Department of Psychology
Overview
The Department of Psychology offers coursework and programs that help you develop skills for your future career and lifelong learning, including critical thinking and professional communication. The department offers opportunities to join cutting-edge research and programs that are advancing study in a host of fields. We provide an environment where faculty and student collaborative research thrives, expanding the knowledge of behavior, cognition, perception, and other key areas. Faculty in the Department of Psychology are teachers and scholars who work to advance the science of psychology and help you apply that science to your chosen career field.
19
Research laboratories and centers
4
Degree programs: Psychology (BS), Neuroscience (BS), Experimental Psychology (MS), Cognitive Science (Ph.D)
#1
Largest degree program in College of Liberal Arts
Latest News
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November 24, 2025
RIT partners with Gallaudet University to launch research traineeship program in Universal AI
RIT is teaming up with Gallaudet University to prepare the next generation of artificial intelligence researchers and practitioners who will develop AI for everyone.
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November 18, 2025
Psychology professor creates big team science network for otter research
Professor Caroline DeLong established the ManyOtters project in collaboration with several other universities to share research, knowledge, and to explore the cognitive abilities of otters. -
November 12, 2025
RIT student brings the action of ‘Predator: Badlands’ to the streets of Los Angeles
Lucy Ray, a fourth-year medical illustration and psychology dual-degree student, spent her summer working as a contracted artist for Drissi Advertising, working on ads for movies like Predator: Badlands.
Featured Work and Profiles
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Co-op & Internship Spotlight: Exploring Empowerment Through International Research
Through a Globalink Research Fellowship in Montréal, Ethan Martin explored complex questions of empowerment and well-being among 2SLGBTQ+ youth in Canada. Immersed in a fully French-speaking academic...
Read More about Co-op & Internship Spotlight: Exploring Empowerment Through International Research -
Meet Olivia Bryant, May 2025 Psychology and 3+3 Law Grad
Olivia Bryant will graduate from the College of Liberal Arts with a bachelor’s degree in psychology and a double minor in communication and business administration. As an RIT 3+3 accelerated law...
Read More about Meet Olivia Bryant, May 2025 Psychology and 3+3 Law Grad -
Bo Allaby’s work on the resilience of the brain will lead her Ph.D. work this fall
Rebecca Houston ’25 “Why does one person with a brain injury recover faster than another? Or why does someone in their 90s still live independently while another faces early cognitive decline? I want to understand what...
Read More about Bo Allaby’s work on the resilience of the brain will lead her Ph.D. work this fall -
Exploring the Language Journey of Deaf Children
Professor Rain Bosworth investigates how people learn and process sign language through studies on deaf and hearing people’s use of vision and touch. Her work suggests that babies have an innate...
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Psychology Professor named a Distinguished Member
John Edlund Psi Chi, the International Honor Society in Psychology, recently named psychology professor John E. Edlund, Ph.D., a Distinguished Member, the highest honor the organization bestows.
Read More about Psychology Professor named a Distinguished Member -
Empowering People Through the Power of Service Dogs
Irene Fobe '17 MS (experimental psychology), channels her research skills into a rewarding role as a service dog trainer, helping individuals with disabilities find their perfect canine companions.
Read More about Empowering People Through the Power of Service Dogs
Undergraduate Degree
The undergraduate program integrates a traditional psychology curriculum with a unique science and technology focus. Courses in experimental, developmental, abnormal, and industrial/organizational psychology foster the development of your analytical skills and encourage critical thinking, while a professional/technical core builds knowledge in a relevant area outside of psychology such as criminal justice, business, mathematics, computing, or engineering. The unique curriculum offers five tracks of in-depth, interdisciplinary study in developmental psychology, biopsychology, clinical psychology, cognitive psychology, and social psychology, allowing you to specialize in two areas of interest.
Graduate Programs
A graduate degree in psychology can lead to advanced career prospects. Our master’s program combines focused coursework in psychology with applied experience, either through an internship or the completion of a research study and master’s thesis.
The Ph.D. in Cognitive Science program provides innovative research training and career-building experiences centered around engineering, computing, and social and behavioral sciences.
- RIT Attention, Cognition, and Emotion Lab
- RIT Child Study Center
- RIT CLaSP – Computational Linguistics and Speech Processing Lab
- RIT Cognitive Engineering and Engineering Psychology Lab
- RIT Comparative Cognition and Perception (CCP) Lab
- RIT Developmental Psychopathology and Serious Mental Illness Lab
- RIT Health and Addictions Research Center (HARC)
- RIT L2Code Lab
- RIT Meaning, Language, and Cognition (MLC) Lab
- RIT Mood Across Life Transitions (MALT) Lab
- RIT Neurobehavioral Lab
- RIT PADME Lab (Psychopathology, Adolescence, Development, Methodology, Evaluation)
- RIT Perception & Acquisition of Words (PAW) Lab
- RIT Risk & Resilience Lab
- RIT SCAPE Lab (Social Cognition Across People & Environments)
- RIT Social, Methods, Evolution, and Legal Lab
- RIT Visual Plasticity and Translational Neuroscience Lab
- NTID deaf x lab
- NTID Perception, Language & Attention in Youth (PLAY) Lab
Psychology Research Labs Descriptions, 2025-26
For descriptions, locations, and lab director contact information, review this pdf document >