School of Psychology Washington University Program

The Washington University Program provides majors is Psychology with an opportunity to spend a semester at The University of Queensland (UQ) taking classes, working one-on-one with researchers in their laboratories, and to sample across areas of psychology.

Students in the program take a standard course load at UQ, consisting of both psychology and non-psychology courses, including at least one that is directly related to Australia. Many Wash U students decide to take Australia’s Marine Environment, which includes a field trip to the Great Barrier Reef.

One of the required psychology courses is a Research Practicum, where you work one-on-one with a researcher in the School of Psychology on a topic that interests you. Before you arrive, you list the people that you would like to work with in the School, and we will do our best to match you up. Then when you arrive at UQ, you will meet with your research supervisor and spend time during the semester working with them on a joint research project.

We also offer an informal Mentorship Program, which allows you to nominate particular faculty in the School that you would like to meet. Then we will put you in touch with your mentor so you can meet informally, discuss research, and perhaps get involved in some of the projects and events in the School that are directly relevant to your interests.

The School of Psychology

We have one of the most prestigious Schools of Psychology in Australia, with a strong reputation for excellence in teaching, research, and service to the community.

We offer more than 50 courses at the undergraduate level, providing a thorough coverage of the core areas of psychology while giving ample opportunity to specialise in particular fields. We have won numerous awards in teaching and we attract high-achieving undergraduates and postgraduates from across Australia and internationally.

Research in the School is spread across five areas: Applied/Professional Psychology, Biological Psychology, Cognition, Developmental Psychology, and Social Psychology.

A distinctive aspect of our research is its impact on government, industry, and the community. There is particularly strong research in organisational psychology, human factors, and health promotion. Examples of programs include work on air traffic control systems, the development of the Queensland Hazard Perception Test used for driver licensing, uncertainty in forensic identification, the development of auditory displays for anaesthetists, and programs to improve employee performance, safety and well-being.

Our research in clinical psychology focuses on mental health, including addiction and substance use; ageing; clinical health psychology; child and adolescent mental health; schizophrenia and chronic mental illness. A flagship program within clinical psychology is the Parent and Family Support Centre, known internationally for its groundbreaking work developing the Triple P-Positive Parenting Program.

We are very strong in areas of perception, cognitive psychology, social neuroscience, psychophysiology, and cognitive neuroscience. Some of us have a strong applied focus in human factors and cognitive engineering, but we have particular strengths in attentional processing of fear-relevant stimuli, mechanisms of selective attention in health and disease, attentional control and distractibility; visual-motor interactions and the human mirror system, the control of memory access, awareness and reasoning.

Our developmental psychology group is distinctive in working at the boundaries between development, culture, and comparative psychology. This includes work on deficits in social and cognitive reasoning shared by autistic and hearing-impaired children, recognition of the whole human form, which has major implications for theories of social and communicative development, Mental Time Travel, which has attracted wide international attention, and the role of imitation in the development of cultural cognition.

Our strength in social psychology lies in the Centre for Research in Social Psychology (CRiSP). Currently comprising 21 staff, CRiSP is the largest group of researchers in social identity, group processes, and intergroup relations in the world.

The University of Queensland

University of Queensland

UQ is one of Australia’s leading learning and research institutions. It is the oldest university in Queensland and has produced more than 197,000 graduates since opening in 1911. Today, UQ has more than 43,000 students from more than 134 countries who study across its four main campuses. International students from over 100 countries account for a large percentage of total enrolments, diversifying cultural life on campus and providing opportunities for international networking.

The University of Queensland has been consistently ranked as one of the world’s top 50 leading universities in the QS World University Rankings. With over 360 programs at Undergraduate and Postgraduate levels, winning more national teaching awards than any other university and boasting a graduate employment rate five percent higher than other Australian University, it is clear why international students choose to study at UQ.

Brisbane and Beyond

Brisbane City

Brisbane is the capital of Queensland, and is widely known as the country’s most desirable place to live. It's a popular tourist destination with a sub-tropical climate and world-class art galleries, a vibrant live music scene, and a thriving coffee culture. The Brisbane River snakes and curves its way through the inner city right past The University of Queensland. Along the banks of the river is the Brisbane River walk with pathways, roads, bridges, and riverside parks.

Conveniently sandwiched between the Sunshine Coast and the Gold Coast, Brisbane is also just down the road from Surfer's Paradise. Beautiful beaches are just a short drive away, along with National Parks, rainforests and waterfalls.