Graduate Programs

Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences

Drexel’s nationally recognized Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences prepares clinical and research leaders, advances the forefront of scientific discovery and addresses complex mental health issues. We offer four graduate degrees that position students for excellent careers in psychological and brain sciences across a broad spectrum of sectors and settings. Scholars within each concentration receive a solid grounding in the theoretical and scientific foundations of psychology, and steadily build on their knowledge through rigorous instruction, faculty-mentored research and hands-on clinical experiences.

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Degree Programs

Graduate Admissions Program Advisor Research Areas Experiential Clinic

Faculty Experts

Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences faculty are leading investigators and clinicians whose diverse body of work advances the forefront of psychological science and clinical practice. These highly sought-after experts are the recipients of numerous federal grant awards from the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) and the National Science Foundation (NSF); the U.S. Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP); as well as from prominent funders including the Pew Charitable Trusts, the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, the Stoneleigh Foundation and the U.S. Veteran's Administration – to name a few. Their research findings and scholarship frequently appear in top-tier, peer-reviewed publications.

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Mentorship Model

Every graduate student is supported by the steady mentorship of one or two faculty members who serve as dedicated professional and academic advisors. Education and training is sequential and cumulative for our graduate students: Initially, more support and direction is provided to them with the expectation of increased autonomy and independence as each student's program of study progresses.

Research Areas and Labs

Graduate research is integral to building the intellectual life, growth and reach of the Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences. Students are assigned to faculty research labs where they receive dedicated mentorship and hands-on training. Graduate students often serve as co-authors on publications with their faculty mentors in distinguished, peer-reviewed journals.

Department faculty include world-class clinicians and scientists who lead exploration across six core areas of research in psychological and brain sciences. The department runs the Drexel Psychological Services Center, our clinical training facility that offers accessible, affordable and high-quality mental health services. Additionally, the department is home to the WELL Center, an interdisciplinary clinical research center dedicated to weight, eating and lifestyle science.

Applied Cognitive and Brain Sciences

Forensic Psychology

Health Psychology

Neuropsychology

Pediatric and Child Psychology

The WELL Center:
Weight, Eating and Lifestyle Science

Labs:
- Butryn Lab
- Forman Lab
- Juarascio Lab
- Manasse Lab
- Srivastava Lab

Experiential Clinic

Doctoral students gain experiential training in a bright, welcoming atmosphere at the Drexel Psychological Services Center. Our training clinic offers accessible, affordable and high-quality mental health services for people of all ages in Philadelphia and the surrounding areas. Expertly-trained doctoral students —supervised by licensed professionals in Drexel's Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences— deliver evidence-based, scientifically informed treatments and engage in leading research related to the practice of psychology.

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Latest News

smiling woman standing beside a yellow research board outside on a sunny day

Be Who You Want to Be, at Drexel

Growing up in South Brunswick, New Jersey, psychology major and student advisory board member Sanjana Oak rarely saw herself represented on the television screen. When she did, that character was grossly stereotyped or there only for comedic relief. What was worse, in real life, her peers expected her to behave in that same way. Curious about whether her experience was unique, she set up a research project through the STAR (Students Tackling Advanced Research) Scholars Program in the Pennoni Honors College.

Drexel Professor John Kounios' Creativity Research Lab: "Where in the Brain Does Creativity Come from? Evidence from Jazz Musicians"

Psychological & Brain Sciences PhD Programs Set Students Up for Exceptional Placements

In February, 100 percent of eligible doctoral candidates in the Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences programs matched with exceptional internship placement sites. This included three out of the eight students matching with the VA San Diego/University of California, San Diego—one of the leading internship sites in the country.

person in black shirt looking at piece of paper, arms wearing striped sleeves are also looking at the paper

United Way of Greater Philadelphia and Southern New Jersey Provides CoAS Faculty with Grant for The Promise’s New City-Wide Expungement Initiative

For individuals convicted of a summary offense, such as retail theft, who have had no subsequent arrests for a designated number of years, expungement—the erasure of a formal arrest or conviction record—may be a path to a fresh start...