psychophysiological testing, and 6) testing of individual participants with computer generated tasks. The two animal laboratories are equipped for: 1) studies of operant and classical conditioning; and 2) studies of behavioural effects of psychoactive drugs. Many of the labs are equipped with personal computers. Support staff includes an animal care technician.

Outside of the confines of the university, many of the faculty members have established contacts at institutions where practical learning and research experience can be obtained by upper-level undergraduate and graduate students. These include the Saint John Regional Hospital, the Ridgewood Alcohol and Drug Rehabilitation Centre and The Saint John Community Mental Health Clinic. Research opportunities also exist in the Institute for Health Research (IHR) and the Centre for Criminal Justice Studies.

Interlibrary loans from UNB-Fredericton and elsewhere are easily obtainable. The web-based electronic Databases by UNB has greatly facilitated information gathering. In addition, several faculty members maintain extensive personal libraries that can be made available to graduate students.

ADMISSION AND DEGREE REQUIREMENTS (MA PROGRAM)

The Graduate Academic Unit (GAU) offers a Master of Arts degree. Opportunities to specialize may be individually determined according to faculty research interests (as indicated in the listing of faculty).

An undergraduate Honours degree or its equivalent in Psychology is normally a prerequisite for entry into the graduate program in Psychology, although consideration will be given to exceptional students from other disciplines. Students without sufficient preparation may be required to satisfy the prerequisites of the GAU without graduate credit (Qualifying year). All applicants are required to submit recent scores on the Graduate Record Examinations (General and Subject Tests), as well as, a written statement describing their past and current interests in psychology and their career.

The MA program has been designed to provide students with information about current issues and developments in a broad range of research areas, as well as training in advanced experimental design and statistics. Additionally, they will be required to achieve a comprehensive understanding of a sub-field of their choice, and will be required to propose and carry out a research project in that area. The program is also designed so that it can be tailored to meet the needs of individual students.

Each student will be required to carry out a major research project that makes a significant contribution to the body of knowledge that comprises the field of psychology. Under the supervision of a thesis committee, which will typically be comprised of a faculty advisor and two additional members of the School of Graduate Studies and Research, the student must formulate a hypothesis derived from a review of the pertinent literature, design and carry out experiments addressing the hypothesis, and submit a thesis which constitutes a report of these efforts. All students are required to complete a written proposal for the Master's thesis and to successfully defend this proposal at an oral examination. Further, all students must defend their completed MA thesis during an oral examination .

COURSES OFFERED

Students must complete seven courses plus a thesis (PSYC 6997). The designated courses are: PSYC 6013, 6014, 6103, 6203, 6303, 6403 and one other agreed to by the Director, GAU and the student's advisor. Depending on the background of the incoming student, the course requirements may be revised. Candidates may access some graduate level psychology courses on the Fredericton campus with permission from the respective GAU Directors and the course professors concerned.

Yearly scheduling of courses are as follows:

YEAR 1
Term 1: PSYC 6013, PSYC6103
Term 2: PSYC 6014, PSYC 6203

YEAR 2
Term 1: PSYC 6303
Term 2: PSYC 6403

Special Topics courses tailored to the interests of the degree candidates, can also be included each year. A student may, with the approval of the supervisory committee, opt to replace up to two of the Proseminar courses (PSYC 6103, 6203, 6303 and 6403) with PSYC 6503-6504.

PSYC 6013 Advanced Statistics and Research Design I 3 ch
PSYC 6014 Advanced Statistics and Research Design II 3 ch
PSYC 6103 Proseminar I: Cognitive-affective Bases of Behaviour 3 ch
PSYC 6203 Proseminar II: Biological Bases of Behaviour 3 ch
PSYC 6303 Proseminar III: Social Bases of Behaviour 3 ch
PSYC 6403 Proseminar IV: Individual Differences 3 ch
PSYC 6033 Special Topics I 3 ch
PSYC 6034 Special Topics II 3 ch
PSYC 6503 Topics in Experimental Psychology I 3 ch
PSYC 6504 Topics in Experimental Psychology II 3 ch
PSYC 6997 Master Thesis Cr

Ph.D. Programs:
Ph.D. is offered in collaboration with UNB-Fredericton . Programs in Clinical Psychology ; Experimental and Applied Psychology are available