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Welcome from the Chair

Welcome to the University of Maryland Department of Psychology. This academic year, 2009-10, continues our period of growth reflecting the exciting transformations in the field itself. Last year we welcomed five new assistant professors to our staff and this year Dr. Matthew Roesch joined our faculty, also as an assistant professor. We are now recruiting for four additional positions.

Psychology is a broad discipline that connects with the biological, social, and computational sciences. Basic and applied research conducted by our faculty and students, much of it funded by Federal and other external sources, is relevant to mental and physical health, education, business and economics, national security and defense, cross-cultural understanding, and other issues of our time. Our undergraduate major, with an honors track for highly qualified students, and Ph.D. programs are rigorous; and we invite inquiries from excellent students interested in graduate study. All applicants accepted into our Ph.D. program are guaranteed financial support for up to five years contingent on satisfactory progress toward the degree. While many Ph.D. students earn their master’s degree along the way, we do not accept students seeking a terminal master’s degree.

The University of Maryland-College Park Department of Psychology is a terrific place to study and work not just because of the interdisciplinary scientific and intellectual activity here, but because the University provides a stimulating atmosphere with its wonderfully diversified student body, faculty, and staff, and its rich cultural offerings.

We are located inside the Beltway, and the resources of greater Washington, DC are just a short drive or Metro ride away. NIH is nearby; many of our faculty members collaborate with scientists there, some of whom teach in our classrooms or mentor students in their laboratories. The museums, monuments, restaurants, and cultural and ethnic diversity of Washington all combine to make this a great place to live. In addition, the Chesapeake Bay and coastal areas, the mountains of Virginia and West Virginia, national wildlife refuges, and areas rich in our country’s history are all short drives away.

So look around our website and learn more about us. I welcome your inquiries regarding working or studying in our department or about ways that you might contribute financially to our mission. You can contact me at twallsten@psyc.umd.edu.

Thomas S. Wallsten
Professor and Chair

About Us

In the Department

fMRI grant proposal funded

A grant proposal submitted by NACS faculty for a functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging facility on campus has been funded by the National Science Foundation Major Research Instrumentation Program. This facility will substantially enhance our ability to conduct cutting edge research in human neuroscience and cognitive science. NACS faculty members come from a variety of departments including Bioengineering, Hearing and Speech, Human Development, Kinesiology, Linguistics, Psychology, and others.

Banneker-Key Scholars

The Banneker-Key Scholarship is the most prestigious and competitive scholarship that the University offers to incoming freshmen. The top tier of awards supplies the full cost of tuition, fees and room and board coupled with a book allowance for four years. The Psychology Department has 9 Banneker-Key Scholars among the incoming freshman class. This raises the total number of Banneker-Key Scholars in the departmenr to 33, more than 1/3 of the 95 Banneker-Key Scholars in all of BSOS.

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