Research
Training in research is provided by formal coursework, non-dissertation research, practical experience, and the doctoral dissertation.
To establish an academic base in preparation for research projects, students complete courses in
- statistics and design; 3 to 6 courses including (at a minimum):
- Psy 5862 Psychological Measurement: Theory and Methods
- Psy 8814 Analysis of Psychological Data
- Psy 8815 Analysis of Psychological Data
- psychometrics; 1 to 3 courses including (at a minimum):
- Psy 5862 Psychological Measurement: Theory and Methods
- individual differences; 2 to 4 courses, including (at a minimum):
- Psy 5501 Vocational and Occupational Health Psychology
- Psy 8541 Multicultural Psychology
- assessment; 3 to 4 courses, including (at a minimum):
- Psy 8502 Counseling Psychology II: Assessment
- Psy 8554 Assessment: Vocational Interest and Career Instruments
- Psy 8850 WAIS III
In addition, The Counseling Psychology Research Seminar is a required 2-semester sequence.
Topics in the sequence include:
- Introduction to Research Design and Methodology
- Research on Counseling Process
- Research on Counseling Outcome
- Research on Vocational and Occupational Health Psychology
- Cultural Diversity
The Counseling Psychology Program also has research facilities and equipment, including videotaping and other audiovisual equipment, for counseling process studies, small group experiments, assessment and measurement studies, and field studies. The faculty are engaged in a variety of ongoing research projects with which students may become involved.
Many students are appointed to Research Assistantships that involve conducting research with faculty members in the Program and with other members of the faculty. Students are encouraged to take an active part in developing and conducting research in the faculty projects as well as to pursue research interests of their own.
For purposes of presenting their research, students are encouraged to join societies in their area and to attend relevant scientific and professional meetings, conferences, and workshops.
Some professional organizations that our students commonly join:
American Counseling Association (ACA)
American Psychological Association (APA)
APA Student Science Council (APASSC)
APA Division 17: Student Affiliates of 17
Asian American Psychological Association (AAPA)
Association for Psychological Science (APS)
International Association for Relationship Research (IARR)
International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies (ISTSS)
Minnesota Psychological Association (MPA)
National Career Development Association (NCDA)
Society for Cross-Cultural Research
Society for Personality and Social Psychology (SPSP)
Society for the Psychological Study of Social Issues (SPSSI)
Occasionally a small amount of financial support is available to support travel for students to present papers at professional meetings through the Gough and Campbell funds.
Training in the Responsible Conduct of Research
All students who conduct research at the University must complete training in the Responsible Conduct of Research (RCR) before conducting research. First year graduate students must complete RCR Part 2 online training, plus online training in Protecting Human Subjects and HIPAA, prior to participating in any research project. Students who plan to serve as principal investigators for any project must also complete RCR part 1, which is a free in-person workshop for which students must register. More information on the specific requirements and training courses available is available at the FIRST website. Students should discuss with their advisors the specific requirements for RCR training that apply to them at various stages.
Human Subject Approval
All experiments and research studies using human subjects must be approved by the Institutional Review Board (IRB) before the subjects are tested. There is an IRB committee devoted to student research in the social sciences. More information and forms for the IRB process are available at the IRB website. The IRB also maintains a webpage with information for student researchers.
REP Subject Pool
Subjects for psychological experiments can be recruited from undergraduate psychology courses through the Department of Psychology Research Experience Program (REP) . Information about the REP program is available online. You must submit a department application form to REP for approval, each semester, in order to recruit participants from the REP pool. Instructions and applications for use of the subject pool may be obtained online.