Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Behavioral Science

University of North Texas

Graduate opportunities

The Behavioral Science program at the University of North Texas is unique.

While most programs are highly focused and concentrated, we expose you to a variety of content areas, including cognition, social, developmental, motivation, health and neuroscience. This approach allows you to pursue a focus with a fully informed background and better prepares you to work in collaborative research environments.

A Doctor of Philosophy degree in Behavioral Science will help you move into prominent roles as a researcher or professor at a university or as a research consultant with a counseling center, hospital, mental health center, medical school or rehabilitation services agency.

While pursuing your degree, you will gain competence in research through course work, individual work with faculty members, vertical research teams led by faculty members and informal research experiences. The individual work is conducted simultaneously with projects leading to publications or grant applications. You’re expected to participate in research with faculty members throughout your time in the program.

We provide specialized training in human research while staying flexible to allow the development of individual interests. For example, you may conduct research in memory and cognition, stress and its physiological consequences, adolescent alcohol use or cardiovascular consequences of effort.

Key research areas for our faculty members include:

• Adult development
• Health psychology
• Neuropsychology
• Personality disorders
• Physiological psychology
• Traumatology
• Memory and Cognition
• Critical Race and Tokenism
• Addiction
• Social Motivation

The program offers many teaching opportunities and support for professional development, and it maximizes training for research.

Degree requirements

This degree program requires a minimum of 72 credit hours beyond the bachelor’s degree that includes:

• 57 credit hours in behavioral science general core psychology courses
• 15 credit hours of course work selected in consultation with the major professor, reflecting your specialty area of research