A Message from The Director of Graduate Studies
A Message from The Director of Graduate Studies
We are thrilled that you are considering the Georgia Tech Psychology program for your graduate education. We offer doctoral degrees in five areas of specialization: Cognition and Brain Science, Cognitive Aging, Engineering Psychology, Industrial/Organizational Psychology, and Quantitative Psychology. Given that we are part of one of the premier engineering schools in the country, we have a strong focus on basic science and technology, but we keep a clear eye focused on applied science as well.
The faculty members in our School strongly believe in the apprenticeship model of mentoring – you can only learn how to do science by doing it under the guidance of a world-class faculty member and in the context of a strong lab. Our current student-to-faculty ratio is 4:1.
We also pride ourselves on the diversity of methods (we share a research-dedicated fMRI scanner with Georgia State University, and have a driving simulator in the building; many labs use EEG and/or eye movement equipment) and topics (human-robot interaction, sonification, team effectiveness, cognitive plasticity, work motivation and stress are just some of the topics we study) represented in the department. We also believe in building a strong foundation in statistics and data analysis.
Our graduates have attained prestigious positions in academia, industry, the military, and government. In a survey of our 2007-2011 graduates, we found that 45% took a faculty position, 14% took a research position, 7% were working in a postdoctoral position, and 32% worked in industry.
In an anonymous survey conducted in 2012, our alums stated that they specifically appreciated 'the opportunity for interdisciplinary studies and research', considered their time here 'extremely valuable', believed that Tech 'prepared [them] extremely well for [their] career', and that 'the quality of education [they] received was due to the dedication of the very accomplished faculty'.
We, of course, agree. Graduate school is a great time of your life, a time when you can fully explore who you want to be, fully immerse yourself in a topic you are passionate about, and create the depth of work that allows you to become one of the leading experts in that topic, and also form lasting friendships and grow into your dreams. We think that it would be hard to find a better place to gather these experiences than at Georgia Tech.
Scott Moffat
Professor and Director of Graduate Studies