Department of Psychology

Overview

The Department of Psychology offers coursework and programs that help you develop skills for your future career and lifelong learning, including critical thinking and professional communication. The department offers opportunities to join cutting-edge research and programs that are advancing study in a host of fields. We provide an environment where faculty and student collaborative research thrives, expanding the knowledge of behavior, cognition, perception, and other key areas. Faculty in the Department of Psychology are teachers and scholars who work to advance the science of psychology and help you apply that science to your chosen career field.

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Research laboratories and centers

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Degree programs: Psychology (BS), Neuroscience (BS), Experimental Psychology (MS), Cognitive Science (Ph.D)

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Largest degree program in College of Liberal Arts

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Student Resources

Here you will find additional resources for the Department of Psychology, such as co-op information and department forms.

See Resources for the Department of Psychology

Undergraduate Degree

The undergraduate program integrates a traditional psychology curriculum with a unique science and technology focus. Courses in experimental, developmental, abnormal, and industrial/organizational psychology foster the development of your analytical skills and encourage critical thinking, while a professional/technical core builds knowledge in a relevant area outside of psychology such as criminal justice, business, mathematics, computing, or engineering. The unique curriculum offers five tracks of in-depth, interdisciplinary study in developmental psychology, biopsychology, clinical psychology, cognitive psychology, and social psychology, allowing you to specialize in two areas of interest.

In the neuroscience BS degree, you’ll learn how the brain works and apply that knowledge to develop systems for new frontiers such as advancing artificial intelligence, combating neurodegenerative diseases, and assisting those with learning disabilities.

This degree program is offered jointly between the College of Science and the College of Liberal Arts.

Learn more about the Neuroscience BS program 

Our psychology BS provides a scientific study of the brain paired with a focus on observing, experimenting, and analyzing the mind to understand what drives human behavior.

Learn more about the Psychology BS program 

Graduate Programs

A graduate degree in psychology can lead to advanced career prospects. Our master’s program combines focused coursework in psychology with applied experience, either through an internship or the completion of a research study and master’s thesis.

Work is underway to offer a new Ph.D. in Cognitive Science program that will provide innovative research training and career-building experiences centered around engineering, computing, and social and behavioral sciences.  

RIT’s cognitive science Ph.D. provides an interdisciplinary study of the human mind that combines insights from psychology, computer science, linguistics, neuroscience, augmented reality, and philosophy.

Learn more about the Cognitive Science Ph.D. program 

In this engineering psychology program, you’ll explore the interactions between humans and machines, and the science behind human behavior as you prepare for a career in ergonomics, cognition, perception, design, and more.

Learn more about the Engineering Psychology Adv. Cert. program 

Contribute meaningful work to multiple fields of psychology while you explore and apply scientific methods to human development, social interactions, and behavioral relationships in an experimental psychology master’s degree targeted toward your career aspirations.

Learn more about the Experimental Psychology MS program 
  • RIT Attention, Cognition, and Emotion Lab
  • RIT Child Study Center
  • RIT CLaSP - Computational Linguistics and Speech Processing Lab
  • RIT Cognitive Engineering and Engineering Psychology Lab
  • RIT Comparative Cognition and Perception (CCP) Lab
  • RIT Developmental Psychopathology and Serious Mental Illness Lab
  • RIT Health and Addictions Research Center (HARC)
  • RIT Human Perception and Performance Lab (HPPL)
  • RIT Meaning, Language, and Cognition (MLC) Lab
  • RIT Neurobehavioral Lab
  • RIT PADME Lab (Psychopathology, Adolescence, Development, Methodology, Evaluation)
  • RIT Perception & Acquisition of Words (PAW) Lab
  • RIT SCAPE Lab (Social Cognition Across People & Environments)
  • RIT Social, Methods, Evolution, and Legal Lab
  • NTID deaf x lab
  • NTID Perception, Language & Attention in Youth (PLAY) Lab