A Word from the Chair

Welcome to the Department of Psychology at the University of Kansas. Let me take a moment to introduce you to our department and its long and prestigious history.

Our mission in the Department of Psychology at the University of Kansas is to further our understanding of human behavior, thinking, and emotion through teaching, research, and service. This mission includes the discovery and dissemination of laws and principles pertaining to both individual and group psychological functioning and its development. We expend great effort in training students at both the undergraduate and graduate levels so that students will be well equipped with the knowledge and methods that will place them at the forefront of progress across a broad range of the psychological disciplines.

At the undergraduate level, we offer a B.A. and B.G.S. in Psychology and a B.S. in Cognitive Psychology (and a BA/BGS in Developmental Psychology at the Edwards Campus). Serving over 1000 majors each year, Psychology is one of the most popular undergraduate programs on campus. Undergraduate Psychology Majors enjoy many rich opportunities to gain valuable research and training experience by assisting faculty members and graduate students with their research and conducting research of their own.

The faculty members in the Department of Psychology here at KU are impressively productive in their scientific pursuits. Each year, they generate hundreds of articles, book chapters, and books in the very best publication media our discipline has to offer. Grant funding for faculty research has a running average of over $5 million per year. In all areas of specialization, our faculty is recognized nationally and internationally for their dedication to both teaching and research.

At the graduate level, our Department offers a Ph.D. in Clinical, Clinical Child, Cognitive, Developmental, Quantitative, and Social Psychology. Our Clinical Ph.D. program is the only one in Kansas accredited by the American Psychological Association (APA) and has been recognized by APA as one of the finest graduate clinical programs in the country.

Within these comprehensive core areas of research, our faculty also work in broad sub-areas such as health, personality, psycholinguistics, learning and memory, psychology of women, cognitive neuroscience, social development, and many more. The quality of our Department's graduate training programs is reflected in the fact that most of our graduate students publish papers in national journals and present papers at national meetings by the time they receive their degrees. Student authorship is highly encouraged in our department because it further enhances our students' opportunities to accept academic and research center positions following graduation.

Please take a moment to peruse the pages that we have assembled. We believe you will find them informative and hopefully enticing. Do not hesitate to contact us if you have any further questions about our Department and its programs

Sincerely,

Greg Simpson, Chair