The Department of Psychology offers MA and PhD degree programs. Our graduate programs provide unique opportunities to engage in intensive research training, and develop a critical and scholarly approach in each of our three focus areas: Behavioural & Cognitive Neuroscience, Lifespan Development and Social & Personality. Full and part-time study is available.
Our Department
- among the Top 10 Psychology departments in Canada in research productivity and impact (Carleton et al., 2010; Farrell et al., 2016)
- houses research labs spanning a diverse range of research topics and maintains a large participant pool for conducting research
- located at Brock University, a midsized comprehensive university, on the beautiful Niagara Escarpment near Niagara Falls, and within one hour of Toronto, Hamilton and Buffalo
Our Faculty
- 25 full-time faculty members
- over two thirds have externally-funded research programs (including grants from CFI, CIHR, NSERC and SSHRC) and include current and former Canada Research Chairs
- excel in teaching and mentorship, as recognized through university, provincial and federal awards, including 3M National Teaching Awards
- Learn more about our Faculty research labs
- Learn who may be available to supervise MA and PhD students starting September 2023
Our Students
- 54 graduate students, including 30 MA students and 24 PhD students (as of Sept., 2024) from across Canada and countries around the world
- highly successful in winning external scholarships and awards through provincial and national award agencies (OGS, SSHRC, NSERC, CIHR)
- Actively involved in research and dissemination, including presentations at academic conferences and peer-reviewed publication – our PhD students typically graduate with between 7 and 10 peer-reviewed publications by degree completion
Our Graduates
- over 181 MA graduates since 1992 and over 72 PhD graduates since 2001
- develop market- ready transferrable skills in several areas, including research design and implementation, data analysis, teaching, communication, critical thinking, and teamwork
- highly successful in securing research and teaching positions (80% of PhD graduates), including post-doctoral fellowships (50% of PhD graduates) and tenure-track professorships (50% of PhD graduates) in countries around the world
Important features of our graduate program
- Guaranteed funding : $17,348 for MA students (for each of 2 years) and $22,604 for PhD students (for each of 4 years) – note that many of our grad students receive external awards and scholarships which can double the funding beyond the guaranteed minimums. Additional funding information can be found here
- Small student-to-faculty ratio (typically 2:1) resulting in close mentorship
- Multiple opportunities for students to collaborate with faculty and fellow students, both within and outside their primary research labs
- Students regularly attend national and international conferences each year and publish their work in high-quality peer-reviewed outlets
- Guaranteed Teaching Assistantships (2 years MA, 4 years PhD) provide opportunities to develop practical teaching-related skills, including seminar preparation, group facilitation, grading, and course management
- High-quality training in a collaborative, collegial, and supportive environment
- Timely completion: MA students typically complete their degrees within 26 months and more than 90% of our MA graduates transfer to our PhD program; PhD students typically compete their degrees within 50 months
