Graduate Program in Psychological and Brain Sciences

The Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences offers graduate training leading to a doctoral degree in Psychological and Brain Science or Cognitive Neuroscience. Research within the department is focused on several areas, including systems and behavioral neuroscience, cognitive and computational neuroscience, and social and affective neuroscience. Students conduct research in a state-of-the-art facility that includes extensive laboratory space and a research-dedicated MRI machine. Students benefit from the strength of our faculty's research programs as well as their close ties with several other departments and programs, including the Dartmouth Medical School. The size of the department helps to foster a personable community with plenty of opportunities for communication and collaboration between different lab groups, facilitating innovative and interdisciplinary work. Annual stipends are provided to all PhD students in good standing and students are not charged tuition or fees. The annual stipend for the 2023-2024 year is $40,000. Graduates of the program have been very successful in obtaining academic positions, and the most recent National Research Council survey (2010) found our program ranked 2nd in the country in placing students in academic programs.

We recognize that BIPOC and other underserved groups continue to face particular barriers in accessing graduate training in psychology and neuroscience. We believe that our disciplines benefit from, and have a responsibility to enable, the inclusion of the full spectrum of backgrounds and perspectives, including, but not limited to, representation of gender, race and ethnicity, sexual orientation, disability, academic background and experience, and socioeconomic status. To facilitate this, the program does not charge an application fee, does not require the GRE, and has a number of mentoring and community initiatives in place to promote individual well-being and mutual support. For more information, please see the mentoring, diversity and inclusion, and admissions FAQs page, as well as the Innovators in Cognitive Neuroscience seminar series, which bridges scientific and social justice objectives.