Psychology: EdS, PhD, MEd

The Emma Eccles Jones College of Education and Human Services, which houses the Psychology Department, ranks in the top 2% of all graduate colleges of education. The college was also ranked third in the nation in total research dollars received, according to "America's Best Graduate Schools" U.S. News & World Report.

Psychology Department faculty actively collaborate with students on a variety of research projects, including parenting interventions for Latino families, interventions for individuals with anxiety disorders, cognition in young children, animal modeling of drug abuse, impulsivity, etc. Students are active in presenting at national conferences, authoring journal articles and book chapters, and submitting for grant funding.

Specialization(s):

• School Counseling (MEd): This specialization focuses on the training of professional school counselors who will work in K-12 public and private school settings. Training is provided in the design and implementation of school-based comprehensive guidance programs. Coursework includes individual and group counseling for diverse populations; behavior and educational assessment and intervention; research and methodological foundations; career development; and ethical, legal, and professional standards. This is the only program offered at Statewide or distance campuses.
• Behavior Analysis (PhD): The Behavior Analysis program at Utah State University provides students the opportunity to earn a PhD in Psychology with a focus on investigating variables that influence human and nonhuman behavior. The doctoral program in Behavior Analysis provides students a solid understanding of conceptual, translational, basic and applied domains of behavior analysis. The program promotes an interdisciplinary and translational approach to behavior analysis. The Ph.D. track prepares students to conduct laboratory and translational research, preparing them to pursue academic and research careers, whereas the PhD + BCBA-D track prepares students to become scientist-practitioners who can work in research institutions and practice in a variety of clinical settings (e.g., hospitals, private practice).
• Brain and Cognition (PhD): The brain and cognition specialization provides extensive training for students interested in behavioral, cognitive, molecular, systems, or computational neuroscience. Training opportunities for students include the investigation of basic behavioral, cognitive, and neurological processes; understanding the contribution of basic neurological processes to psychological disorders; neural correlates of behavioral phenomena, and related issues.
• Combined Clinical/Counseling Psychology (PhD): Our APA-accredited program provides a combined approach to doctoral-level training across the two practice areas of clinical and counseling psychology. Students receive training across a broad spectrum of problem areas, populations, settings, and approaches for a wide range of future potential careers. Our faculty include leading scholars in areas including cultural adaptation of therapy, identity development, sexual orientation and gender, treatment of children/adolescents, neuropsychology, ethics, acceptance and commitment therapy, parent management training, telehealth, military psychology, sexual health, trauma, dementia, anxiety disorders, and obsessive compulsive and related disorders.
• Quantitative Psychology (PhD): The quantitative psychology specialization area within the psychology department deals with the development, application, evaluation, and refinement of quantitative methods for measurement, statistics, and data analysis.
• School Psychology (PhD, EdS): The Utah State University Psychology Department offers both educational specialist (EdS) and doctoral (PhD) degrees in School Psychology. The EdS Program prepares school psychologists who function primarily as practitioners in educational settings, whereas the PhD Program prepares professionals who can work in research institutions and practice in a variety of settings (e.g., schools, clinics, hospitals, private practice). Training focuses on developing scientific problem-solving skills as well as broad competencies in assessment, intervention, and consultation. Emphasis is placed on culturally-competent, ethically-informed, and legally-compliant practice in collaborative, interdisciplinary settings.

• EdS -  Logan
• PhD -  Logan
• MEd -  Logan , Beaver, Bicknell, Blanding, Brigham City, Castle Dale, Cedar City, Cortez, Delta, Ephraim, Heber City, Junction, Kanab, Kaysville, Moab, Montezuma Creek, Monticello, Monument Valley, Nephi, Orem, Panguitch, Park City, Richfield, Roosevelt (Uintah Basin), Salt Lake, St George, Tooele, Tremonton, USU Eastern (Price), Vernal (Uintah Basin), Wendover

School Counseling Specialization

• Students who graduate with the school counseling specialization work as counselors in K-12 public and private schools.

Behavior Analysis, Brain & Cognition, Quantitative Psychology Specializations

• Students who graduate with the experimental and applied psychological science specialization work at universities in faculty or research positions.

Combined Professional-Scientific Psychology Specialization

• With the combined professional-scientific psychology specialization, students can work as psychologists in the following capacities: hospitals, academia, university counseling centers, private practice, community mental health centers

School Psychology Specialization

• Students who graduate with the school psychology specialization work as psychologists in K-12 schools.

Admission Requirements

For most students, some psychology prerequisites will need to be completed before beginning the graduate program. However, these do not need to be taken before students can be accepted to the program.

Application Requirements:

• Complete the online application
• Pay the $55 application fee
• Score at or above the 40th percentile on the GRE*. For MEd students in the school counseling specialization, the MAT is also accepted.
• Have a 3.0 or higher GPA on your last 60 semester or 90 quarter credits
• Provide transcripts of all college/university credits
• Provide three contacts for letters of recommendation
• Submit a statement of professional intent/interest

International students have additional admissions requirements.

* Some individuals may have experienced difficulty taking the GRE due to Covid-19. As such, the following PhD programs are not requiring GRE scores for applications, but do encourage you to submit them if you have them: School Psychology, Combined Clinical/Counseling, Brain and Cognition, and Behavior Analysis. All other PhD program in our department still require GRE scores for applications.

Admission Deadlines

School Counseling specialization (MEd):

• May 1

School Psychology specialization (EdS):

• December 1

All PhD Program Specializations (Behavior Analysis, Brain & Cognition, Combined Clinical/Counseling, Quantitative Psychology, and School Psychology)

• December 1

Financial Assistance

A variety of funding opportunities are available, including fellowships, scholarships, assistantships, tuition awards, and travel support each year. Additionally, students may be eligible for subsidized health insurance through qualifying assistantships. 

• Psychology - EdS
• Psychology - PhD
• Psychology - MEd

Tyson Barrett, PhD, Utah State University
Research Assistant Professor
Office: EDUC 456
Phone: (435) 797-0120
Email: tyson.barrett@usu.edu

Scott Bates, PhD, Colorado State University
Department Head
Area: General psychology, research methods and statistics, social psychology
Office: EDUC 487E
Phone: (435) 797-2975
Email: scott.bates@usu.edu

Rebecca K. Blais, PhD, University of Utah
Associate Department Head, Associate Professor
Program: Combined Clinical/Counseling
Office: SCCE 422
Email: rebecca.blais@usu.edu

Katie Brown, PhD, University of Nebraska Medical Center
Assistant Professor
Program: Behavior Analysis
Office: SCCE 411
Email: katherine.brown@usu.edu

Catalin V. Buhusi, PhD, Duke University
Professor
Program: Neuroscience
Area: To provide a more complete understanding of the role of the dopaminergic system in normal and abnormal adaptive behavior by using methods from behavioral-, systems-, and computational neuroscience.
Office: BioInnovations Center 305 N
Email: catalin.buhusi@usu.edu

Mona Buhusi, PhD, University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Iasi, Romania
Associate Professor
Program: Neuroscience
Area: Understanding the pathogenesis of neuropsychiatric disorders in which neuronal wiring is abnormal.
Office: USTAR 650, Room 305M
Phone: 435-797-8974
Email: mona.buhusi@usu.edu

Gregory Callan, PhD, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee
Assistant Professor
Program: School Psychology
Office: EDUC 484
Email: greg.callan@usu.edu

Susan Crowley, PhD, Texas A&M University
Professor
Program: Combined Clinical/Counseling
Area: Personality theories, psychotherapy, projective assessment, supervision
Office: EDUC 485
Phone: (435) 797-1251
Email: susan.crowley@usu.edu

Rick Cruz, PhD, University of Washington
Associate Professor
Program: Combined Clinical/Counseling
Office: SCCE 444
Email: rick.cruz@usu.edu

M. Scott DeBerard, PhD, Utah State University
Professor, Executive Director of Counseling and Health at Counseling and Psychological Services
Program: Combined Clinical/Counseling
Area: Health psychology, empirically validated treatments, research methods, statistics, introduction to practicum
Office: EDUC 471
Phone: (435) 797-1462
Email: scott.deberard@usu.edu

Melanie Domenech Rodriguez, PhD, Colorado State University
Professor
Program: Combined Clinical/Counseling
Area: Multicultural psychology ethics, child/adolescent psychology, assessment
Office: EDUC 425
Phone: (435) 797-8282
Email: melanie.domenech@usu.edu

Renee Galliher, PhD, University of Tennessee
Professor, Associate Vice Provost, Combined Program Associate Director of Clinial Training
Program: Combined Clinical/Counseling
Area: Child and adolescent psychology, rural psychology, psychology of gender, statistics
Office: EDUC 430
Phone: (435) 797-3391
Email: renee.galliher@usu.edu

Christian Geiser, PhD, Freie Universität Berlin
Professor, Director of the Quantitative Psychology Program
Program: Quantitative Psychology
Office: EDUC 479
Phone: (435) 243-7095
Email: christian.geiser@usu.edu

Wesley Hill, MD, University of South Florida
Clinical Assistant Professor
Office: SCCE Behavioral Health Clinic, 3rd Floor
Phone: (435) 797-0576
Email: wesley.hill@usu.edu

Kerry Jordan, PhD, Duke University
Associate Professor
Program: Brain & Cognition
Area: Developmental psychology, cognitive psychology, animal behavior
Office: EDUC 483
Phone: (435) 797-2797
Email: kerry.jordan@usu.edu

Tyler Lefevor, PhD, University of Miami
Assistant Professor
Program: Combined Clinical/Counseling
Office: SCCE 465
Phone: (435) 797-0889
Email: tyler.lefevor@usu.edu

Michael Levin, PhD, University of Nevada Reno
Associate Professor, Director of Clinical Training for the Combined Clinical/Counseling Program
Program: Combined Clinical/Counseling
Area: Acceptance and commitment therapy and online psychological interventions
Office: SCCE 493
Phone: (541) 531-3892
Email: mike.levin@usu.edu

Gregory Madden, PhD, West Virginia University
Professor, Director of the Behavior Analysis Program
Program: Behavior Analysis
Area: Experimental analysis of behavior
Office: EDUC 498
Phone: (435) 881-8467
Email: greg.madden@usu.edu

Maryellen McClain Verdoes, PhD, Indiana University, Bloomington
Assistant Professor
Program: School Psychology
Office: EDUC 488
Phone: (435) 797-6373
Email: maryellen.mcclainverdoes@usu.edu

Camille Odell, ,
Program Director of Professional School Counseling
Program: Professional School Counseling
Office: EDUC 482
Phone: (435) 797-5576
Email: camille.odell@usu.edu

Amy Odum, PhD, West Virginial University
Professor
Program: Behavior Analysis
Area: Behavior analysis, behavioral pharmacology
Office: EDUC 496
Phone: (435) 797-5578
Email: amy.odum@usu.edu

Gretchen Gimpel Peacock, PhD, University of South Carolina
Professor, Executive Director of the Sorenson Legacy Foundation Center for Clinical Excellence
Program: School Psychology
Area: Behavioral assessment and intervention, child behavior therapy
Office: SCCE 452
Phone: (435) 797-0721
Email: gretchen.peacock@usu.edu

Tyler Renshaw, PhD, University of California, Santa Barbara
Associate Professor
Program: School Psychology
Department: Psychology Department
Office: EDUC 480
Email: Tyler.renshaw@usu.edu

Sarah Schwartz, PhD, Utah State University
Research Assistant Professor
Office: EDUC 455
Phone: (435) 797-0169
Email: sarah.schwartz@usu.edu

Sarfaraz Serang, PhD, University of Southern California
Assistant Professor
Program: Quantitative Psychology
Office: EDUC 494
Phone: (435) 797-2034
Email: sarfaraz.serang@usu.edu

Timothy A. Shahan, PhD, West Virginia University
Professor
Program: Behavior Analysis
Office: EDUC 499
Phone: (435) 770-7619
Email: tim.shahan@usu.edu

Melissa Tehee, PhD, University of Arizona
Assistant Professor
Program: Combined Clinical/Counseling
Office: EDUC 481
Phone: (435) 797-1502
Email: melissa.tehee@usu.edu

JoAnn Tschanz, PhD, Indiana University
Professor
Program: Combined Clinical/Counseling
Department: Psychology Department
Area: Neuropsychology, abnormal psychology, physiological psychology, assessment
Office: EDUC 423/ SER 131
Phone: (435) 797-1457
Email: joann.tschanz@usu.edu

Michael Twohig, PhD, University of Nevada - Reno
Professor
Program: Combined Clinical/Counseling
Area: Abnormal psychology, assessment, research methods, anxiety disorders
Office: EDUC 483
Phone: (435) 797-1402
Email: michael.twohig@usu.edu

Christopher Warren, PhD, University of Victoria
Assistant Professor
Program: Neuroscience & Brain and Cognition
Office: EDUC 490
Phone: (435) 265-5704
Email: chris.warren@usu.edu

Karl White, PhD, University of Colorado
Professor, Director of the National Center for Hearing Assessment and Management
Area: Educational research and evaluation methodology
Office: ECERC 302
Phone: (435) 797-3013
Email: karl.white@usu.edu