This is normally done over a five (5) year period as follows:

FIRST YEAR | SECOND YEAR | THIRD YEAR | FOURTH & FIFTH YEARS | SUMMARY

Each incoming student should locate a faculty member as a research supervisor as soon as possible during the first semester. Ordinarily, a faculty adviser has been tentatively assigned prior to the student's arrival, but the student has the option to work with any of the faculty, if a mutually acceptable arrangement can be established. This, in turn, will depend upon mutually compatible research interests and the availability of faculty time and resources. The research supervisor usually represents the student's main research area of interest and serves as the student's primary source of advice, guidance, criticism and support. Normally, the research adviser will be a full-time member of the Psychology Department. In extraordinary circumstances, exceptions may be made by a vote of the faculty.
By the beginning of the second semester, a "second adviser" will also be selected. In addition to serving as an additional source of advice, the second adviser will be present at the feedback meeting described below.

All first year students are required to take PSY 500, Proseminar: Social Psychology; PSY 501, Proseminar: Cognitive Psychology; PSY 502, Proseminar: Neuroscience Psychology. These courses are survey courses in advanced general psychology. The proseminar courses will be taught in three sections, (with the last session of each section used for administering the exam). Three grades will be listed on the student's transcript. Students must pass each section with a grade of B- or better. A student who does not attain a grade of B- on a given component will be required to take that component of proseminar again in his or her second year or take a relevant undergraduate course. Students pass prosem based on the judgment of the faculty, taking into account the pattern of grades they have received. Note: Non-native speaking graduate students will receive an extra hour to take the proseminar examination.

Each student must demonstrate an ability to deal with quantitative material; this will ordinarily be established by successful completion of Psychology 503, Quantitative Analysis in Psychological Research. This course should be taken in the first or second year. Additional quantitative training should be planned in consultation with a student's adviser. Students must pass this course with a B- or better. A student who does not attain a grade of B- or better will have to retake the exam.

Each student must complete a 6-week course in the responsible conduct of scientific research, entitled PSY 591a, Ethical Issues in Scientific Research. This course is normally taken in the spring of the first year.

The Psychology Department offers a variety of seminars that are available to students. First year students should consult their advisers about enrolling in seminars in addition to Psychology 500, 501, 502 and 503. In subsequent semesters, it is expected that students will enroll in seminars in the Psychology Department and/or other departments at Princeton. Occasionally, advisers may determine that a student's progress can be facilitated by concentrating on research rather than courses. This should be discussed with the Director of Graduate Studies.

Note for Social Area Students:  Under unusual circumstances, the student should consult the program faculty about not enrolling in a seminar.  After consulting with their advisor, the student should contact the social area coordinator about his/her request.  The area coordinator will discuss the request with the rest of the faculty.

Each student is asked to submit three copies of a progress report to the Graduate Studies Office (1-C-3 Green Hall) on or before March 1 of the first year of residence. This report should indicate the nature of the first year research activities and plans for research during the second year. Normally this is a document of approximately three double-spaced pages.

Cognitive area students only. Each student has to fulfill part of the general examination requirement by completing three tutorials. FIRST YEAR OF GRADUATE SCHOOL: The first tutorial must be completed by the first day of reading period, spring semester. SECOND YEAR OF GRADUATE SCHOOL: The second tutorial must be completed by the end of the seventh week of the fall semester. The third tutorial must be completed by the end of the first week of the spring semester.

Cognitive students will meet with a faculty member in order to discuss a topic in some depth or to pursue a short research project. The meetings are typically once a week for a month or so. The student product for each tutorial (e.g., 8-10 page paper; experimental proposals, etc.) will be determined in consultation with the tutorial superviser. The tutorial topics and the tutorial committee members are to be approved by the student's adviser. The first cognitive tutorial paper is to be submitted to the Graduate Studies Office, 1-C-3 Green Hall, by May 5, 2008.

The second year is characterized by becoming more intensively involved in research. The Quantitative and Ethics course requirements must be finished during this year, if they have not already been completed. Additional course work will be undertaken with the advice of the student's adviser and the Director of Graduate Studies.

Each year, the Department is called upon to make decisions for readmission to another year of graduate study. Dialogue between the students and faculty is the essential element to provide information to students about the bases for the readmission decisions and about the way in which their academic progress is perceived.
In order to facilitate an orderly and regular feedback process, the following procedures have been established.

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The Department administers a general examination in the Fall semester of the third year. This examination must be passed before a graduate student can advance to candidacy for the Ph.D. degree.
A decision as to whether the student has passed the General Examination is made by the full faculty acting on the recommendation of the examining committee. The basic criterion for passing the examination is the faculty's conviction that the student is prepared to begin work on the doctoral dissertation.

Students who have passed the Proseminar, graduate statisitics and ethics, satisfactorily completed pre-generals research projects, and passed the General Exam at the Master's level have earned a Masters Degree. Proper forms can be obtained through the Graduate Studies Coordinator.
The General Examination Committee members consist of three faculty members, the student's adviser, second adviser and a third faculty member outside of the student's area. The third faculty member is selected by the Director of Graduate Studies.

The General Examination procedures and deadline dates for the three psychology areas are listed below.

THESIS PROPOSAL INFORMATION LISTED BELOW IS FOR ALL THIRD YEAR STUDENTS IN EACH AREA

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The students and their committee members should keep in mind that in order to graduate in the Spring of the 5th (or 4th) year, the thesis proposal must be accepted by September of the 5th (or 4th) year.

During the fourth and fifth years, the student is expected to dedicate his or her time to mastering methods and techniques in the relevant area of study, complete thesis-related research, and write the thesis. In addition, the student is expected to write up and submit for publication the thesis-related work, as well as other research that has been conducted thus far. This time should be used to finalize ongoing projects and bring them to a publishable state, thus preparing the student to leave the program and move on to their next stage, be it a post-doctoral training period or the job market.

Normally, the adviser and student will recommend to the Director of Graduate Studies a committee of three faculty members (neuroscience students need four faculty members) as the student's Dissertation Reading Committee. The dissertation reading committee usually consists of the student's adviser, second adviser and a faculty member outside of the student's area (neuroscience students have to select the fourth faculty member from MoBio, EEB, etc.). Before recommending the reading committee, please note the following procedures: a) student must obtain a reading committee form from the Graduate Studies Office (1-C-3 Green Hall); b) when approaching faculty members to get approval for serving on the committee, student must get signatures on the reading committee form; c) students must submit form to the Graduate Studies Office; d) if approved, this committee will be the dissertation reading committee.

The final public oral committee consists of the student's research adviser and two other faculty members who did not serve on the reading committee (one in the student's area and one outside of the student's area, both selected by the Director of Graduate Studies). Neuroscience students' fourth member of the dissertation reading committee will also be on the final public oral committee. Once the student's research is completed, a written first draft is to be submitted to the research supervisor. During the development of this draft, the student is advised to consult with both his or her research supervisor and the members of his or her Reading Committee. Once a draft is submitted to the supervisor, the supervisor, in turn, is expected to make suggestions for revision. The student then revises the draft accordingly until such time that the supervisor agrees that it is an acceptable draft. Copies of this draft should then be submitted to the Director of Graduate Studies office for formal distribution to the reading and oral committee. This must be done early enough to provide members of the reading committee at least five (5) weeks prior to the deadline date to review the draft (deadline date is the date the abstract is circulated).
Students are reminded that it is normal for the committee to suggest a good many changes in the thesis, and prior to University deadlines, several weeks should be left for making these changes and receiving approval for them. Exceptions to this schedule must be approved at a faculty meeting, or failing that, by the Director of Graduate Studies in consultation with the reading and oral committees. When the reading committee has read the thesis, the dissertation supervisor should schedule a meeting with the reading committee members, and, if they so desire, with the student. At this meeting the reading committee will indicate whether or not they found the thesis acceptable or want revisions. The student's adviser will also communicate any revisions called for by the oral committee. If the student makes revisions, it is the student's responsibility to make sure that the reading and oral committee members receive a copy of the revised dissertation. The reading committee will also decide whether they wish to schedule another meeting before approving the dissertation.

These decisions should be recorded on a form provided by the Director of Graduate Studies Office and returned immediately after the meeting. When all members of the reading committee have found the thesis acceptable they must each submit a Reader's Report which contains comments and their signature, for submission to the Graduate School.

One unbound copy of the revised thesis should then be filed with the Director of Graduate Studies' Office. The dissertation abstract (long abstract) will then be given to each member of the faculty. The Reading Committee will request approval of the dissertation from the full departmental faculty at its next meeting. Normally, the faculty will not meet during the summer to approve dissertations or to hold final orals. Petitions for any exception to this rule must be considered at a faculty meeting during the regular school year. Five week days (Monday through Friday) must elapse between the circulation of the abstract and the faculty meeting (these five days can include the day of distribution of the abstract and the day of the faculty meeting).

Note: The long abstract (600 words) is distributed to faculty, the short abstract (350 words) is inserted into the bound copy of your dissertation and is also submitted to the Graduate School and the Seeley Mudd Library with the publishing agreement form.

Following faculty approval of the dissertation and no later than the Final Public Oral, students must submit to the Graduate Studies Office, one electronic copy of the dissertation on a CD in Adobe PDF format, and three professionally-bound copies of the dissertation. After the Final Public Oral Examination, two of the bound copies of the dissertation and the CD will be submitted to the Seeley Mudd Library, and one bound copy of the dissertation will be submitted to the Psychology Department Library.
NOTE: THE DATE ON THE BOTTOM OF THE PH.D. DISSERTATION TITLE PAGE SHOULD BE THE DATE THE STUDENT IS TO RECEIVE HIS/HER DEGREE. THIS CAN ONLY BE ONE OF FIVE DATES: SEPTEMBER, NOVEMBER, JANUARY, APRIL, OR JUNE.

This examination is on the student's dissertation topic and on his or her field of study. It may also extend to other areas of psychology as well. Five week days (Monday through Friday) must intervene between the faculty meeting at which the dissertation is approved and the examination (counting both the day of the faculty meeting and the day of the oral examination). This is to provide time for approval by the Dean of the Graduate School, public notice, dissemination of the abstract and preparation by the oral examining committee. No final oral examination is to be scheduled unless a majority of the full time faculty are in residence.

The examination is chaired by the second member of the student's final public oral committee (usually the faculty member within the student's area). The duration is ordinarily not more than two hours with the first 20 minutes representing a brief presentation by the student of the nature and principal findings of the dissertation. The Final Public Oral Committee members ask questions of the student following the initial, brief summary. The final oral committee shall consist of the student's research supervisor and two other faculty members who did not serve on the Reading Committee. After the examining committee has had an opportunity to ask questions, other questions may be asked from the audience. Those regular faculty members who are present at the examination will then meet with the examining committee to discuss the student's performance and decide whether or not the student has passed. A "Report of the Final Oral Committee" form is signed by the members of the examining committee and is submitted to the Director of Graduate Studies for submission to the Dean of the Graduate School as the recommendation of the Department.

Students are required to complete and file certain forms prior to and following the Final Public Oral Examination.
The final dates the University will accept the written report of the public orals, the degree application forms and other related papers are listed below.

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