Information about the Quantitative Psychology Graduate Major
Quantitative psychology provides an opportunity for students to specialize in measurement, methodology and research design and analyses relevant to data in the behavioral and social sciences. Psychology faculty currently includes Han Du, Craig Enders, Yi Feng, Amanda Montoya, and Steven Reise. Key areas of interest among the faculty are structural equation modeling, mediation and moderation, item response theory and psychometrics, multilevel modeling, Bayesian statistics, missing data analyses, intensive repeated measures data analyses, and machine learning.
The quantitative major at UCLA Psychology is a highly individualized program providing ample opportunity for one-on-one interaction with faculty. Students concentrating in quantitative psychology will generally fit into one of two categories. The first of these consists of students possessing excellent mathematical backgrounds and strong theoretical interests in technical problems in measurement theory, statistics, and modeling. The second group of students typically has more applied interests. While the latter group of students have preparation in mathematics, these students are more oriented toward the use of psychometric and analytic techniques in substantive research. Some students find it compatible to give equal attention to both these major aspects of the program. Students in the quantitative program are strongly encouraged to collaborate with faculty in substantive areas of psychology in addition to their quantitative training. These areas include but are not limited to couples analysis, longitudinal and diary data, health outcomes, and the biological underpinnings of psychopathology.
During the first year of graduate work, quantitative psychology students will be exposed to foundational statistical content. During this time, students also develop a first year research project with their mentor. Students transition to advanced coursework during the second year. Advanced coursework includes latent variable modeling, multilevel modeling, Bayesian statistics, mediation and moderation, longitudinal modeling, psychometrics, item response theory, among others. In addition to coursework in the Psychology Department, quantitative psychology students often take quantitative courses in other departments, including Education, Statistics, and Biostatistics. Some students also pursue an MA in Statistics or Biostatistics during their degree program.
More Quantitative Psychology Information
- Faculty
- For a list of Required Courses please see the Psychology Handbook