PREPARING FUTURE FACULTY PROGRAM
DEPARTMENT OF PSYCHOLOGY
The Department of Psychology’s Ph.D. program creates a broad set of opportunities in conjunction with two other University of New Hampshire programs— the UNH Program in College Teaching and the UNH Preparing Future Faculty Program. The department’s Ph.D. program began in the mid-1960s with support from the National Science Foundation and the University. The program is currently supported by permanent University funds and by a grant from American Psychological Association. The overarching goal of the program is to prepare psychologists for faculty positions. The graduate curriculum provides students with a strong general background in psychology, opportunity to study with and develop research skills from faculty in a specialty area, in-depth coursework in statistics and research methods, and solid grounding in history and theory of psychology.
The program’s centerpiece during the past 30-plus years has been the background and experiences students receive in the area of college teaching and other faculty roles. Graduates of the program have been successful in securing academic positions. In addition to coursework and research, doctoral students participate in a variety of experiences designed to prepare them for the full-range of faculty roles. These experiences vary depending on the students’ position in the program. First-year doctoral students participate in Graduate Proseminar and teaching assistant experience. Second-year doctoral students participate in teaching assistant experience, coursework in Institute on College Teaching, preparation for teaching in their third year, and visitations to other colleges and universities (e.g., Dartmouth College, Howard University, Keene State College, St. Anselm College). Third-year doctoral students participate in a two-semester Seminar and Practicum in the Teaching of Psychology, coursework in Institute on College Teaching, visitations to other colleges and universities, the specialty exam (designed to prepare graduate students for teaching a course during fourth year in their specialty area) and a seminar on serving as a research mentor to students. Finally, fourth- and fifth-year doctoral students participate in teaching in their specialty area, visitations to other colleges and universities, preparation for the job search, job search, and a seminar on serving as an academic advisor to students.