Admissions To be admitted to the program, an applicant must be endorsed by a research professor within the program who is actively recruiting graduate students (likely to become the student’s Major Professor), and then approved by the faculty of the SDH Program, the Department of Psychology, and finally the Graduate School. Students who are interested in the work of a specific research professor are encouraged to send an introduction email, and should also mention the research professor by name in the Statement of Purpose section of their application. Selection is based on the match between a student’s research interest and that of the potential Major Professor. Please note that lecturers do not recruit graduate students. Criteria considered for admission include previous research experience, letters of recommendation, prior academic record, and GRE scores. A prospective graduate student visit day is held one time per year by invitation. Applicants to the Social, Developmental, and Health Psychology Program should visit the department's Graduate Applications webpage for required materials and instructions. The deadline for receipt of all application materials (including unofficial transcripts and letters of recommendation) is December 1st. Financial Assistance Upon admission to the Social, Developmental, and Health Psychology Program, students are typically considered for one of a number of forms of financial support. Students are most commonly supported by Teaching Assistantships (TAs), which are determined by the needs of the Department and assigned by the Associate Department Head and Director of Graduate Studies. Students who have Bachelor’s Degrees serve as TAs for an instructor. Students with Master’s Degrees may teach their own classes. More limited opportunities for Research Assistantships (RAs) are available, which are funded by a faculty member’s grant, or via competitive University-wide Fellowships awarded through the Graduate School. Students are encouraged to generate and submit applications for their own grants such as the National Institutes of Health Kirschstein Predoctoral Individual National Research Service Award (NRSA) and National Science Foundation Graduate Student Fellowship Program (GSFP). In recent years the Department has been successful in supporting all of its graduate students over all academic years of study. Students may also work directly with the University's Office of Student Financial Aid. Core Research Areas SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY The SDH program offers expertise in Social and Personality Science. Our training is designed to train scientists to understand the twin forces of the environment and individual in shaping thoughts, feelings and behaviors. UGA's department has significant strength in the study of the self, decision-making, culture, relationships, emotion, prejudice and stereotyping, and personality processes. Researchers in this area use a variety of methods including experiments, longitudinal and cross-sectional surveys, and big data approaches to understand their questions of interest. DEVELOPMENTAL PSYCHOLOGY The SDH Program offers a concentration in Developmental Science. This concentration is designed to train scientists to address questions of both basic and applied research from a developmental perspective, with enough flexibility in the program to allow for specialized research concentrations (in areas such as infant cognition, adolescent health, and family relationships). Faculty and students within the Developmental concentration often engage in interdisciplinary research. We are fortunate to have colleagues in other departments and research centers on campus who teach classes and offer collaborative research opportunities that may intersect with our students’ interests and training goals. Many of our Developmental students take courses or conduct research in collaboration with faculty in the Departments of Educational Psychology, School Psychology, Kinesiology, Human Development and Family Science, and Foods and Nutrition. Faculty affiliated with the Center for Family Research are also available for mentoring and collaborative opportunities. HEALTH PSYCHOLOGY The SDH Program includes a concentration in Health Psychology. This specialty area is designed to provide interdisciplinary training in both theory and methods focused on physical health across the lifespan. Our faculty have expertise in health behaviors (e.g., smoking, diet, physical fitness), clinical indicators of health (e.g., blood pressure, cardiometabolic risk), and immunologic processes. In addition, students can take advantage of training opportunities across campus, including options for research and coursework in Public Health, Human Development and Family Science, Sociology, and Foods and Nutrition. Topics of Study Social relationships and peer processes Personality and individual differences Family and caregiving environments Risk and resilience across development Stress and coping Cognitive development Health behaviors and health disparities Emotion regulation and self-regulation Psychobiological processes Sociocultural influences Psychology of prejudice and oppression Selecting a Major Professor SDH students develop advanced expertise in any of an extensive range of specialty topic areas supported by our excellent faculty. Because advanced graduate education proceeds primarily via an apprenticeship model, the choice of mentors is an important decision in students’ graduate careers. Students enter the SDH program with a plan to work with one (or sometimes two) Major Professor(s). Professors Accepting Students: Fall 2027 Drew Abney Katie Ehrlich Jessica Flannery Janet Frick Dylan Richards Allison Skinner M.S. Degree The SDH Program does not offer the MS as a terminal degree. Most students complete the MS requirements as preparation for the PhD. Exceptions may be granted for students who are entering with a MS. MS requirements include a combination of course work and research hours, as well as a written Master’s Thesis and an oral defense. Ph.D. Degree The PhD degree criteria includes a combination of course requirements and research hours. Following the successful completion of written and oral Comprehensive Exams, students complete a Dissertation Prospectus. Following committee approval of the Prospectus, students work to complete their Dissertation which includes an oral defense that is open to the public. Training Goals Students leave our program well prepared to conduct scholarly research, think critically, write well, and apply strong quantitative skills. After completing their doctorates, students typically go on to post-doctoral positions, faculty appointments, or other research careers in academia and industry.
