18 PhD programmes offered by the university

Our innovative, dynamic, and interdisciplinary Biobehavioral Health PhD program at Pennsylvania State University examines the intersection of biological, psychological, social, environmental, and cultural influences on health and disease throughout the lifespan.  

In the Education, Development and Community Engagement Graduate Program, we support and develop your capacity to be an agent of change. You will leave the program at Pennsylvania State University with a mastery of applied research and actionable scholarship, translating your findings into real world applications

Graduate programs in French and Francophone Studies at Pennsylvania State University generate and analyze culture and society and literature.

The principal aim of the doctoral program in Rural Sociology at Pennsylvania State University is to impart the research and analytical abilities necessary to understand and explore the problems, structure and functioning of rural society.

The Department of Communication Arts and Sciences at Pennsylvania State University is committed to the study, teaching, and practice of human communication for the betterment of Pennsylvania, the nation, and the world.

The purpose of the graduate program in Political Science at Pennsylvania State University is to train professional political scientists who intend to pursue careers in research, teaching, and public service.

Pennsylvania State University’s Criminology graduate program is one of the nation’s top programs in criminology and criminal justice.

The Education Policy and Leadership program at Pennsylvania State University provides doctoral training for students interested in career areas pertaining to educational policy, educational leadership, and higher education.

The graduate program in Sociology at Pennsylvania State University offers advanced education for students who intend to pursue academic careers in sociology or who aspire to nonacademic research positions.

The Department of Anthropology at Pennsylvania State University integrates social, ecological, and evolutionary approaches to understand variability in the human condition through time and across space.

Pennsylvania State University's Department of Geography is committed to excellence in a full range of geographic skills with outstanding faculty who work closely with students to help them reach their full intellectual and professional potential.

The Educational Theory and Policy program curriculum focus, as well as research of our faculty at Pennsylvania State University, aimed at improving educational opportunities and outcomes across different communities (urban/rural), school sectors, as well as regions of the world.

The graduate program in Psychology at Pennsylvania State University is characterized by individualized study leading to the Ph.D. degree. Emphasis is placed on research, teaching, and professional career development.

Our department at Pennsylvania State University offers an innovative graduate program in German that combines modern cultural studies with a state-of-the-art applied linguistics curriculum.

Research and graduate training for the Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) program in Human Development and Family Studies at Pennsylvania State University provides students with the knowledge needed to contribute to the field of human development.

With leading researchers in economic theory, econometrics, international economics, and macroeconomics, the Economics Department at Pennsylvania State University is an outstanding department.

The Ph.D. program in American Studies at Pennsylvania State University offers an interdisciplinary approach to studying American society and culture.

The Department of Spanish, Italian, and Portuguese at Pennsylvania State University offers Ph.D. degrees in Spanish, with specializations in Spanish Peninsular literature (Medieval through Modern), Latin American literature (Colonial through Modern), and Hispanic linguistics.