Curriculum for International Ph. D. Students for Psychology Major as First Class Discipline (0402)

1. Educational Objectives

   General requirements: The psychology major in PH.D. Program aims to train students to be productive in scientific research, to be responsible in teaching, and enthusiastic in social services. Students should also possess high-level psychological knowledge and technology, and to become morally, intellectually and physically mature and healthy social citizens.

   The requirement details are as follows:

   (1). Students should have a solid understanding of the basic principles of psychology, systematically master professional knowledge of psychology, and know well about the most updated global psychological development and new research results.

(2). Students should get a good command of research methods in psychology, be creative in professional research areas, be cross-disciplinary, and be able to solve psychology related problems.

(3). Students should get a good command of English, be fluent in reading references in this language, be able to communicate and collaborate with overseas academic experts in similar areas.

(4). Students should follow academic norms by all means, be corporate and creative.

(5). Students should be able to conduct independent theoretical and applied research, should be able to teach, do research, and manage in related area in any colleges or universities, be able to work in any educational, organizational, clinical, administrative, community units to train people, provide advice for people, and manage human resources, etc.

2. Research areas

(1) The Second Scale Discipline: General Psychology

Research Area: Cognitive Psychology and Internet Behaviors

This area will focus on how humans process internet information. The theories of this area originate from cognitive psychology and the methods come from experimental psychology. The characteristics of this area are to emphasize on human cognition, mathematical psychological modeling and computer simulations. Research findings of this area provide advice in exploring human internet behaviors and internet realization.

Research area: Personality Psychology

This area takes a multi-level and integrative perspective to conduct theoretical and empirical studies in personality under Chinese culture. Related theories include creative construct of personality psychology discipline. Related empirical studies investigate Chinese and western personality traits, the relationship of personality and value, the relationship of personality and happiness. Meanwhile, this area also focuses on Chinese important social events, investigating their corresponding psychological mechanisms and promoted social management strategies.

Research area: Social Psychology

This area focuses on theoretical and applied research in cultural and social psychology, emphasizing on the notion of “person in society”. It pays special attention on modern Chinese social psychology and behaviors while studying social cognition, interpersonal interactions, and social and cultural identities. It also attempts to integrate theoretical and practical studies in areas of stereotype, interpersonal attraction, group and national identity, the relationship between internet culture and adolescent development.

(2) The Second Scale Discipline: Developmental and Educational Psychology

Research area: Social and Personality Development

This area focuses on studies of the applications of theoretical models to solve practical problems. The main research areas include life development theories, children and adolescent socialization development and education, personality development and social ecosystem, and cultural and socialization development, emphasizing on the integration of theories and their applications.

Research area: Educational Psychology and Counseling

This area focuses on the study of learning processes and conditions, learning motives and emotions, psychological health, strategies of subject learning, cognitive learning processes and characteristics under internet conditions, internet learning based teaching design, theories and practices of school psychological counseling.

Research area: adolescent internet psychology

(3) The Second Scale Discipline: Applied Psychology

Research area: Organizational Behavior and Management Psychology

This area will train students to become both competent as a research scientist and a professional practitioner. The basic research questions include job satisfaction, leadership, conflict management, organizational culture, highlighting how psychology theories are applied in human resource assessment, pressure management, career plan and management, organizational development and revolution. Research and practice in this area attempts to improve individual and group efficacy in organizations by revealing individual and group psychology in organization and their corresponding psychodynamics at different levels.

3. Basic length of schooling and total credits

The Ph.D. students are expected to stay in the program from 3-6 years. The required minimum credits should be 8 (12-16 academic hours/academic credit). If a Ph.D. student did not major in Psychology for undergraduate or master degrees, he/she must take the English courses designed for international master students (lectured in English) in Psychology. Course learning will take 1 year, which includes course learning, practice and preparation of their thesis. The time for thesis is no less than 2 years. The Ph.D. students are NOT allowed to graduate in advance.

If Ph.D. students need to extend their learning time, they should not stay longer than the maxim time set for this program. Ph.D. students are not allowed to receive any fellowship during the extension time.

4. Course Design

The courses are design and scheduled in 3-year standard, see “graduate course design tables for international PhD students in Psychology” for details.

5. Practice stage

(1). Practice is compulsory for Ph.D. students in each area, for 3 credits.  

(2). Ph.D. students should conduct research on the basis on their course theses and degree dissertation, should take part in their adviser’s research projects or teaching projects.

(3). Ph.D. students should actively participate in group academic discussions, give at least 6 academic reports during semesters or submit academic thesis, including 2 domestic or international conferences and paper submissions.

(4). Ph.D. students’ practice performance should be assessed by their advisers or area committee, and used as one of the criterion in the prerequisite of dissertation defense.

6. Scientific Research

The Ph.D. students should be trained to teach and do research at the same time, with scientific research more emphasized. The Ph.D. students should be able to do independent research and should actively take part in their adviser’s research projects. The Ph.D. students should promote their own theoretical and creative capabilities.

The Ph.D. students are highly encouraged to publish at least 1 paper on a SCI/SSCI, or domestic top one journal in psychology. The published paper should be affiliated at Central China Normal University.

7. Ph.D. Dissertation

The opening of Ph.D. dissertation should be completed by the end of the 3rd semester.

Requirements for Ph.D. Dissertation

（1）The topic of the Ph.D. dissertation should be pioneering and theoretical or practical.

（2）The Ph.D. dissertation should provide a sufficient and appropriate analysis of related studies by previous researchers.

（3）The Ph.D. dissertation should provide rich information in the related area that is closely relevant to the dissertation.

（4）The Ph.D. dissertation should adopt appropriate research methods to study a subject, which should be described in a logic way and present variables and their relationship with others clearly. The research tool should be reliable, and the conclusion should be reasonable.

（5）The Ph.D. dissertation should be creative in either ideas, or conclusions, or methods.

（6）The Ph.D. dissertation should be completed independently by the candidate under the advice of his/her adviser.

The students are expected to have an online check about the completeness of the dissertation two months before the formal defense.

The defense of the dissertation should follow the rules of “Principles for Central China Normal University Degree Awarding”.

8. Education Methods

(1). The Ph.D. students should be trained under the guidance of their adviser and the area committee.

(2). The Ph.D. students are expected to give reports at Ph.D. student academic forum, where they are provided chances to discuss with other Ph.D. students, faculty members, or discipline scientists to promote area academic activities.

(3). The Ph.D. students should be trained by visiting other research institute or labs in domestic or international range, and learn by attending academic lectures given by domestic or international experts, broaden their vision in related area and better understand the dynamic research status worldwide.

(4). The Ph.D. students should have opportunities to visit other universities or research institutes to collaborate with other scientists, so that their knowledge structure is promoted and their research ability is improved.

(5). The Ph.D. students should be awarded either scholarship or prizes based on the excellence of their dissertation.

(6). The Ph.D. candidate should be discouraged and asked to withdraw from the program if they fail in many courses or fail to pass the opening of the dissertation twice.

9. Others

(1) This training proposal has been discussed and agreed by all the faculty members who are qualified to adviser Ph.D. students. It has also been approved by the Degree Assessment Committee and kept in the graduate school records.

(2) All the target learning subjects suggested by this proposal should be assessed. The assessment methods and performance appraisals should follow the rules provided by “Temporary Rules of Central China Normal University Assessment and Performance Management for Graduate Students”.

(3) Each Ph.D. student should propose a study plan within 5 months of their entrance, according to the training proposal in the department, his/her adviser’s suggestions, and his/her own situations. The study plan should be approved by the students’ adviser and area committee, and should be recorded in the department and the graduate school.

(4) The completeness of this training proposal for each Ph.D. student is used as a standard to assess if the student is allowed to graduate and awarded a degree.

Courses Lectured in English for International PhD students in Psychology