Brandeis University

What you'll study

The curriculum emphasises experimental design, statistics, and supervised research alongside core areas of psychology. Early courses typically cover introductory psychology, research methods, and statistics before progressing to specialised modules and lab work.

• Core research and methods: experimental design, statistics for psychology, quantitative methods, and advanced data analysis (common software includes R and SPSS).
• Cognitive and biological bases: courses in cognitive psychology, cognitive neuroscience, perception, and psychophysiology.
• Social and developmental domains: social psychology, developmental psychology across the lifespan, and courses exploring social cognition and interpersonal processes.
• Clinical and applied perspectives: abnormal psychology, applied experimental approaches, and seminars on intervention research where available.
• Laboratory and practicum experience: sustained involvement in faculty-led laboratories, lab rotations, or practicum placements that develop experimental skills and participant-facing procedures.
• Capstone and independent research: a senior thesis or honours project is a central feature for students in the research track, supervised by a faculty mentor and often resulting in conference presentations or coauthored papers.

The programme structure allows flexibility to take complementary courses in computer science, statistics, neuroscience, and public health to support interdisciplinary research interests.

Entry requirements

Admission to Brandeis is competitive and seeks applicants with a strong academic record and clear interest in psychological science. Typical expectations include:

• Secondary-school qualifications: a rigorous high-school transcript with strong performance in mathematics and sciences; for international applicants, comparable national qualifications are expected.
• Recommended preparatory subjects: coursework in mathematics (algebra, statistics or calculus where available), biology or physical science, and any available psychology or research-related classes.
• Application materials: a personal statement or essay outlining interest in research, letters of recommendation (preferably including at least one from a teacher who can speak to academic potential), and a record of extracurricular involvement or research experience if applicable.
• Standardised tests and language: Brandeis’s testing policies may be flexible; international applicants whose first language is not English will generally need to demonstrate English language proficiency through recognised tests or equivalent credentials.
• Advanced credit: students with AP, IB, A-levels or other advanced study may receive transferable credits or placement in advanced courses depending on scores and departmental policies.

Career prospects

Graduates of the Research and Experimental Psychology programme are well placed for a variety of career paths that value empirical thinking and quantitative skills. Common directions include:

• Research roles: research assistant positions in academic, hospital or industry laboratories, where graduates support experimental studies and data collection.
• Data and analytics: roles such as data analyst, market research analyst or user-experience researcher that require statistical literacy and experimental design knowledge.
• Further study: many students progress to graduate programmes (MA/MS/PhD) in psychology, neuroscience, cognitive science, public health or related disciplines; clinical practice requires professional graduate training and licensure.
• Applied careers: positions in education, programme evaluation, public policy, human resources and health services, where evidence-based approaches are valued.

Why study at Brandeis University

Brandeis provides a research-intensive environment with strong opportunities for undergraduate involvement in faculty-led projects. The psychology department maintains active laboratories across cognitive, social, developmental and clinical domains, and faculty commonly mentor undergraduates for independent projects and conference presentations.

• Undergraduate research emphasis: structured pathways for lab placements, summer research and senior theses give students hands-on methodological and analytical training.
• Interdisciplinary collaboration: proximity to Boston’s academic and healthcare institutions and cross-school options (for example in neuroscience, data science or public health) enable interdisciplinary study and internships.
• Small-class, faculty mentoring: relatively small seminar sizes and accessible faculty support foster close mentorship and tailored research opportunities.

This combination of rigorous methodological training, experiential research and interdisciplinary options makes Brandeis’s Research and Experimental Psychology degree particularly suited to students aiming for research careers or graduate education in psychological science.