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Located in the heart of Los Angeles, the University of Southern California Department of Psychology has among its faculty internationally recognized scholars and one of the most diverse student populations in the United States. Our faculty and students are engaged in groundbreaking studies, investigating basic theoretical questions and bringing their work to bear on some of society’s most pressing needs. The department offers graduate training in five areas: Brain & Cognitive Science, Clinical Science, Developmental Psychology, Quantitative Methods and Computational Psychology, and Social Psychology.

Explore the world of psychology at USC.

Undergraduate studies, graduate studies, department news, ian anderson.

Congratulations to Ian Anderson for receiving the USC Dornsife’s 2023 Communicator of the Year Award. This award honors scholars who contribute significant time and effort to meaningfully improve the public’s understanding of issues, influence policy, and/or raise the level of public discourse around research and scholarship conducted at Dornsife.

Dr. Darby Saxbe

Check out Darby Saxbe’s Op-Ed out in the New York Times! She wrote about teen mental health treatment and the iatrogenic effects of some programs.

Dr. Antonio Damasio and Dr. Hanna Damasio

Hanna and Antonio Damasio were featured in a Q&A in Neuron. They discuss the value of single case studies for neuroscience, consciousness research and the limits of AI, and the fascinating relationship between creativity and the brain.

Asaf Mazar won the best student led paper in 2022 SPSP Student Publication Award for his paper: The Unintentional Nonconformist: Habits Promote Resistance to Social influence.

Dr. Iony Ezawa

Please join me in congratulating new faculty member Dr. Iony Ezawa on receiving the very prestigious Marna Barrett Award for Excellence in Psychotherapy  at the  Society for Psychotherapy Research Annual Meeting held in Dublin, Ireland in the summer of 2023.

Dr. Henny Moll

Congratulations to Henny Moll on receiving the 2023 American Psychological Foundation (APF) Joseph B. Gittler Award. This award is to recognize psychologists who are making and will continue to make scholarly contributions to the philosophical foundations of psychological knowledge.

Katie Galbraith

Congratulations to Katie Galbraith on receiving the APA Dissertation Research Award for 2023. This is a prestigious award that Katie received in recognition of her promising contribution to psychological science. Katie is from the Clinical Area, and she worked with Stan Huey.

Greg Flores

Congratulations to Greg Flores on receiving a SPOT Award from Dornsife! Greg was nominated by Christine Patugan, the Deputy Director of Departmental Operations in the Business Office. Greg works behind the curtains, but he does an incredible job managing our business transactions. He provides support above and beyond his regular duties, and this award is well deserved!

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Doctor of Clinical Science

School/Division: Dornsife College of Arts, Letters, and Sciences

Degree/Certificate: Doctorate

The Ph.D. program in Clinical Science at the University of Southern California is dedicated to the integration of science and application. Clinical science is viewed as an ideology, a perspective taking, that values critical thinking and evidence in informing one’s professional activities. Our goal is to prepare graduates to create new knowledge with the potential to advance the field in whatever setting they choose to work — academia, research centers, medical centers, applied settings, or private industry.

Our curriculum at USC entails a set core of didactic courses on the theory, research, and applications of clinical psychology. There are also experiential requirements involving mentored research experiences and supervised clinical experiences. In addition to the required core curriculum, the program allows students to develop one of two specialties, now referred to as major areas of study (APA, 2012). They are Clinical Geropsychology, and Couples, Child and Family Psychology.

Our program has been accredited by the  American Psychological Association  as a doctoral program in clinical psychology since 1948, and in 2018, we received a full ten-year renewal of our accreditation status. Our next site visit is scheduled for 2027. In addition, in 2010 we became one of ten clinical science programs receiving accreditation from the  Psychological Clinical Science Accreditation System (PCSAS) . In 2021, we were reaccredited by PCSAS for another 10 years.  Please review the attached document: Consumer Information Disclosure , for further information about licensure post-graduation. No Ph.D. program in clinical psychology leads directly to licensure, given that most states have additional requirements for post-doctoral supervised clinical experiences that must be obtained prior to licensure. In addition, most states require taking the national licensing exam, a local, state-dependent exam, and some require additional specific, focused courses.

Additional Details/Related Links

• How to Apply
• Research in the Clinical Science Program
• Clinical Training
• Program Handbook
• American Psychological Association Commission on Accreditation
• Psychological Clinical Science Accreditation System

Return to: USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences    

The Department of Psychology has five topical areas: 1) Brain and Cognitive Science focuses on understanding cognition, motivation, decision-making, computational modeling, emotion, and perception in terms of the underlying brain processes and manifested behaviors. Faculty work at the confluence of psychology, biology and neuroscience. 2) Clinical Science applies scientific theories and methods to examine psychosocial issues associated with significant societal problems including alcohol abuse, dementia and Alzheimer’s disease, early identification of psychosis, family environments and risk and resilience in youth, bullying and peer victimization. Specialization is available in clinical-aging, child and family clinical, and adult clinical. 3) Developmental Psychology studies change in human behavior, cognition, language, neurological structure and emotions across the lifespan from childhood through early adulthood. 4) Quantitative Methods provides training in basic and advanced research methods and statistics used in psychometrics and measurement, longitudinal data analysis, behavior genetics modeling decision making, and methods for analyzing multivariate data. 5) Social Psychology studies the thoughts, feelings and actions of individuals as they are influenced by other individuals and by groups.

The department also participates in the Dornsife College’s interdisciplinary program in Neuroscience.

Research is integral to psychology; it enables the faculty to make contributions in the field and to be more effective teachers. Undergraduate students are encouraged to work with members of the faculty on research projects. The most direct way for students to participate in research is to enroll in a directed research course ( PSYC 290    or PSYC 490   ), but it is also possible to take part in ongoing research in less formal ways. Further options for research training also includes the honors program for psychology majors. The department now offers two MS programs in Applied Psychology (MAPP) and Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA).

Seeley G. Mudd Building 501 (213) 740-2203 FAX: (213) 746-9082 dornsife.usc.edu/psyc

Chair: Antoine Bechara, PhD

University Professor, Professor of Psychology, Philosophy and Neurology, and David Dornsife Chair in Neuroscience:  Antonio Damasio, MD, PhD

University Professor, Professor of Psychology and Neurology, and Dana Dornsife Chair in Neuroscience:  Hanna Damasio, MD

University Professor and ARCO/William F. Kieschnick Chair in the Neurobiology of Aging and Professor of Gerontology, Psychology, Biological Sciences and Anthropology:  Caleb E. Finch, PhD  (Gerontology)

University Professor, Professor of Biological Sciences and Psychology, and Appleman Professor of Biological Sciences:  Larry W. Swanson, PhD  (Biological Sciences)

Distinguished Professor and Orrin B. Evans Professor of Law and Professor of Law and Psychology:  Elyn R. Saks, JD  (Law)

Provost Professor of Psychology and Marketing:  Norbert Schwarz, PhD

Provost Professor of Psychology and Business:  Wendy Wood, PhD

Dean’s Professor of Psychology and Professor of Psychology and Education:  Daphna Oyserman, PhD

W.M. Keck Chair in Neurogentics and Professor of Pediatrics and Psychology:  Pat Levitt, PhD  (Cell and Neurobiology)

Harold Dornsife Chair in Neurosciences and Professor of Psychology and Computer Science:  Irving Biederman, PhD

Niki and Max Nikias Chair in Engineering and Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Computer Science, Linguistics, Psychology, Neuroscience, Pediatrics, Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery:  Shrikanth (Shri) Narayanan, PhD  (Electrical and Computer Engineering)

Mendel B. Silberberg Professor of Social Psychology and Professor of Psychology:  Stephen J. Read, PhD

Dana and David Dornsife Chair, Wrigley Institute Director and Professor of Psychology and Biological Sciences: Joseph Arvai, PhD (Psychology)

Professors:  Laura A. Baker, PhD; Antoine Bechara, PhD; Sarah Bottjer, PhD  (Biological Sciences) ; Peter Carnevale, PhD  (Business) ; Giorgio Coricelli, PhD  (Economics) ; Gerald C. Davison, PhD*; JoAnn M. Farver, PhD*; Ernest Greene, PhD; Andrea Hollingshead, PhD  (Communication) ; Laurent Itti, PhD  (Computer Science) ; Richard John, PhD; David G. Lavond, PhD; Adam Leventhal, PhD  (Preventive Medicine) ; Steven Lopez, PhD; Thomas D. Lyon, JD, PhD  (Law) ; Franklin R. Manis, PhD*; Gayla Margolin, PhD*; Mara Mather, PhD  (Gerontology) ; John J. McArdle, PhD; Beth E. Meyerowitz, PhD*; Lynn Miller, PhD  (Communication) ; Carol A. Prescott, PhD; Dan Simon, SJD  (Law) ; Elizabeth Sowell, PhD  (Pediatrics) ; Arthur Stone, PhD; Steven Yale Sussman, PhD  (Institute for Prevention Research) ; Suzanne Wenzel  (Social Work) ; Rand Wilcox, PhD; Elizabeth Zelinski, PhD  (Gerontology)

Associate Professors:  Carl Andrew Castro, PhD  (School of Social Work) ; Morteza Dehghani, PhD; Genevieve Dunton, PhD  (Preventive Medicine) ; Duke Han, PhD  (Family Medicine) ; Stanley J. Huey, Jr., PhD; Mary Helen Immordino-Yang, PhD  (Education) ; Toben Mintz, PhD; Henrike Moll, PhD; John Monterosso, PhD*; Joseph Priester, PhD  (Business) ; Darby Saxbe, PhD; David Schwartz, PhD; April Thames, PhD; David A. Walsh, PhD; Alexis Wellwood, PhD (Philosophy) ; Marian Williams, PhD  (Pediatrics) ; Jason D. Zevin, PhD

Assistant Professors:  Christopher Beam, PhD; Teal Eich, PhD  (Gerontology) ; Chardee Galan, PhD; Leor Hackel, PhD; Hok Chio (Mark) Lai, PhD; Shan Luo, PhD  (Medicine) ; Carol Anne McCleary, PhD  (Neurology) ; Santiago Morales, PhD

Professor of the Practice of Psychology:  Ellen Leggett, EdD

Professors (Research):  Margaret Gatz, PhD; Jonathan Gratch, PhD  (Computer Science) ; Susan Luczak, PhD; Donna Metz, PhD; Stefan Schneider, PhD

Associate Professors of the Practice of Psychology:  Shannon O’Flinn, PhD; Meredith Lepley, PhD; Jonathan Tarbox, PhD; Steven Westberg, PhD

Associate Professor (Teaching):  Ann Renken, PhD

Associate Professors (Research):  Orest Boyko, MD; Assal Habibi PhD; Karen Hennigan, PhD; Ulrike Junghaenel, PhD; Jonas Kaplan, PhD

Assistant Professors of the Practice of Psychology:  Samantha Broitman, PhD; Lauren Shapiro, PhD; Patricia Tan, PhD

Assistant Professors (Teaching):  C. Miranda Barone, PhD; Jorge Barraza, PhD; Clayton Stephenson, PhD

Assistant Professors (Research): Gale M. Lucas, PhD  (Computer Science) ; Kingson Man, PhD

Lecturers:  William Breland, PhD; Sule Guney, PhD; Canan Ipek, PhD

Emeritus:  Elaine Anderson, PhD; Michael A. Arbib, PhD  (Computer Science) ; Kathleen Chambers, PhD; Norman Cliff, PhD; Michael Dawson, PhD; William W. Grings, PhD; Jerald Jellison, PhD; Albert R. Marston, PhD; Norman Miller, PhD; Robert Rueda, PhD  (Education)

*Recipient of university-wide or college teaching award.

Undergraduate Programs

Honors Program

The department offers an honors program for outstanding students in the BA, Psychology major who desire advanced research training in preparation for graduate work in the social sciences or in professional schools. The primary focus of the honors program is the completion of a research study under the guidance of a faculty adviser. Students are admitted to the program in the fall semester of their junior year and enter the program in the spring of their junior year by enrolling in PSYC 380   . To be eligible for admission, a student must have an overall GPA of at least 3.5 at the time of application to the program. This program is not available to students majoring in Social Sciences with an emphasis in Psychology. Students in the honors program complete all major requirements, including PSYC 380 Junior Honors Seminar    during the spring semester of their junior year and PSYC 480 Senior Honors Seminar    during the spring semester of their senior year. Students complete an honors thesis proposal as part of the Junior Honors Seminar and must submit a completed senior honors thesis by April 1 of the senior year. Students are also expected to have an overall GPA of at least 3.5 at the time of graduation. For further information, contact the undergraduate adviser or the director of the program, Dr. JoAnn M. Farver.

Psi Chi is the national honor society in psychology. Membership is open to graduate and undergraduates who meet the minimum qualifications. Psi Chi is a member of the Association of the College Honor Societies and is an affiliate of the American Psychological Association and the American Psychological Society.

Graduate Degrees

The Department of Psychology offers an MS in Applied Psychology, an MS in Applied Behavior Analysis, an MS in Computational Psychology, an MA in Psychology and five programs of study that lead to the PhD degree: (1) clinical science, including specializations in adult clinical, clinical-aging and child and family; (2) developmental psychology, including child and adolescent development and adult development and aging; (3) brain and cognitive science, including cognitive neuroscience, behavioral neuroscience, clinical neuroscience and behavioral genetics; (4) quantitative methods; and (5) social psychology. All five specialty PhD areas provide training for careers in research, teaching and applied work. 

Admission Requirements

Psychology courses required for admission to the PhD program include the following courses: Introduction to Psychology, Statistics, Research Methods or Experimental Psychology; and at least one course from each of the following lists: (1) comparative psychology, physiological psychology, sensation and perception, learning and memory, motivation, and emotion; and (2) developmental psychology, social psychology, abnormal psychology, personality and history of psychology. Additional courses are desirable, as is work in the biological, physical and social sciences, in mathematics and in philosophy. Students with less background in psychology but outstanding undergraduate records in related fields are also encouraged to apply.

Students are selected on the basis of their undergraduate records, scores on the Graduate Record Examinations General Test, course background, letters of evaluation, personal statement of interests and goals and evidence of research skills or interests (e.g., publications or participation in research projects).

The faculty of each specialty area select the students to be admitted to that area. Therefore, applicants should designate the specialty area to which they seek admission.

Application for admission in psychology is completed online and all materials must be submitted by December 1 for admission to the following fall semester.

Degree Requirements

These degrees are under the jurisdiction of the Graduate School. Refer to the Requirements for Graduation    section and The Graduate School    section of this catalogue for general regulations. All courses applied toward the degrees must be courses accepted by the Graduate School.

Bachelor’s Degree

• •  Cognitive Science (BA)
• •  Psychology (BA)
• •  Social Sciences, with an Emphasis in Psychology (BA)
• •  Consumer Behavior Interdisciplinary Minor
• •  Psychology and Law Minor
• •  Psychology Minor

Master’s Degree

• •  Applied Behavior Analysis (MS)
• •  Applied Psychology (MS)
• •  Computational Psychology (MS)
• •  Psychology (MA)

Dual Degree

• •  Doctor of Philosophy in Psychology (Clinical) and Master of Public Health (Health Promotion) (PhD/MPH)

Doctoral Degree

• •  Psychology (PhD)

Cognitive Science

• •  CGSC 490x Directed Research
• •  CGSC 498 Honors Thesis
• •  PSYC 100Lg Introduction to Psychology
• •  PSYC 165Lg Drugs, Behavior and Society
• •  PSYC 201Lg The Science of Happiness
• •  PSYC 210gmw Social Analysis of Gender
• •  PSYC 215Lg Music, Mind and the Brain
• •  PSYC 240gx Scientific Inquiry and Reasoning in Health Care
• •  PSYC 274Lg Statistics
• •  PSYC 275Lg Language and Mind
• •  PSYC 290x Supervised Research in Psychology
• •  PSYC 301L Cognitive Processes
• •  PSYC 304L Sensation and Perception
• •  PSYC 305 Learning and Memory
• •  PSYC 314L Experimental Research Methods
• •  PSYC 316L Non-Experimental Research Methods
• •  PSYC 320 Principles of Psychobiology
• •  PSYC 326 Behavioral Neuroscience
• •  PSYC 336L Developmental Psychology
• •  PSYC 337L Adult Development and Aging
• •  PSYC 339Lg Origins of the Mind
• •  PSYC 353g Close Relationships
• •  PSYC 355 Social Psychology
• •  PSYC 360 Abnormal Psychology
• •  PSYC 361 Introduction to Clinical Psychology
• •  PSYC 363 Criminal Behavior
• •  PSYC 365 Introduction to Forensic Psychology
• •  PSYC 367g Stress, Health, and the Mind-Body Connection
• •  PSYC 372 Human Sexuality
• •  PSYC 380 Junior Honors Seminar
• •  PSYC 390 Special Problems
• •  PSYC 391 Directed Field Experience in Psychology
• •  PSYC 404L Psychophysiology of Emotion
• •  PSYC 405 Child Language Acquisition
• •  PSYC 406 Psycholinguistics
• •  PSYC 407 Atypical Language
• •  PSYC 412 Current Topics In Social Psychology
• •  PSYC 415L Psychological Measurement
• •  PSYC 418 Experimental Exploration into the Origins of Cognition
• •  PSYC 420 Animal Behavior
• •  PSYC 421L Data Analysis for Psychological Research
• •  PSYC 422 Human Judgment and Decision Making
• •  PSYC 423 User Experience
• •  PSYC 424 Neuropsychology
• •  PSYC 425 Functional Imaging of the Human Brain
• •  PSYC 426 Motivated Behaviors and Addiction
• •  PSYC 427 Neuropsychopharmacology
• •  PSYC 428 Advanced Psychobiology Seminar
• •  PSYC 430 Social Development of Infants, Children and Adolescents
• •  PSYC 432 From Eugenics to Neurodiversity: History of DisAbility
• •  PSYC 433 Children’s Learning and Cognitive Development
• •  PSYC 434 Intelligence, Problem Solving and Creativity
• •  PSYC 436 Developmental Neuroscience of Human Behavior
• •  PSYC 437 Adolescent Development
• •  PSYC 438 Behavioral Genetics
• •  PSYC 440 Foundations of Cognitive Neuroscience
• •  PSYC 450 Neural Network Models of Social and Cognitive Processes
• •  PSYC 451 Formation and Change of Attitudes
• •  PSYC 452 Social Neuroscience
• •  PSYC 453 Intergroup Relations
• •  PSYC 454 Social Cognition
• •  PSYC 456 Conservation Psychology
• •  PSYC 459 Industrial/Organizational Psychology
• •  PSYC 462m Culture and Mental Health
• •  PSYC 464 Psychology of Marriage and the Family
• •  PSYC 467 Introduction to Autism Spectrum Disorder
• •  PSYC 468 Happiness: Research in Neuroscience and Positive Psychology
• •  PSYC 469 Schizophrenia Research
• •  PSYC 480x Senior Honors Seminar
• •  PSYC 490x Directed Research
• •  PSYC 499 Special Topics
• •  PSYC 500L An Overview of Quantitative Methods in Psychology
• •  PSYC 501L Classic and Modern Statistical Methods I
• •  PSYC 502 Classic and Modern Statistical Methods II
• •  PSYC 503L Regression and the General Linear Model
• •  PSYC 504 Research Design
• •  PSYC 505 Research Methods in Applied Social Psychology
• •  PSYC 506 Learning and Cognition
• •  PSYC 508 Historical Foundations of Psychology
• •  PSYC 512 Seminar in Social Psychology
• •  PSYC 513 Attitudes and Social Influence
• •  PSYC 514 Psychopathology
• •  PSYC 515 Clinical Assessment
• •  PSYC 516 The Economics and Psychology of Decision-Making
• •  PSYC 517 Group Dynamics and Leadership
• •  PSYC 518 Cognitive Modeling
• •  PSYC 520 Fundamentals of Psychological Measurement
• •  PSYC 521 Cross Cultural Psychology in Applied Settings
• •  PSYC 523 User Experience (UX) Research
• •  PSYC 524 Research Design in Developmental Psychology
• •  PSYC 530 Concepts and Principles of Behavior Analysis
• •  PSYC 531 Behavioral Assessment
• •  PSYC 532 Ethics for Behavior Analysts
• •  PSYC 533 Cognitive Development in Children
• •  PSYC 534 Social and Emotional Development in Children
• •  PSYC 535 Research Methods in Behavior Analysis
• •  PSYC 536 Behavioral Interventions
• •  PSYC 537 Behavioral Supervision
• •  PSYC 538 Origins of Human Nature
• •  PSYC 539 Behavioral Approaches to Skill Acquisition

Health, Brain, and Cognition Lab

Persistence pays: successful applicant to a clinical psychology phd. program tells what it’s like.

In the Voss lab, we have a diverse range of graduate students earning a PhD in either Behavioral and Cognitive Neuroscience, Neuroscience, or like our newest graduate student addition Liam, in Clinical Science. Applying to a PhD program can be incredibly confusing as the process varies depending on the program type and the specific school. For the sake of this post, I will be focusing on the application process to clinical psychology (aka clinical science) programs specifically. 

Clinical psychology PhD programs are unique as they can produce individuals who conduct research, practice as a clinician, or do a little bit of both in a multitude of settings. This is unlike a Master’s program where the training is much shorter and allows graduates to practice just as a clinician or requires additional training in a PhD program to be able to conduct research. Further, PsyD programs are similar to PhD programs, however they differ as their primary focus is on clinical practice and typically produce sole clinicians. The combination of training to reach expert levels in both clinical work and research conduction is specific to clinical psychology programs. 

Clinical psychology programs are rigorous and commonly last 6 years where 5 years are a combination of classes, clinical work, research, and working on and defending your dissertation. The 6 th year is spent ‘on internship’ where an in-depth clinical training experience, typically at a different institution, takes place. It is common to find clinical psychologists in academic medical centers, hospitals, colleges, or universities, primary or secondary education schools, and private practices. Whether conducting research in a laboratory setting or working with patients in a clinical setting, clinical psychologists typically work in the realm of assessment, diagnosis, and treatment of mental, emotional, and behavioral disorders in a range of individuals (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2023). 

Each program will provide students with clinical and research training, but each program has its own training model: some schools emphasize research relatively more than clinical training, clinical over research, or have an even split between the two. Deciding where to apply typically depends on one’s career goals. When applying, the applicant technically first must meet the requirements of the program although they are more so applying to a specific lab within the program. The options of where to apply can be limited depending on the application cycle as: 1) the school must have a clinical psychology training program, 2) the lab one is interested in needs to be accepting a student (labs do not take a student every year, typically due to funding), and 3) the lab should ideally fit with the applicant’s prior experiences and/or research interests. In my experience, I have seen clinical programs report receiving anywhere from 300-800 applications. The number of applications a program receives is the cumulative number of applications each lab at the school receives that year. On average, I have seen schools report taking cohort sizes of around 8-12 students. Typically, specific labs say that they receive at least 100 applications and usually have spots for only 1 or 2 students. Averaging these numbers makes a 1.8% chance of being accepted into a program and about a 1% chance of being accepted into a specific lab (this is the number that matters as you have to be accepted into a lab to be in the program). 

The application process can be expensive costing anywhere from $30 to more than $100 per application. In my experience, individuals apply to upwards of 8-12 schools but I have heard of individuals applying to as many as 20 schools in a given application cycle. Additionally, with the odds of being admitted into a program being so low, it is typical to not get accepted the first or even second time applying to programs, making repeat applicants common. To be as competitive as possible it is recommended (not required) to have postbaccalaureate research experience. Typically, you need to be in this position long enough to produce independent research projects to present as a poster or an oral presentation at national or international conferences. Additionally, it is common to see individuals with first author publications. Getting these experiences typically takes 2+ years with substantial time dedicated to research. 

Filling out applications is not a streamlined process. Each program has its own unique application form. In addition to asking for basic information such as your name, address, schools attended, classes taken, GPA, etc., it is standard for programs to ask for transcripts, 3 letters of recommendation (at least one is expected to be written by the supervisor of a lab you worked in or supervisors from clinical experience), a curriculum vitae, and perhaps the most important piece, the personal statement. 

The personal statement is typically 2-3 pages where you explain  why  you are interested in earning a PhD in clinical psychology,  what   area of research you’d like to pursue,  why   you are applying to this particular program and lab, and  how  your past experiences fit this narrative. This is perhaps the most important part of the application process, and it can take months to come up with a final draft. This statement typically has slightly different requirements per school and certainly needs to be unique to the lab you are applying to. This is an opportunity to convince the lab that you have experiences that relate to their work and offer a unique perspective that wins you an interview. For this reason, it is good to identify programs you are most interested in early, being the summer and the fall before you apply, so that you can reach out to the lab and the program. This ensures the lab you are interested in is taking a student this cycle and to assess your fit.

I personally found it impactful to email early, keep it short by briefly mentioning who I work with, my career goals, the broad scope of my projects, what I hope to do in graduate school in relation to their lab specifically, and find a way to include a fact that will help them remember me! For example, for one of the labs I ended up interviewing with, I mentioned how I am familiar with their work as the Voss Lab modified one of their cognitive computer tasks that I know well as I have administered and scored it. 

Typical due dates for clinical psychology applications are either November 15 th or December 1 st . Once materials are submitted, schools will reach out within a month or two. At this point, more and more labs are conducting ‘preliminary interviews’ where you ‘interview’ to get a spot for the official interview day, which can be virtual or in person. 

Given you are lucky enough to be offered a spot at one program or a few, it is time to decide if their stipend, program, research, location, etc. will be something you are happy with for at least 5 years. If you do not get any offers, it is time to decide if you want to go through this again and if so, start preparing for next year. 

As a multi-time applicant, I believe I made the biggest impact on my application in between the 2022 and 2023 application cycle (the most recent cycle). Everyone’s journey into a PhD program is unique and there is no one correct way to get in, which can be frustrating. In my personal experience the accomplishments that were most positively commented on by interviewers were: my diversified lab experiences, my submitted co-first author paper, giving a presentation at a high-profile conference in my field, submitting my first grant (National Science Foundation- Graduate Research Fellowship Program), and my plethora of experiences with research participants and clinical populations. Lastly, my network of individuals who are currently in PhD programs, are in the field of clinical psychology or related fields, or those who are just great at writing, has grown. Because of this, I was able to receive numerous different perspectives on how to best convey my experiences in a persuasive, clear, and professional way. I cannot thank all of the participants, patients, mentors, friends, and family enough who have supported me in my journey of applying to PhD programs!

Kelsey Baller has recently been accepted into the clinical psychology PhD program at Washington University in St. Louis. A graduate of the University of Iowa with a Bachelor of Science degree in psychology and a minor in Spanish, she has worked as a post-baccalaureate research assistant at the Health, Brain, and Cognition Lab for the past three years.

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Members: USC Dornsife Department of Psychology

Antoine Bechara

Wändi Bruine de Bruin

Morteza Dehghany

Jonathan Gratch 

Leor hackel , richard john , john monterosso.

Shri Narayanan

Daphna Oyserman

Stephen Read

Norbert Schwarz Research: I study the interplay of feeling and thinking in judgment and decision making, including public opinion, consumer behavior, and well-being.

Dan Simon  

Wendy Wood 

Andreas aristidou.

Email id: [email protected]

School: Dornsife Department of Economics, Dornsife Center for Economic and Social Research

Role : Alumni from Ph.D. in Economics program and former Research Assistant at CESR

Research Description: Persuasion, Incentives, financial decision making, and life satisfaction

Website Link: aristidouandreas.com

Applied Research to Topics: Personal health, well-being, healthcare, Behavior change interventions, and nudging

Research Application Interests: Personal health, well-being, healthcare, Personal consumption and finances, financial distress, poverty, Behavior change interventions, and nudging

Elizabeth Hannan

Bio: Elizabeth Hannan is a rising senior at the University of Southern California pursuing a B.A. in Neuroscience and a minor in Business Finance. At present, Elizabeth aims to pursue work, involvement and leadership activities that combine her passions for medicine, finance and advancing female leaders in business. She serves as Chief Executive Officer of Marshall Women’s Leadership Board, an organization comprised of aspiring female leaders in business at USC, as the Finance Director of OWN IT at USC, a women’s leadership summit and as the Student Board Member on the National Board of Order of Omega, an international academic honor society of Greek leaders. Previously, Elizabeth conducted research at the USC Schaeffer Center for Healthy Policy and Economics at USC and served as the Chapter President of the Epsilon Chapter of Alpha Chi Omega and as President of the Omega Phi Chapter of Order of Omega at USC. In her free time, she is an avid reader, practices ashtanga yoga and enjoys listening to the Michelle Obama and Freakonomics podcast series. After graduation, Elizabeth looks forward to working at Pfizer Inc. as a Finance Associate.

Bio: Wändi Bruine de Bruin is a Provost Professor of Public Policy, Psychology, and Behavioral Science. She has published more than 125 peer-reviewed publications on the psychology of risk perception and communication, as applied to personal health, sustainability and climate change, as well as household finances. Across USC, she holds affiliations with the Sol Price School of Public Policy, the Department of Psychology, the Schaeffer Center for Health Policy and Economics, the Center for Economic and Social Research, and the Center for Sustainability Solutions, and the  National Center for Risk and Economic Analysis of Terrorism Events (CREATE) . She is a member of the editorial boards of the Journal of Experimental Psychology:Applied, the Journal of Behavioral Decision Making, Decision, Medical Decision Making, the Journal of Risk Research, and Psychology and Aging. Her research on age differences in decision making was recently covered by  Psychology Today  and the  BBC World’s Why Factor . She currently serves on the National Academy of Sciences committee on  mask use and respiratory health . She has served on expert panels for the National Academy of Sciences on  Communicating Science Effectively  and for the Council of the Canadian Academies on  Health Product Risk Communication . With colleagues in the Center for Economic and Social Research, she is running a  national longitudinal survey  to track symptoms, risk perceptions, protective behaviors, food insecurity, and political polarization during the COVID-19 pandemic in the US. She is also studying how people’s expectations of others’ behaviors can improve predictions of  election outcomes  and  vaccination behavior .

Katherine Winn

Bio: Katherine Winn is a senior studying Business Administration with a minor in Communication Policy and Law. She is on the pre-law track and plans to go into the Data Privacy field in her future career. As a part of the USC Marshall Honors Program, she wrote an undergraduate thesis “‘Do Not Sell my Personal Information’ or ‘Accept Cookies?’ Effects of Cookie Banners on Consumer Perceptions and Decisions” in order to study how recent data privacy legislation and new regulations have affected consumer decisions. At USC she is involved in Marshall Women’s Leadership Board, the Marshall International Case Competition, and her Greek organization.

Patrycja Sleboda

Bio: Patrycja Sleboda, PhD, is a Postdoctoral Scientist at Cedars-Sinai, Cancer Research Center for Health Equity and a visiting scholar at the Leonard D. Schaeffer Center for Health Policy and Economics at the University of Southern California. Patrycja’s main expertise is in behavioral science and decision-making psychology. Her research focuses on consumer behavior, health and sustainability and examines the role of risk perception and individual differences in effective communication and interventions.

MaryAnn Samson

Bio: MaryAnn Samson is an MSW student at USC, class of 2021. She completed her undergraduate degree at Endicott College in Psychology. She is passionate about behavioral science and particularly enjoys the topic through both a psychological and social justice lens. She is starting her Ph.D. in Experimental Psychology at Washington State University in Fall 2021 where she will be studying health behavior change. 

Nikolaos Flemotomos

Bio: Nikolaos (Nikos) Flemotomos is a PhD student in Electrical Engineering, member of the Signal Analysis and Interpretation Laboratory at the University of Southern California. His research focuses on computational models of behavioral patterns. He is utilizing machine learning algorithms with applications in speech and language processing to extract and analyze human behaviors manifested within conversational interactions and mainly within psychotherapy. Nikos holds an undergraduate degree from the National Technical University of Athens (Greece) and an MSc from USC, both in Electrical Engineering, and has worked as a research intern at the Czech Technical University in Prague and at Microsoft Research. He enjoys spending his free time cycling and hiking.

Andrew Dawson

Bio:  Andrew Dawson is a doctoral student in the Mind and Society Center working with Dr. Daphna Oyserman. His work focuses on identity and culture, specifically how identity and culture affect information processing and judgement. Previously, he worked in Silicon Valley at Google and Guardant Health.

Stephan Steve Carney

Bio:  Stephan (Steve) Carney joined the USC Marshall School of Business as a PhD student in Marketing in Fall 2021. Steve researches the social consumer. Consumption decisions do not happen in a social vacuum; Steve is interested in how others impact our judgements and decisions for ourselves and in the marketplace. 

Previously, Steve served as the lab manager of the Center for Behavioral and Decision Research at Carnegie Mellon University. Prior to academics, Steve worked in public accounting and technology consulting and holds a BS and MS in Marketing.

School: Sol Price School of Public Policy, Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences

Department: Sol Price School of Public Policy, Center for Economic and Social Research

Role : Graduate student

Research Description: My research interests are broadly centered around social and economic inequality, and specifically the role of behavioral public policy in the institutionalization of poverty in the United States.

Website Link: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jose-scott/

Applied Research to Topics: Personal health, well-being, healthcare, Personal consumption and finances, financial distress, poverty, Diversity, equity and inclusion, Behavior change interventions and nudging.

Research Application Interests: Personal health, well-being, healthcare, COVID-19, Personal consumption and finances, financial distress, poverty, Climate change, environment, and sustainability, Diversity, equity and inclusion, Law and security, Aging, Behavior change interventions and nudging.

Milad Kassaie

School: Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences

Department: Psychology

Applied Research to Topics: Personal health, well-being, healthcare, Personal consumption and finances, financial distress, poverty, Behavior change interventions and nudging.

Research Application Interests: Personal health, well-being, healthcare, Personal consumption and finances, financial distress, poverty, Climate change, environment, and sustainability, Aging, Behavior change interventions and nudging.

Stephan (Steve) Carney

School: Marshall School of Business

Department: Marketing

Research Description: Steve’s research focuses on the psychological underpinnings of consumer decision making and the factors that undermine consumers’ ability to make the best decisions for themselves and others.

Website Link:  https://www.stephancarney.com/

Research Application Interests: Personal health, well-being, healthcare, Personal consumption and finances, financial distress, poverty, Behavior change interventions and nudging.

Ellen Herschel

Department: Psychology Department, Brain and Creativity Institute

Research Description: Areas of interest include embodied cognition, creative improvisation, rhythm, synchrony, and music as they relate to neuroplasticity and cognition in childhood development, older adults, and disease populations.

Applied Research to Topics: Personal health, well-being, healthcare, Diversity, equity and inclusion, Aging.

Research Application Interests: Personal health, well-being, healthcare, Diversity, equity and inclusion, Aging.

Research Description: I study habits and behavior change.

Website Link:  https://www.asafmazar.com/

Applied Research to Topics: Personal health, well-being, healthcare, Climate change, environment, and sustainability, Behavior change interventions and nudging.

Research Application Interests: Personal health, well-being, healthcare, COVID-19, Climate change, environment, and sustainability, Behavior change interventions and nudging.

Silvia R da Costa

School: USC School of Pharmacy

Department: Office of Research

Role : Staff

Website Link:  https://research.usc.edu/

Applied Research to Topics: Diversity, equity and inclusion.

Research Application Interests: Diversity, equity and inclusion.

James Finley

School: Viterbi School of Engineering

Department: Division of Biokinesiology and Physical Therapy, Department of Biomedical Engineering, Neuroscience Graduate Program

Role : Faculty

Research Description: My work seeks to understand how aging and neurological impairments such as stroke and Parkinson’s disease influence risk-sensitive decision-making during walking.

Website Link:  http://lcl.usc.edu/

Applied Research to Topics: Personal health, well-being, healthcare, Aging.

Research Application Interests: Personal health, well-being, healthcare, Aging, Behavior change interventions and nudging.

Rosalie Liccardo Pacula

School: Sol Price School of Public Policy

Department: Department of Health Policy & Management

Research Description: I study health behaviors related to intoxicating substances as well as the policies that influence their supply, use, treatment, and harm reduction.

Website Link:  https://priceschool.usc.edu/people/rosalie-pacula/

Applied Research to Topics: Personal health, well-being, healthcare, Personal consumption and finances, financial distress, poverty, Law and security.

Research Application Interests: Personal health, well-being, healthcare, COVID-19, Personal consumption and finances, financial distress, poverty, Law and security, Aging, Behavior change interventions and nudging.

Maja Mataric

Department: Computer Science, Robotics and Autonomous Systems Center (RASC)

Role : Interim VP of Research

Research Description: Technology-supported behavior change, focusing on socially assistive robotics; experience with interventions in autism, anxiety, stroke, Alzheimer’s, and obesity, as well as healthy elderly and other user populations.

Website Link:  http://robotics.usc.edu/~maja

Applied Research to Topics: Personal health, well-being, healthcare, Aging, Behavior change interventions and nudging.

Research Application Interests: Personal health, well-being, healthcare, COVID-19, Personal consumption and finances, financial distress, poverty, Climate change, environment, and sustainability, Diversity, equity and inclusion, Aging, Behavior change interventions and nudging, behavior economics / nudge insights to our USC operations, around COVID-19, student wellness, and more, and welcome ideas.

Elizabeth Nell Hannan

Email id:  [email protected]

School: Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences, Marshall School of Business

Department: Department of Neuroscience Department in Dornsife and Department of Finance and Business Economics in Marshall

Role : Undergraduate student

Applied Research to Topics: COVID-19

Thomas D. Lyon

School: Gould School of Law

Research Description: My goal is to identify the most productive means of questioning children about abuse and violence.

Website Link:  https://uscchildinterviewinglab.com/

Applied Research to Topics: Personal health, well-being, healthcare

Research Application Interests: COVID-19

Arianna Uhalde

Department: Marketing department, USC Athletics

Role : Faculty, Director of Research and Impact, USC Athletics

Website Link:  https://www.marshall.usc.edu/personnel/arianna-uhalde

Applied Research to Topics: Personal health, well-being, healthcare, Diversity, equity and inclusion, Performance and identity.

Research Application Interests: Personal health, well-being, healthcare, Personal consumption and finances, financial distress, poverty, Diversity, equity and inclusion, Behavior change interventions and nudging.

School: Suzanne Dworak-Peck School of Social Work

Department: Adulthood Mental Health and Wellness (AMHW) concentration

Research Description: I am currently researching with Dr. Wingert on working memory and problem solving, but I am also fascinated with health decisions and the protective factor of social relationships.

Website Link: maryannsamson.com

Applied Research to Topics: Working memory studies, therapeutic alliance in the doctor-physician relationship.

Research Application Interests: Personal health, well-being, healthcare, Diversity, equity and inclusion, Behavior change interventions and nudging.

Department: Department of Psychology, Wrigley Institute for Environmental Studies

Research Description: My research focuses on improving the critical thinking, judgment, and decision-making capabilities of people (working individually or in groups).

Website Link: https://thejdmlab.com

Applied Research to Topics: COVID-19, Personal consumption and finances, financial distress, poverty, Climate change, environment, and sustainability, Diversity, equity and inclusion, Behavior change interventions and nudging, Business and Policy.

Research Application Interests: COVID-19, Personal consumption and finances, financial distress, poverty, Climate change, environment, and sustainability, Diversity, equity and inclusion, Law and security, Behavior change interventions and nudging, Business and Policy.

Alex Segrè Cohen

Email id:   [email protected]

Research Description: Communications around emerging technologies and hazards, and how to improve the quality of decision-making within these contexts.

Applied Research to Topics: COVID-19, Climate change, environment, and sustainability, Behavior change interventions, and nudging.

Research Application Interests: COVID-19, Climate change, environment, and sustainability, Diversity, equity and inclusion, Behavior change interventions, and nudging.

Julie Zissimopoulos

Department: Department of Health Policy and Management, Schaeffer Center for Health Policy and Economics

Research Description: Individual and policy opportunities for healthy aging

Website Link:   https://healthpolicy.usc.edu/author/julie-zissimopoulos-ph-d/

Applied Research to Topics: Personal health, well-being, healthcare, Personal consumption and finances, financial distress, poverty, Diversity, equity and inclusion, Aging.

Research Application Interests: COVID-19, Behavior change interventions and nudging.

Joanne Yoong 

  Role: Member

  [email protected]  

School: Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences, Marshall School of Business.

Department: Social Psychology

Research Description: What are habits, and why do people find it so difficult to change them?

Website Link:  https://dornsife.usc.edu/wendywood

Applied Research to Topics: Behavior change interventions and nudging.

Research Application Interests: Behavior change interventions and nudging.

Detlof von Winterfeldt 

Ofir turel .

Role : Scholar in Residence

Research Description: Technology, the brain, and society

Website Link:  https://oturel1.wixsite.com/ofirturel

Applied Research to Topics: Personal health, well-being, healthcare, Personal consumption and finances, financial distress, poverty, Diversity, equity and inclusion, Law and security, Behavior change interventions and nudging.

Neeraj Sood

Norbert schwarz.

Department: USC Dornsife – Psychology, Mind & Society Center, USC Marshall – Marketing

Research Description: I study the interplay of feeling and thinking in judgment and decision making, including public opinion, consumer behavior, and well-being.

Website Link:  https://dornsife.usc.edu/norbert-schwarz/

Applied Research to Topics: Personal health, well-being, healthcare, Personal consumption and finances, financial distress, poverty, Climate change, environment, and sustainability, Diversity, equity and inclusion, Behavior change interventions and nudging, Political preferences

Research Application Interests: Personal health, well-being, healthcare, COVID-19, Personal consumption and finances, financial distress, poverty, Climate change, environment, and sustainability, Behavior change interventions and nudging.

David Pynadath 

Daphna oyserman , shri narayanan , daniella meeker, mara mather .

School: Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences, Viterbi School of Engineering, Davis School of Gerontology.

Department: Leonard Davis School of Gerontology-Department of Psychology

Research Description: Affective neuroscience and aging.

Website Link:  https://gero.usc.edu/labs/matherlab/

Dan Klerman 

Andrea hollingshead , linda hagen, cary frydman , kristin diehl .

Research Description: I am interested in: 1) how consumers search for and use information when search costs are low, assortments are large, and recommendation tools may be available. 2) how people anticipate, experience, and remember events that unfold over time and during which technologies (e.g., camera phones) play a role.

Website Link:  https://www.kristindiehl.org/

Applied Research to Topics: Personal health, well-being, healthcare.

Research Application Interests: Personal health, well-being, healthcare, Behavior change interventions, and nudging.

Kayla De la Haye 

School: Keck School of Medicine

Department: Department of Preventive Medicine

Research Description: Promote health and preventing disease by applying social network analysis and systems science to key public health issues.

Website Link:  https://www.kayladelahaye.net/

Applied Research to Topics: Personal health, well-being, healthcare, COVID-19, Diversity, equity and inclusion, Behavior change interventions and nudging.

Research Application Interests: Personal health, well-being, healthcare, COVID-19, Climate change, environment, and sustainability, Diversity, equity and inclusion, Behavior change interventions and nudging.

Morteza Dehghany 

Giorgio coricelli, tom y. chang .

Department: Finance and Business Economics

Research Description: Behavioral Finance and Economics

Website Link:  https://www.tomychang.com/

Applied Research to Topics: Personal health, well-being, healthcare, COVID-19, Personal consumption and finances, financial distress, poverty, Climate change, environment, and sustainability, Behavior change interventions and nudging.

Leandro Carvalho 

  [email protected]

Peter Carnevale 

Juan carillo , jeremy burke , eva büchel .

Research Description: I focus on the psychological processes that shape consumer judgments, decisions and behaviors.

Website Link:  https://www.marshall.usc.edu/personnel/eva-buechel

Research Application Interests: Personal consumption and finances, financial distress, poverty, Behavior change interventions and nudging.

Isabella Brocas 

Dan benjamin, antoine bechara , silvia barcellos, emma aguila .

Department: Schaeffer Center

Website Link: https://priceschool.usc.edu/people/emma-aguila/

Applied Research to Topics: Personal health, well-being, healthcare, Personal consumption and finances, financial distress, poverty, Diversity, equity and inclusion, Aging, health disparities.

Gülden Űlkümen 

Research Description: Gulden Ulkumen’s research interests include the impact of uncertainty on decision making, and consumer financial decision making, specifically budgeting and savings decisions.

Website Link:  https://www.marshall.usc.edu/personnel/gulden-ulkumen

Applied Research to Topics: Personal consumption and finances, financial distress, poverty, Behavior change interventions, and nudging.

Research Application Interests: Personal health, well-being, healthcare, COVID-19, Personal consumption and finances, financial distress, poverty, Climate change, environment, and sustainability, Diversity, equity and inclusion, Behavior change interventions and nudging.

  Role: Co-PI

Arie Kapteyn

Jason doctor.

   [email protected]  

What are you looking for?

• Tools & Resources

Cost and Financial Aid

Investing in your usc education.

When you decide to pursue graduate studies, you are making a major investment in your personal and professional future. USC offers students an interdisciplinary and globally oriented graduate education of the highest caliber. Once you graduate, you will gain the networking advantages of membership in the Trojan Family. It is therefore important to assess the benefits you will receive throughout your career as a return on your investment.

The cost of earning a graduate degree from USC, as well as funding opportunities, vary by school and degree program. We encourage you to thoroughly research your program of interest and plan your finances accordingly. Most graduate-level funding will be provided in the form of loans.

Please visit the Financial Aid website for estimated program costs and for more details about the types of funding you may qualify for.

Assistantships, Fellowships and Scholarships

Phd students.

The Graduate School works with doctoral programs at USC to support a vast majority of our PhD students with fellowships, teaching assistantships and research assistantships, or some combination of these funding sources.

Master’s Degree Students

USC also offers a variety of merit scholarships for students seeking to earn master’s degrees. However, award amounts and distribution vary by program and are subject to the availability of funds. Please contact your intended school directly to learn more or check with the Graduate School for additional scholarship oppo rtunities .

Loans, Work-Study and Student Employment

U.s. students (citizens and permanent residents).

The USC Financial Aid Office administers a variety of federal financial aid programs for graduate students, including the Federal Direct Loan and Graduate PLUS Loan programs and the Federal Work-Study program.

International Students

Though international students (non-U.S. citizens or permanent residents) are not eligible for federal need-based aid programs, they may receive scholarships, assistantships and fellowships and can seek other on-campus employment opportunities or apply for private loans with a qualified endorser (co-signer).

External Fellowships

Graduate students are encouraged to apply for external funding—funds from sources not affiliated with USC. Sponsors range from government agencies and corporations to private institutions. Funds may be limited to a single year of enrollment or may be renewable for multiple years and may be paid to the student or directly to the university.

It is important for recipients to thoroughly understand the terms and conditions of such fellowships when planning for graduate studies. For more information about external fellowships, please refer to the USC Awards and Fellowships database.

ROTC and Veterans Benefits

ROTC and U.S. military veterans should contact the Veterans Certification Office and the Financial Aid Office to determine how their G.I. benefits will be coordinated with their financial aid.

USC Payment Plan

The office of Student Financial Services also offers graduate students the option to pay their university expenses in five monthly installments, interest free, over each semester. For more information, please visit the Student Financial Services website.