FAQs for Prospective PhD Students Interested in Working with Dr. Sara Chadwick
What type of research will a PhD student learn to conduct under Dr. Chadwick’s supervision?
As a PhD student under my supervision, you will be trained in how to conduct research as a Feminist Psychologist. A feminist psychologist is a social scientist who conducts psychological research on feminist topics, using feminist methodologies. In my lab, this involves using surveys, interviews, focus groups, experiments, and sometimes other scientific approaches to gather empirical data from human participants. As such, in my lab, you will learn to ask meaningful research questions, design a scientific study to answer your questions, gather data from participants, analyze the data, and write research papers for publication in scientific journals.
If you are not sure what this looks like, please review the following research study I conducted on orgasm coercion.
Ask yourself: would you like to learn to conduct a research study like that? Would you like to spend a large portion of your time analyzing data and writing papers like that one? If the answer is yes, then great! Please continue reading. If the answer is no and/or you thought doing a PhD involved something else, that’s okay! There are many different types of research approaches out there, especially in Gender & Women’s Studies Departments. You should pursue another supervisor who does work that is more similar to what you are interested in doing.
What type of classes will a PhD student take under Dr. Chadwick’s supervision?
In addition to hands-on research experience, you will complete rigorous coursework in Psychology AND Gender & Women’s Studies, regardless of whether you come to UW-Madison through the Psychology or Gender & Women’s Studies PhD program. Your training will include classes such as Feminist Theory, Social Psychology Theory, Research Methods, Grant Writing, Advanced Statistics, and sometimes Computer Programming. Some of these courses are very theory-heavy and humanities-based. Some are highly scientific and/or mathematical. All are essential to becoming an excellent, highly trained researcher in feminist psychology. As such, you should be prepared to engage in learning across both fields. It is okay if you feel that you are weaker in some of the above listed subjects than others as long as you are willing to engage with all of them in an effort to strengthen your interdisciplinary skills.
After reading the above, are you are still interested in doing a PhD with Dr. Chadwick? If yes, great! Please keep reading!
What are the options for doing a PhD with Dr. Chadwick?
At the University of Wisconsin-Madison, there are a few options for completing a PhD with me.
Option 1. The first option is that you can do a single-major (traditional) PhD through the Psychology PhD Program or through the Gender & Women’s Studies PhD Program. Through the Gender & Women’s Studies Program, you would be able to choose a concentration in either Psychology or Health. Note, if you are interesting in attending through the Psychology program, I only accept students who apply to the SOCIAL Psychology area. I am not a clinical psychologist and will not accept students who apply to work with me through Clinical Psychology.
Here is a link to the Psychology PhD program information:
https://psych.wisc.edu/graduate-program/
Here is a link to the Gender and Women’s Studies PhD information:
https://gws.wisc.edu/graduate/phd-program-in-gender-and-womens-studies/
Option 2. The second option is applying to complete a joint PhD in Gender & Women’s Studies and Psychology. This is a new option that I have developed here at UW-Madison, so if you would like to pursue this, it is imperative that you let me know in advance so that I can determine whether this option makes sense for your goals. Of note, to pursue this option you will be required to submit SEPARATE applications to both the Psychology and the GWS PhD programs.
What is the difference between the Psychology PhD Program or the Gender & Women’s Studies PhD Program?
Importantly, there are a few things to consider when deciding which program is the best fit for you. But first, you should know that I will train you in the same way regardless of which PhD program you are accepted through. I.e., you will be trained as a feminist psychologist doing the type of social science research that I do, with links to both the Social Psychology area and Gender & Women’s Studies here at UW-Madison. The difference will primarily be where your “home” department lies and which courses are required. However, I believe you will take many of the same courses regardless considering the overlap in the programs.
The other difference would be your future career prospects. One or the other might be better depending on what your future goals are. If you are interested in becoming a professor in a Psychology Department, the Psychology PhD might give you a better shot. But at the same time, doing feminist psychology is often considered to be non-traditional for most Psychology departments, and it is likely that you will end up in a different type of department anyway (i.e., one that values the quality of your work and/or your interdisciplinary focus more so than the name on your PhD). For example, after completing my PhD in Psychology and Women’s and Gender Studies, I was given opportunities to work in a Human and Family Development Department, an interdisciplinary Sexuality Studies Department, a Violence Against Women research group, Population and Public Health Departments, and a Gender & Women’s Studies Department. Traditional Psychology Departments were less interested.
With that said, the Gender & Women’s Studies PhD with a concentration in either Psychology or Health would make you more competitive for many interdisciplinary positions, and certainly for programs looking for feminist-oriented researchers. It might, however, make you even less competitive for a traditional Psychology department.
There is also the possibility that you are not interested in being a professor at all! That is totally fine, too! If you are interested in pursuing a career in industry, a PhD in either area could work for you, since it will be more so about the research skills that you develop. In the end, it is up to you which PhD program you apply to.
Do I have a better chance of getting into the Psychology PhD program or the Gender & Women’s Studies PhD program?
Both the Psychology and Gender & Women’s Studies Programs are HIGHLY competitive. Each department can get hundreds of applications each year and we may only accept a few students. I cannot guarantee your acceptance to either program, regardless of how great of a candidate you are. Acceptance depends on a variety of factors, including but not limited to the competitiveness of your application, your fit for the program, your fit in my research lab, the types of students the department is looking for each year, and my availability and funding opportunities.
With that said, your chance on getting into the Psychology PhD program vs. the Gender & Women’s Studies program may vary from year to year. I am most likely to accept a student through the Gender & Women’s Studies program. I *might* be able to accept a student through the Psychology program. You are welcome to apply to either or both.
What is Dr. Chadwick looking for in a PhD student?
I am looking for PhD students who would like to be trained as feminist psychologists, who have research interests that overlap with mine, and who are likely to succeed in a PhD program that integrates Psychology and Gender and Women’s Studies. As such, your application and any initial communications with me should clearly state and provide evidence that:
1. You would like to complete a PhD with me because you would like to be trained as a feminist psychologist. I.e., it is important that you know and understand that doing this program with me as your supervisor means spending ~5 years learning to do scientific research that integrates feminist and psychological theories and methodologies. In other words, this is much like a job application. You should let me know that you understand what the job title is and that you are indeed interested in doing what the job entails. If I am not sure that you understand what it means to do a PhD with me, it is unlikely that I will support your application.
2. Your research interests overlap with mine. I am currently interested in studying gray-area sexual coercion, orgasm coercion, gender roles, the heteronormativity theory of sexual desire, health outcomes, and often gender/sexual minority populations. If you do a PhD with me, you will likely start by helping me with my research studies as you develop research skills, so it is important that you are interested in and willing to do this work. Eventually, you will develop your own ideas, and it is okay if they are tangential to mine. But, I will likely require that they be somewhat related so that I can best advise you and we can engage in a mutually beneficial research partnership. Of note, it is not enough just to say you are interested in the above topics. To be as competitive as possible, you should clarify: What exactly interests you about these topics? What research questions might you ask that are related to these topics? What ideas do you have for expanding upon some of the studies I have done?
Please note that I have published some work on topics that I am no longer pursuing. For example, I am not planning to conduct additional research on pornography or hormones and am unlikely to take a student who is primarily interested in these subjects.
3. You are likely to succeed at completing a social science PhD that involves Psychology and Gender and Women’s Studies. The best way to show that you are likely to succeed is to demonstrate how your previous experience has well-prepared you to do this PhD. For example, you should have an undergraduate major and/or a Master’s level degree (though a Master’s degree is not required) in Psychology or a closely related social science (that you could easily argue has prepared you to do psychological research).
You should also have some experience working in a social science lab as a research assistant (volunteer or paid) and/or lab coordinator. This ensures that you have familiarity with the scientific method, the research process, and some basic research skills. Additionally, having written a senior thesis in Psychology, being a first or co-author on a manuscript, and/or having presented or been accepted to present at a conference will make you especially competitive. Note that if you have never worked in a research lab before or done any type of social science research, I am not likely to accept you. If this is the case for you, I recommend that you contact labs near you and try to obtain a volunteer or research assistant position and then re-applying to PhD programs once you have at least 1-2 years of experience.
It is also a benefit if you can demonstrate some experience with data collection and analyses. I am a mixed method researcher, thus I am interested in students who have experience developing surveys, coding data, and/or conducting interviews or focus groups. Quantitative and/or qualitative experience with software such as SPSS, R, NVivo, Stata, MPlus is a plus.
In addition to the requirements above, it is a benefit that you have some experience with Gender and Women’s Studies topics. It is ideal if you have taken relevant classes or have a relevant major or minor. It may also be acceptable if you are just deeply invested in social justice topics, and have demonstrated experience with this (for example, you wrote undergrad papers that involved a feminist or gendered lens, you have relevant volunteer or job experiences, you have relevant lived/personal community experiences, etc.).
Finally, you should have strong letters of recommendation from professors you have studied with or worked with in the past. Ideally, you will have at least one professor who can attest to your previous research experience and the skills that you can bring to the table as a part of the PhD program.
Ok, everything above sounds good! What should you do next?
If after reading all of the above, you are still confident that you would like to apply to either the Psychology or Gender & Women’s Studies PhD Program with me as your primary supervisor, then great! I’m thrilled that you are interested in working with me!
The next step is to email me to communicate that you are still interested and that you have read and understood everything in this document. If you already emailed me with some of this information, then great, you are on the right track! However, it is likely you did not include information on everything, and it would probably be helpful for me to know more.
As such, in your email, please clarify the following:
- That you understand what a feminist psychologist is/does and that you would like to get a PhD with me because you are interested in becoming a feminist psychologist.
- That you are committed to taking Psychology and Gender & Women’s Studies courses, regardless of whether you work with me through the Psychology or Gender & Women’s Studies program.
- Which program you are planning to apply to.
- Your research interests and how they overlap with mine.
- A brief description of your qualifications and previous research experience.
- An updated CV.
Note, sending me this information will allow me to best evaluate your fit for working with me. Due to a high volume of interest, I may not be able to respond to you, but be assured that I have read your email and am taking note of potentially strong applications. Again, I cannot guarantee anyone’s acceptance into either program, but I may be able to advocate for students I think are especially competitive. With that said, you do not HAVE to email me the requested information, but doing so will increase the chance that I will agree to become your supervisor upon acceptance.
Finally, the last step is to complete the official application through the UW-Madison website! Please make sure to submit your strongest materials and to really make your writing and stated interests shine! I look forward to potentially working with you!
Best,
Dr. Sara B. Chadwick