Quantitative

Why earn a Ph.D. in quantitative psychology at Notre Dame?

As psychological research questions become increasingly complex and diverse, the demand for psychologists with a strong quantitative background is high in both academic and industry settings.

Through the Ph.D. program in quantitative psychology at Notre Dame, you will receive advanced training in statistical methods, quantitative models, and data science that are applicable to a wide variety of data in psychological research. Example topics include analysis of variance (ANOVA) and regression, factor analysis, structural equation modeling (SEM), item response theory, longitudinal analysis, Bayesian analysis, computational statistics, robust statistics, missing data, data science, social network analysis, text mining, and machine learning techniques.

As in all of our areas, there is great flexibility in curriculum, and you may work with a variety of faculty, both within and between areas or outside the psychology department. Some psychology Ph.D. students concurrently pursue a master’s degree in ACMS (Applied and Computational Mathematics and Statistics) or even a Ph.D. in Computer Science and Engineering. 

Our faculty

The quantitative area faculty at Notre Dame train students to develop expertise in a variety of analytical tools and to advance methodology through novel research on cutting-edge techniques and creative use of existing techniques. Both formal instruction and the informal collaborative relationships between faculty and students facilitate an easy entry into the process of conducting scientific research on issues in quantitative psychology.

Professionalization

You will have ample opportunity to engage in a variety of research activities. Quantitative students typically focus on methods development and/or evaluation, but can also apply these methods to a topic in a substantive (CBB, clinical, and developmental) area of psychology. The extent of the substantive training above and beyond the quantitative training will depend on your particular interest.

In addition to the formal academic training acquired in the process of coursework, students develop their research capabilities by collaborating with their advisor and other faculty. This work begins in the first semester and continues throughout the student's graduate career. Because such collaborative research projects often involve individuals at various levels of training and competencies, students are able to learn from each other, and as they become more advanced, supervise and assist those behind them. This type of teamwork creates a multi-level mentoring process which helps you further develop your research and teaching skills as well. 

You can also complete certification training in pedagogy, course design, and effective teaching practices from Notre Dame’s Kaneb Center for Teaching Excellence; and there are opportunities to lead course discussion sections and on occasion to teach a developmental course as an instructor of record. Certifications of teaching excellence and actual teaching experience will provide you with impressive additional credentials alongside your demonstrated research competence when you pursue post-doctoral careers in quantitative psychology science.

Advanced Social Science Minor (AQSSM)

Ph.D. students concentrating in areas other than quantitative psychology can obtain rigorous quantitative training by pursuing the Advanced Quantitative Social Science Minor (AQSSM). The minor is available to all Ph.D students in the College of Arts and Letters.