Graduate Studies

We Offer We do NOT Offer

Our Psychological Sciences graduate programs are designed for students wishing to pursue the M.A. and Ph.D. degrees and continue on to university-level teaching and research, or to work in applied settings that require these degrees. Program flexibility and unprecedented collaborative opportunities result in our students' successful post-graduate placements and continued career achievements.

Our doctoral program is unique in that our faculty, together with our graduate students, work in Research Interest Groups (RIGs) allowing for tailor-made programs based on shared research interests. This collaborative environment encourages easy mentor/student interactions which our students continue to enjoy even after graduation.

Separate from our doctoral program, we also offer two different professional Master’s degrees:

Master (M.A.) of Human-Computer Interaction & Human Factors: This 2-year full-time program will expand students’ knowledge of critical concepts and methods in psychology, and how to apply those concepts to real-world problems. Graduates of the program will be well-positioned to lead human factors and human-computer interaction efforts across a broad range of industries, including IT/telecommunications, health care, defense, e-commerce, and energy.

Master (M.A.) of Industrial-Organizational Psychology: This 2-year full-time program offers students graduate-level training in an applied area of psychology for which there is a very high demand. Students are provided with scientific and practical knowledge about the nature of the psychology of work and the workplace, the future of work, and a deep set of methodological and statistical skills. Graduates of the program will be well positioned to work in a wide variety of corporate, nonprofit, and government settings, on projects ranging from medical safety to the promotion of inclusive cultures (and prevention of harassing ones).

We do NOT offer Ph.D. or Master’s programs in:
- clinical psychology
- counseling psychology
- educational psychology
- school psychology
- forensic psychology
- sports psychology

We do NOT offer Master’s degrees except as a step en route to the doctoral degree, or for students enrolled in our professional Master’s programs in Human-Computer Interaction & Human Factors and Industrial-Organizational Psychology.

Research Interest Groups (RIGs) within the doctoral program

Cognitive & Affective Neuroscience: The Cognitive & Affective Neuroscience RIG seeks an understanding of the relationship between the human brain and higher forms of behavior, including sensation, perception, attention, memory, language, social cognition, emotion, emotion regulation, and health.

Health Psychology & Behavioral Medicine: The Health Psychology & Behavioral Medicine RIG examines the interplay of psychological, social, biological, and behavioral factors that enhance, preserve, or threaten mental and physical well-being.

Human-Computer Interaction & Human Factors: The Human-Computer Interaction & Human Factors RIG investigates interactions among humans and other elements of a system. We are especially concerned with the interaction of humans with computer systems.

Industrial - Organizational Psychology: The Industrial-Organizational (I-O) Psychology RIG studies human behavior in organizational and work situations. Topics include motivation at work, the aging workforce, discrimination in the workplace, job performance, and team training.

Psychometrics & Quantitative Psychology: Psychological science critically depends on data that are reliable, accurate, valid, and fair. Serving this purpose, Ph.D. students in the Psychometrics and Quantitative Psychology RIG obtain specialized skills related to the substantive development; statistical modeling and analysis; and resulting interpretation of psychological measures, experiments, and interventions.

The doctoral program has a strong research orientation, and whether or not students plan to pursue a research career, they are expected to spend a large portion of their graduate years actively engaged in research.


Master of Arts in Human-Computer Interaction & Human Factors

For more information about our professional Master’s program, please visit: https://psychology.rice.edu/MHCIHF.


Master of Arts in Industrial-Organizational Psychology

For more information about our professional Master’s program, please visit: https://psychology.rice.edu/MIOP.


Outside Collaborations

Students engage in interdisciplinary coursework and participate in research opportunities through collaborative links with nearby world-renowned medical institutions in the Texas Medical Center (TMC) and NASA.


Recent Graduate Placements

Rice Psychological Sciences Ph.D.s enter the workforce with outstanding credentials, landing them in excellent academic and industry positions. See our list of recent graduate placements.