M.Phil.-Ph.D. in Psychology

The objective of this programme is to provide advanced academic and research training in a field of specialization in psychology. Students, under close supervision by a faculty member, are required to write a thesis that will contribute to psychological knowledge.

Course List

Course Code	Course Title	Units
PSYC5010	Seminar in Research Methods I	3
PSYC5510	Talent Management	3
PSYC6000	Major Psychological Approaches	3
PSYC6010	Seminar in Research Methods II	3
PSYC6050	Independent Study	3
PSYC6060	Independent Study	3
PSYC6070	Independent Study	3
PSYC6300	Writing and Presentation	2
PSYC6520	Engagement and Motivation in Organizations	3
PSYC6530	Leadership and Group Dynamics	3
PSYC6610	Psychopathology	3
PSYC6620	Health and Community Psychology	3
PSYC7010	Seminar in Cognition	3
PSYC7012	Neuroimaging Methods in Psychology	3
PSYC7020	Seminar in Social Psychology and Personality	3
PSYC7021	Seminar in Developmental Psychology	3
PSYC8003	Thesis Research	3
PSYC8006	Thesis Research	6
PSYC8012	Thesis Research	12

* Course Descriptions

Fields of Specialization

M.Phil. Stream

Admission Requirements

General qualifications required by the Graduate School
Fulfil the "English Language Proficiency Requirement" as stipulated by the Graduate School
(Please refer to Graduate School Homepage for details on these requirements)
Possess a Bachelor's degree in Psychology or in a related field
Obtain an overall GPA of 3.0 or above

Important Application Information

Study Scheme

1.

Coursework Requirements

Students are required to complete a minimum of 17 units of courses

(excluding thesis research courses).

(a)

Required Courses:

14 units

Students are required to take a minimun of 14 units and obtain a minimum grade of B-.

(i)

Courses to be taken in the first year of attendance

1)

PSYC5010

3 units

PSYC6000

3 units

PSYC6300

2 units

2)

1 from the following 2 courses

3 units

PSYC6010

PSYC7012

(ii)

1 from the following 3 courses*:

PSYC7010, 7020, 7021

*

Students whose research topic is related to Clinical Psychology, they could take the course PSYC6610 or PSYC6620 to replace the requirement of taking one out of the three specialized seminar courses.

(b)

Elective Course

3 units

At least 3 units of undergraduate and postgraduate courses in psychology or courses offered by related departments, which may include the following, and obtain a minimum grade of B-:

PSYC6010, 7010, 7012, 7020, or 7021 which has not been selected as required course(s)

PSYC5510, 6050, 6060, 6070, 6520, 6530, 6610, 6620

Total:

17 units

(c)

Thesis Research Courses:

Students are required to take the following thesis research course every term and obtain a minimum grade of B-:

Full-time students: PSYC8006

Part-time and continuing students: PSYC8003

(d)

Gender Studies Programme:

Students admitted to the Gender Studies (Psychology) programme will be exempted from one elective course of 3 units. These students are required to complete at least 14 units of required courses

2.

Other Requirements

- Students are required to submit a research thesis and pass an oral examination for graduation.

- Complete an Improving Postgraduate Learning (IPL) module on "Observing Intellectual Property and Copyright Law during Research". This will be an online module and relevant information can be accessed from the website.

- A student who receives two (or more) grades F or below will be asked to discontinue studies.

Qualifications for Transfer from M.Phil. to Ph.D. Pre-Candidacy

All students should:

obtain an overall GPA of 3.5 or above in their first year of studies;
submit an M.Phil. thesis proposal and pass an oral thesis proposal defense by the end of February during the second term of their first year of studies; no provision for a second attempt; and
satisfy members of their Thesis Committee that their proposals have the potential to be expandable to become a proper Ph.D. thesis.

Ph.D. Stream

Admission Requirements

General qualifications required by the Graduate School
Fulfil the "English Language Proficiency Requirement" as stipulated by the Graduate School
(Please refer to Graduate School Homepage for details on these requirements)
Possess a Bachelor's degree in Psychology or in a related field
Obtain an overall GPA of 3.5 or above or honours not lower than Second Class Upper
Have completed an individually supervised research thesis

Important Application Information

Study Scheme (Pre-Candidacy)

1.

Coursework Requirement

Students are required to complete a minimum of 14 units of courses (excluding thesis research courses)

(a)

Required Courses:

14 units

First Year of Attendance

Students are required to take a minimun of 11 units and obtain a minimum grade of B-.

(i)

PSYC5010

3 units

PSYC6000

3 units

PSYC6300

2 units

(ii)

1 from the following 2 courses

3 units

PSYC6010

PSYC7012

(iii)

1 from the following 5 courses which has not been selected as required course(s)

3 units

PSYC6010, 7010, 7012, 7020, 7021

Total:

14 units

(b)

Thesis Research Courses:

Students are required to take the following thesis research course

every term and obtain a minimum grade of B-:

Full-time students: PSYC8006

Part-time and continuing students: PSYC8003

2.

Candidacy Examination

The candidacy examination is a Major Qualifying Assessment which consists of a written paper and an oral examination.Prior to the thesis proposal oral defense, students will need to do a Psych Review-type paper (literature review or meta-analysis) of approximately 6,000 words in main text (around 30 pages double-spaced) as an intensive review of a body of literature approved by their supervisor. Students are also required to pass an oral examination on this review.

The candidacy examination will be arranged 2 times per year. A student will be asked to have the second attempt when he/she has failed the examination for the first time. A student will be asked to withdraw from the programme if he/she has failed the examination for the second time.

3.

Thesis Proposal and Oral Defense

After passing the Candidacy Examination*, the candidate must submit a thesis proposal of approximately 20 pages and pass a thesis proposal oral defense by a Thesis Committee consisting of his/her thesis supervisor and other nominated internal examiners.

* No later than 30 January of the second year of studies for students admitted with a research Master's degree;
* No later than 30 January of the third year of studies for students admitted with a Bachelor's degree.

Study Scheme (Post-Candidacy)

Career Prospects