The program is designed for students who wish to pursue a higher degree in the broad area of applied psychology within a framework of human lifespan development (human cognitive development and human career development) and with a research focus on cognitive development, decision-making, and mental health in the information age.

The PhD Psychology is a 36-month full-time research degree conducted under the supervision of a faculty member culminating with submission of a research thesis.

The program in PhD in Psychology offers graduates in psychology, biology, medicine, and other social sciences the opportunity to broaden their theoretical and practical knowledge to achieve new scientific results. Courses will cover but will be not limited to, topics such as social cognition and social representation, psychophysiological measurements, and qualitative and quantitative research methods.

This PhD Program in Emotion Psychology (the study of affective processes such as emotions, mood, feelings and its relation to attention, memory, decision, reasoning, creativity) is innovative and unique in Europe and combines knowledge brought by Psychology and several other fields of Science to provide an updated solid theoretical and methodological background in the study of emotional processes. It meets the exponentially growing interest of the last couple of decades in Emotion after the findings that emotion is key to decision-making and that affective processes in the brain create an implicit layer of influence on the most varied aspects of human mental activity, behaviour, and creations. A strong branch of research is focusing on emotion regulation and positive emotions, forming a strong basis for applied interventions towards psychological well-being and health as well as the betterment of the workplace, education, and human developmental contexts.

Aim of the Programme is to prepare highly qualified scientists and teaching staff in various areas of psychology (general, clinical, development, personality, social/organisational psychology) through improvement of their research work organisation, management and implementation skills based on greater in-depth understanding of psychology theories and methodology in at least two sub-areas of psychology, skills in national and international cooperation with other specialists in the area, and through preparation of an original scientific research study (dissertation study) to be defended to acquire an internationally recognised doctoral degree in psychology. The programme additionally offers specialisation in cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) to the students studying for their doctoral degree in clinical psychology. These additional studies are aimed at improvement of their professional skills in psychotherapy (within the Baltic States, such specialisation at the doctoral level is available only at the University of Latvia).

The Ph.D. in Psychology is a research-intensive program in which students pursue training in Social Psychology and Psychology of Work. Ph.D. study can lead to careers in research, academia, industry, and health care domains, as well as positions involved in the public sector. Only the students with the best performance can be admitted and work on the most recent research topics and tackle difficult open issues. The study involves the possibility to participate actively in international collaboration, present their results at international conferences, and publish in leading scientific journals.

With our partner university, Liverpool John Moores University, Alef Trust offers a collaborative PhD in Applied Transpersonal Psychology. The collaborative basis of the PhD means that you will conduct your research under guidance from supervisors from both Alef Trust and LJMU. Given our expertise in the topic, the Alef Trust supervisor will lead in most academic aspects of the programme. Those accepted onto the programme will benefit from being registered with LJMU, giving you full access to LJMU’s Doctoral Academy.

The Ph.D. in Psychology curriculum offers coursework in Psychology drawing on spiritual traditions, somatic practices, creative arts, mythology, indigenous wisdom, literary and poetic imagination, deep ecology, mystical philosophy, cultural history, and social critique. The Ph.D. program emphasize research, clinical, and cultural praxis skills as well as acquiring the knowledge base of psychology as a profession. The research coursework prepares students for the completion of an original research dissertation. The Ph.D. in Psychology is designed to meet the educational requirements for the state of California Psychologist license. The Ph.D. in Psychology also meets the educational requirements for the state of California MFT license (Board of Behavioral Sciences, Senate Bill 33, Section 4980.36, Business and Professions Code), and the state of California Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor (LPCC), (Senate Bill 788, Section 4999.33, Business and Professions Code), provided that fieldwork is done in accordance with BBS requirements.

PhD by research via Distance Learning is awarded after successfully completing a theoretical research specialization. This research is presented in the form of a doctoral thesis. The PhD (Doctor of Philosophy) is the only doctoral degree that can be achieved through distance learning. The main requirement for a PhD online through distance learning is to present and discuss a thesis of at least 100 pages for review and evaluation by an academic committee at Selinus University. This research program reveals the enormous potential of clinical psychology to help individuals, groups and societies. The candidate should develop a final thesis that explores an aspect of knowledge of this stimulating field from a clinical perspective that integrates psychology, biology and chemistry focused on the treatment of different pathologies. He will also have to face the roles and responsibilities of the contemporary clinical psychologist, his scientific bases and his theoretical orientations.

The purpose of the Ph.D. in Industrial Psychology is to combine the science of psychology with a practice that focuses on the scientific study of the workplace – including both the organizations, their employees, and the community.

The doctoral study program Medical Psychology and Psychopathology is concerned with basic as well as applied research in the areas of biopsychosocial relations. The proposed studies open the possibility for interdisciplinary doctoral education not only for graduates of medical faculties but also for graduates of one-field studies of psychology at faculties of art as well as graduates in some allied fields. The field builds upon the rich tradition of education in psychological and psychiatric sciences at First Faculty of Medicine, represented by the work of founders of the field, such as Josef Riedel, Mihajlo Rostohar, and Vladimír Vondráček. The bias to the biopsychosocial paradigm of recent modern medicine (enriched with the ecologic, environmental dimension), in the aspect of its theoretical base, reflects the recent state of knowledge achieved by modern science in contemporary developed societies. The theoretical base of the study program includes the knowledge systems of theoretical psychological fields (developmental psychology, psychology of personality, etc.), but also that of applied fields, particularly clinical and medical ones. Psychiatry and behavioral sciences, in turn, represent a complex of scientific disciplines that are concerned with understanding human psychology and behavior. These include not only psychological but also genetic, biochemical, or physiological approaches and their interactions. Important is the possibility of use of this most recent knowledge in the care of the mentally as well as physically ill.

Elevate your career with the International Ph.D. in Applied Psychology: Adaptation and change in contemporary societies, a joint degree offered by the Faculty of Education and Psychology of the Universidade Católica Portuguesa (FEP-UCP), the University of Ramon Llull (Spain) and the Nottingham Trent University (UK).

The PhD degree is conferred by virtue of a thesis.

The DLitt et Phil degree is offered by dissertation only, and registration can be on a full-time or part-time basis. It is the candidate’s responsibility to put forward a suitable research proposal but the Department of Psychology will provide significant mentoring and supervisory support during this process.

The Ph.D. program in Addictology covers trans-disciplinary knowledge in addictology and the skills to independently design and conduct studies of the various factors in the risk environment of substance use and addictive behaviors — from the individual to the policy level. Aiming to contribute to evidence-based decision-making, the core of the program is in clinical work and public health research with a participatory community focus. Central to the program are methodological guidance and support for trans-disciplinary addictology research with an emphasis on combining quantitative and qualitative research methods from various disciplines into a common epistemological framework.