Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) Degree in the field of Psychology and a Major Concentration in Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience

PhD Degree in the field of Psychology and a Major Concentration in Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience 

Upon completing the PhD degree in the field of Psychology and a major concentration in Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience, students will be able to:

1. Apply theoretical and methodological tools necessary to carry out independent research in cognitive or affective neuroscience.
2. Write an independent and original thesis that is of sufficient quality to merit publication in a top cognitive psychology, cognitive neuroscience, health neuroscience, or affective neuroscience journal.
3. Conduct a focused review of the literature and develop a research design to carry out independent research.
4. Defend their research design and data analysis choices by presenting their paper in a seminar environment.
5. Communicate their research effectively by writing clearly, concisely, and cogently.
6. Read critically and assess research manuscripts related to their field of study and in other fields.

MA and PhD Degrees in field of Psychology 

MA Degree Program

MA degree is a thesis master’s degree. For general university requirements, please see Thesis Master’s Degrees. regulations, and procedures for all graduate programs, please see All Graduate Students. Although students are not normally admitted to study for an MA in Psychology, graduate students may earn MA degree after obtaining approval of their candidacy for PhD. For general university PhD degrees, please see Doctoral Degrees. For both MA and PhD degrees, students must complete a research thesis, including a public oral defense. Required coursework is determined by student’s major concentration. Students must complete an admission-to-candidacy procedure to establish their expertise in their chosen major concentration. Competence in a foreign language is not required. 

The English Language Proficiency Requirement may be waived for an international student who received a degree from an institution in which English is the official language of communication. Contact the admitting program for more information.

The following language proficiency tests are accepted by Rice graduate programs and will be used to assess English language proficiency. Please note the below scores are the minimum requirement, though some program requirements will be higher.

• The TOEFL IBT Home. A minimum score of 90 is required
• IELTS Indicator. A minimum score of 7 is required.
• Duolingo. A minimum score of 115 is required.

1. Find your graduate program(s) of interest and submit an interest form. Click here for a listing of schools and departments.
2. Research the cost of study and available financial support. Qualified doctoral students often receive tuition waivers and a generous stipend.
3. Look at our facts and stats on admissions, enrollment and degrees awarded.
4. Learn more about research at Rice.
5. Find out what living in Houston is like.