Research, Training, and Coursework
Closely supervised research and coursework provide foundations in theoretical approaches to fundamental issues in psychology and in the study of physical and mental health. At the same time, our department and the program offer training in the use of rigorous methodologies for testing theory in laboratory, community, and clinical settings.
Students concentrate primarily on a single research project in the first and second years (Psych 251), culminating with the receipt of the Master’s degree. As training progresses thereafter, health psychology predoctoral students typically work with two or more faculty members to develop an increasing focus on their own particular topics in research, and expertise in the associated methods.
Beyond the coursework common to all the majors in psychology, the health psychology major has three required courses. These include a two-quarter proseminar in health psychology, and a one-quarter seminar in health psychology research methods. These are accompanied by elective seminars chosen from a number of options. In addition, majors in Health Psychology attend the area lecture series once a week during fall and winter quarters for 3 years. The health psychology faculty members hold weekly lab meetings with graduate students in which important training experience is gained above and beyond individual research supervision and coursework.
For more details on the major course requirements, click here (pdf).
Mentorship Model
The Health Psychology program follows a mentorship model where students work closely with faculty mentors on all phases of research: learning the literature, developing research questions and hypotheses, designing and conducting empirical research studies, analyzing and interpreting data, and writing up results. Our program uses a dual-mentor model, where students work with both a primary and a secondary mentor. This broadens their mentor network and allows them to benefit from different perspectives and experiences. Secondary mentors are identified based on student interests and may include faculty within and outside of the department and university.
Interdisciplinary training
In addition to housing the Health Psychology program, the UCLA Department of Psychology is home to additional core areas of study (Behavioral Neuroscience, Clinical, Cognitive, Developmental, Quantitative, Social, and Social and Affective Neuroscience), many of which have ties to Health Psychology. Our program also has strong ties to programs across the UCLA campus, including the David Geffen School of Medicine, the Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior, the Fielding School of Public Health, the Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center, and the California Center for Population Research, among others. Faculty affiliates include Drs. Michael Irwin, Steve Cole, and Jude Carroll in the Cousins Center for Psychoneuroimmunology, and Dr. Patricia Ganz in the Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center, who provide specialized training for our students. Our faculty collaborate widely across the university and beyond. Students are encouraged to develop their training across boundaries as deemed valuable to pursue their research interests.
Biological training
We are committed to providing a solid foundation of biological training to all graduate students through coursework and involvement in our health psychology laboratory. For those who wish in-depth biological research experiences, we are partnered with the Norman Cousins Center for Psychoneuroimmunology and other centers on campus to tailor further training to the individual student’s interests and needs. The Health Psychology Lab, which is located in the psychology department, includes facilities for running subjects through experimental and non-experimental protocols that involve collection of biological samples, preparing these samples for analysis, and conducting biological assays. The Health Psychology Lab is also used to train undergraduate, graduate, and post-doctoral trainees who are interested in psychobiology and health psychology.