| Note: THIS PAGE SHOWS THE DEGREE REQUIREMENTS FOR STUDENTS WHO ENROLLED IN THE M.A. PROGRAM IN THE FALL 2011 SEMESTER OR LATER. Students admitted prior to Fall 2011 may wish to view “Old Requirements.” |
To qualify for the Master of Arts degree in Psychology, students must
- Complete ten 3-credit courses as specified below, for a total of 30 credits, with a minimum GPA of 3.0*
AND
- Complete an independent research project and present it as a master’s thesis; or in cases where a student is unable to complete a thesis, pass a qualifying exam demonstrating competency in content areas studied in the program.
*See the Psychology Department policy on academic standing.
Three research courses are required of all students:
- Introduction to Psychological Science
- Research Methods
- Statistics and Research Design
Students are admitted to the program matched with a faculty mentor. It is expected that students will pursue collaborative and independent research with this faculty mentor that results in a thesis. However, students whose performance in the required research classes (including an apprenticeship with their faculty mentor as part of the Psychological Science course) indicates that they will have a difficult time completing a thesis will not be permitted to pursue Independent Study courses, and students whose work in the first Independent Study course does not result in sufficient progress will not be permitted to enroll in a second Independent Study course or complete a thesis.
Two Independent Study courses are to be completed by students pursuing a master’s thesis. Students’ work with a faculty mentor as part of the Psychological Science course during their first semester in the program will be evaluated by a committee (including the students’ potential thesis adviser and the Graduate Program Director) to determine students’ eligibility for Independent Study. Students will be notified in writing by the Graduate Program Director if they will not be permitted to pursue an Independent Study course or complete a Master’s Thesis. Students who do not pursue a thesis may count one Independent Study course for credit towards the 30 credits required to complete the degree.
All students must complete 3 of the following core content classes:
- Graduate Developmental Psychology
- Graduate Personality Psychology
- Graduate Social Psychology
- Graduate Abnormal Psychology
- Graduate Cognitive Psychology
- Graduate Physiological Psychology
Consistent with their individual interests, students also select two (if pursing a thesis) or four (if not pursuing a thesis) elective courses from among those core and elective courses offered. For example, a student may take one of the advanced core classes as an elective or may wish to complete one of the elective courses listed on the course descriptions page to fulfill this requirement. With the program director’s approval, it may also be possible to include as one of these electives a course offered in a different graduate program, such as the Master of Public Administration or the Master of Business Administration.