The Department of Psychological Sciences represents the combined strengths of the fields of psychology and communication sciences. We offer two undergraduate majors: Psychology and Communication Sciences, as well as two minors: Psychology and Communication for Health Professionals. Students can tailor their experience to meet their own career and educational goals. This can be accomplished in many ways, including through independent studies and experiential learning opportunities with faculty, honors Capstone projects, and Pathways. Pathways provides student with guidance to structure coursework based on their specific career interests. Pathways include Clinical, Lifespan Development, Pre-Health, Neuroscience, and Research. Students may choose several Pathways that meet their needs.
We also provide graduate programs, including a masters in Communication Sciences, and three Ph.D. programs: Communication Sciences, Clinical Psychology, and Developmental, Cognitive, and Affective Sciences (DCAS). Our Ph.D. students conduct cutting edge research, learn effective and engaging pedagogical skills, and those in Clinical Psychology and Communication Sciences programs learn to provide empirically supported treatments in a variety of settings.
Department News and Highlights
Meet new faculty at the College of Arts and Sciences – Stacy Ryan-Pettes
Associate Professor Department of Psychological Sciences Though Stacy Ryan-Pettes always knew she wanted to work to improve the lives and condition of youth navigating the juvenile justice system, it was during her research training that she discovered a passion for implementation science and health equity. A licensed clinical psychologist with a...
Meet new faculty at the College of Arts and Sciences – Rita Obeid
Assistant Professor Department of Psychological Sciences Before arriving in Cleveland, Obeid was a visiting associate professor at Lehman College, where she conducted research on child language development to reduce stigma toward disabilities on a national and international level. Obeid also received her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in psychology from the American...
Meet new faculty at the College of Arts and Sciences – R. Elizabeth Capps
Assistant Professor Department of Psychological Sciences R. Elizabeth Capps received her bachelor’s in psychology from Roanoke College in Salem, Virginia, before receiving her masters in psychology from Appalachian State University in Boone, North Carolina. Capps then received her PhD in clinical psychology, and completed a fellowship at Children’s National Hospital in...
Meet new faculty at the College of Arts and Sciences – Wilson Brown
Assistant Professor of Clinical Psychology Department of Psychological Sciences One of the first to examine the implementation of prolonged exposure (PE) for PTSD in veterans, Wilson J. Brown completed his PhD in clinical psychology and formal trauma specialization at The University of Missouri-St. Louis. He completed his fellowship in clinical psychology...
Meet new faculty at the College of Arts and Sciences – Kristina Bowdrie
Assistant Professor Department of Psychological Sciences, Program in Communication Sciences After receiving her bachelor’s degree from CWRU in communication sciences and psychology, Kristina Bowdrie has returned to the Department of Psychological Studies. Bowdrie received her PhD in Speech and Hearing Science from The Ohio State University, where she also served as...
Why Building Emotional Intelligence in Classrooms Might Be the Key to Better Grades
Parents: R. Elizabeth Capps, assistant professor at the Department of Psychological Sciences, explained how social-emotional learning programs can set the tone for the entire school building and communicate that it’s important to acknowledge every student’s well-being as crucial to learning. "This can build a positive school climate that’s useful...
Former Emerging Scholar Kristina Bowdrie brings her journey full circle at CWRU
The first time Kristina Bowdrie, PhD (CWR ’17), walked through the doors of Case Western Reserve University, she was a nervous first-year student hoping to find her footing. Twelve years later, she’s walking those halls again—this time as a mentor, researcher and assistant professor. For Bowdrie, who began her first...
Applications for the 2026-2027 Academic Year are open!
Questions? We’d love to hear from you! psychsciences@case.edu