Experimental Psychology specialization

The goal and intent of our two-year, full-time, Experimental Psychology specialization in the M.A. in Psychology program is to prepare competent professionals by providing students with advanced training in research methodology, data analysis and the core principles of psychology (social, cognitive, developmental, behavioral neuroscience, etc.). 

Highlights of the specialization

• Opportunities to work closely with talented and dedicated faculty in state-of-the-art facilities

• Successfully prepare students for doctoral level graduate studies and careers in academia, research centers, non-profit organizations, or the private sector 

• Over the past 5-years, experimental faculty have collaborated with students on over 261 research projects that have included approximately 348 graduate students as coauthors

Why Study the Experimental Psychology specialization

Students work one-on-one with faculty mentors engaged in experimental research beginning their first semester and continuing every semester thereafter. Through these multiple student-faculty collaborations, students gain research experience in at least two content areas such as social, learning, cognitive, developmental, neuroscience, and psychopharmacology and learn advanced research methodologies and statistics. These skills prepare our students well and make them highly competitive for doctoral graduate studies and research related careers. 

Our students also have the opportunity to travel to present their research and network with other professionals in their field at multiple professional conferences, with their travel routinely being fully funded by Radford University. In recent years, our students have gone to conferences in San Diego, San Francisco, New York, Boston, Chicago, Tampa, New Orleans, Charleston, Hilton Head, Tampa, and Austin, just to name a few. 

There are also competitive opportunities for graduate assistantships, teaching assistantships, and graduate teaching fellowships, which can provide stipends and tuition waivers. In addition to providing financial support, these also provide opportunities for additional research and/or teaching experiences. For example, as a graduate teaching fellow, students teach their own introductory course in their second year. Although not guaranteed, in recent years, we have been able to provide at least some level of assistantship for all of our students.