How long does it take to get a PhD in general psychology?

The amount of time it takes to complete a PhD in general psychology can depend upon a variety of factors (e.g., previous completed prerequisites and/or prior experience). To practice in a clinical setting, students pursuing a cognitive psychology and instruction program may need specific licensing required by their state. GCU does not offer a clinical program. GCU’s PhD in cognitive psychology offers online and evening courses that allow flexibility during a rigorous program. For information about time to completion, visit the doctoral programs page.

Online PhD in Psychology: Cognition and Instruction

Overview

Help Communities Process Behavior and Experiences

Grand Canyon University’s Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in General Psychology: Cognition and Instruction is designed for students who wish to work with adult educational communities. You will investigate how cognitive processes can inform the most appropriate and effective instructional methods.

Entry into this qualitative doctorate program focusing on cognition and instruction requires a master’s degree.

Doctor of Philosophy in General Psychology: Cognition and Instruction (Qualitative Research)

Offered By

College of Doctoral Studies

Class Settings

Evening

Online

Why GCU

Benefits of GCU’s Qualitative Doctorate in Psychology

In this PhD in General Psychology, you will personally examine events with the expectation of working toward a better understanding of an observed phenomenon. You are taught how to develop research studies for the purpose of gaining insight into how and why people think, believe and behave as they do. This program differs from GCU’s quantitative PhD in General Psychology: Cognition and Instruction degree, which focuses on the creation of a sampling plan and the collection of numeric data.

What GCU Students Love About Our University

"When I chose my PhD in General Psychology at GCU, I was drawn to the emphasis on cognition and instruction as it complemented my role as an English composition professor. I can enhance my teaching by analyzing students’ learning styles and my teaching methods, leading to a unified approach."

Dr. Keziah Tinkle-Williams

Doctor of Philosophy in General Psychology, Class of 2021

What GCU Students Love About Our University

"When I chose my PhD in General Psychology at GCU, I was drawn to the emphasis on cognition and instruction as it complemented my role as an English composition professor. I can enhance my teaching by analyzing students’ learning styles and my teaching methods, leading to a unified approach."

Dr. Keziah Tinkle-Williams

Doctor of Philosophy in General Psychology, Class of 2021

"When I chose my PhD in General Psychology at GCU, I was drawn to the emphasis on cognition and instruction as it complemented my role as an English composition professor. I can enhance my teaching by analyzing students’ learning styles and my teaching methods, leading to a unified approach."

Dr. Keziah Tinkle-Williams

Doctor of Philosophy in General Psychology, Class of 2021

Earn Your PhD in Psychology Online¹

GCU is committed to meeting the needs of adult learners. Our university offers an intuitive and interactive e-learning platform designed to allow you to earn your doctorate from anywhere. You’ll benefit from the same quality of instruction and curriculum as our on-campus evening students, and you’ll be able to engage in discussions with fellow learners and instructors online. Continue to meet your other responsibilities while working toward your PhD in psychology online.¹

Similar Program Offerings

I/O Psychology

Integrating Tech & Psychology

Performance Psychology

Coursework

Cognition Psychology Course Topics

An empirical, research-based approach is at the heart of the doctorate in general psychology: cognition and instruction program. By exploring the principles of learning in theory and practice, you may have the opportunity to make an impact in the instruction that takes place in formal education settings.

The coursework in this doctorate degree in psychology covers topics relevant to building and analyzing desired learning outcomes, including social cognition and assessments.

Additionally, you will have opportunities to:

Analyze the impact of nature and nurture on cognitive development
Use theoretical and empirical approaches to examine mental processes
Create psychometrically sound measures
Apply cognitive psychology to learning and instruction
Explore how cognitive processes are used in practice

You will research and analyze findings on topics in mental and thought processes. These include:

Memory

Reasoning

Intelligence

Motivation

Learning

Use Research Methods and Writing Strategies for Your Dissertation

Because research is integral to work in cognitive psychology, the dissertation process begins in the first course of this PhD in psychology degree program, during which you are introduced to doctoral dispositions.

You will take courses in advanced research methods and writing strategies, which teach the skills needed to present and defend a dissertation. You can develop a general psychology dissertation topic for the PhD in psychology based on your own research and interests.

This PhD in General Psychology degree includes two in-person residencies on or near campus. These short-term residencies are designed to offer you hands-on experiences with research design principles, personalized guidance, and the opportunity to orally present and defend your preliminary dissertation research.

You may be inspired to further explore the topics reviewed in this program, including:

Psychological tests to measure learning outcomes
Collaboration to increase instructional effectiveness
Human learning and cognition
Psychological theories related to motivation, needs, love and existence
Appropriate tests and measures
Factors affecting individual behavior

Careers

Career Paths for Doctorate in Psychology Students

This PhD in psychology aims to teach you to research and apply evidence-based instructional practices that can help learners flourish. Some graduates continue in their current positions, while others may seek new opportunities, such as university-level teachers and researchers.

There is a range of possibilities available to the curious researcher. After earning your PhD in general psychology with cognition and instruction specialization, you may decide to focus your professional practice on exploring why some people develop sensory or perception difficulties or on the most effective methods for learning foreign languages. Alternatively, you may decide to become a psychology consultant for the business or legal fields.²

Cognitive psychology specialists may pursue employment across a range of workplace settings.

These may include:²

Universities

Government or private research centers

Hospitals

Consulting groups

FAQ

PhD in Psychology: Cognition and Instruction Degree FAQs

Earning a PhD in psychology is a significant undertaking. Before you enroll, consider these FAQs about the cognitive psychology field.

Cognitive and behavioral psychology degrees both use principles that can help people live better lives. Behavioral psychology primarily focuses on the observable behavior of individuals. It is the scientific approach to exploring how our behavior can be shaped by reinforcement and punishment. A cognitive psychology degree deals with information processing. It uses principles of human learning and development as well as cognitive processing.³

Cognitive psychology researchers focus on the internal mental processes of individuals. They study how people perceive events and life experiences, memory and language processing, and how people think and then come up with solutions or decisions.⁴ A career in cognitive psychology may involve jobs within universities, government agencies, treatment centers and research facilities.²

If you’re passionate about figuring out how the brain works and how to help students learn more effectively, then studying cognitive and instruction psychology could be the right choice for you. There will likely be some aspects of the degree program that you may find challenging, but these are opportunities to embrace personal growth and professional development. By the time you defend your dissertation, you may notice that you feel more confident about the subject matter and that you feel capable of pursuing exciting professional opportunities in your field.

Dissertation

Time to Completion and Dissertation Process

To learn more about time to completion and the dissertation process at GCU, visit our doctoral page.

Courses

Program Curriculum

Core Courses

RES-815

3 Total Credits

Course Description

This course introduces doctoral learners to the principle elements of research, scholarly writing, and effective argumentation. Learners are made aware of the dispositions and expectations of doctoral researchers as well as the University’s overarching values and beliefs regarding research and the responsibility of scholars to contribute new knowledge to their respective fields of study. Learners begin the process of identifying a researchable dissertation topic and are acquainted with appropriate scholarly resources that support the development of the dissertation.

RES-820C

3 Total Credits

Course Description

In this course, learners are introduced to the critical reading of scholarly qualitative and quantitative literature at the doctoral level. Learners also explore the concept of synthesizing the scholarly literature to identify problems and problem spaces that emerge to form a researchable topic of study. The application of scholarly argumentation from the extant literature to defend the need for a research study is discussed.

PSY-810

3 Total Credits

PSY-802

3 Total Credits

RES-831

3 Total Credits

Course Description

In this course, learners are introduced to key components of qualitative and quantitative research designs and the means to critically appraise the application of research designs as observed in the scholarly literature. The University's core research designs are presented. Consideration is given to the initial selection and defense of a research design to address a problem that emerged from the extant literature.

RSD-851

3 Total Credits

RES-832

3 Total Credits

Course Description

This course provides an introduction to the sampling, data collection, and data analysis methods employed in qualitative and quantitative research designs. Learners explore the alignment of sampling, data collection, and data analysis methods to the research topic, research questions, and research design. The course positions learners to select qualitative or quantitative designs for their dissertation studies. Prerequisite: RES-831.

PSY-803

3 Total Credits

PSY-820

3 Total Credits

PSY-804

3 Total Credits

RES-841

3 Total Credits

RES-843

3 Total Credits

Course Description

In this course, learners differentiate the epistemological foundations and explore the data trustworthiness, research ethics, and potential for bias in descriptive, case study, and phenomenology research designs. The process of building a rationale for design choice and aligning the research questions, interview questions, problem statement, and purpose statement is addressed. Sources of qualitative data are introduced for each design, and ethical aspects of research are discussed. Prerequisite: RES-841.

PSY-863

3 Total Credits

RSD-883

3 Total Credits

PSY-866

3 Total Credits

PSY-955

3 Total Credits

RES-873

3 Total Credits

Course Description

In this course, learners explore qualitative data collection techniques and sources of qualitative data in the context of answering the research questions posed by a study. Consideration is given to the recognition of data saturation and the management of data. Learners continue to work with their respective dissertation chairs to prepare a written statement of data collection, and management activities. Prerequisites: RES-843 and one of the following: DBA-955 or DIS-955 or DHA-955 or PSY-955 or PCE-955 or TLC-955.

PSY-960

3 Total Credits

RES-883

3 Total Credits

Course Description

In this course, learners focus on the interpretation of qualitative data to produce written research findings, results, and implications. Learners continue to work with their respective dissertation chairs and apply information from this course to move ahead in the dissertation process. Prerequisites: RES-873 and one of the following: DBA-960 or DIS-960 or DHA-960 or PSY-960 or PCE-960 or TLC-960.

PSY-965

3 Total Credits

Continuation Courses

The course identified above represent the minimum academic course requirements only. Most students will also need to take one or more of the following Research Continuation Courses to complete a dissertation. Research Continuation Courses are 3-credit courses charged at the standard doctoral per credit rate.

PSY-966E

3 Total Credits

PSY-967E

3 Total Credits

PSY-968E

3 Total Credits

PSY-969E

3 Total Credits

PSY-970E

3 Total Credits

PSY-971E

3 Total Credits

PSY-972E

3 Total Credits

PSY-973E

3 Total Credits

PSY-974E

3 Total Credits

GCU cannot and will not promise job placement, a job, graduate school placement, transfer of GCU program credits to another institution, promotion, salary, or salary increase. Please see the Career Services Policy in the University Policy Handbook.
Please note that this list may contain programs and courses not presently offered, as availability may vary depending on class size, enrollment and other contributing factors. If you are interested in a program or course listed herein please first contact your University Counselor for the most current information regarding availability.
Please refer to the Academic Catalog for more information. Programs or courses subject to change

More Resources

Learning Goals

Financial

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Tuition & Financing

Scholarships & Grants

Information

Admission

Start Your Journey Today

If you are eager to explore how people learn and how instruction and assessment can lead to academic achievement, a qualitative general psychology degree may be for you.

Apply Now

^§ MOU-Alumni 2000 Doctoral-Nov2025: The Alumni Scholarship for Doctoral Programs is only valid for those applicants who submit a complete application and begin a Doctoral program in November 2025. This scholarship cannot be used in conjunction with any other GCU scholarship or awards and only applies to online and evening programs. Please speak to a university counselor for complete details.

Program has residencies that take place on or near GCU's campus.
American Psychological Association. (2014). A Career in Cognitive Psychology. American Psychological Association. Retrieved Nov. 8, 2023.
Psychology School Guide. (n.d.). What is the Difference Between Cognitive and Behavioral Psychology? Psychology School Guide. Retrieved Nov. 8, 2023.
American Psychological Association. (2022, May). Cognitive Psychology Explores our Mental Processes. American Psychological Association. Retrieved Nov. 8, 2023.

Online PhD in Psychology: Cognition and Instruction

Help Communities Process Behavior and Experiences