Mar 29, 2024  
2015-2016 Undergraduate and Graduate Academic Catalog 
    
2015-2016 Undergraduate and Graduate Academic Catalog [ARCHIVED CATALOG]

Psychology, M.S.


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Code: 8872 (420101-01)

The graduate program in psychology offers a Master of Science degree in General Psychology. Coursework is intended to offer advanced education in psychological science and to help students become competitive for admission to doctoral-level training programs in both applied (e.g., clinical, counseling) and experimental (e.g., cognitive, developmental) fields of study in psychology. The Psychology Master’s degree is not intended for students seeking master’s-level professional licensure. The program provides foundational training in core areas of psychology, but also provides students the flexibility to design a sequence of coursework best suited to their future academic and career aspirations. All students seeking a master’s degree in psychology must complete a thesis under the supervision of a graduate faculty member. Faculty members have expertise in Clinical, COgnitive, Counseling, Developmental, Physiological, and Social Psychology. Students may elect to complete a practicum experience, which involves training and experience in providing professional psychological services to members of the community. Students must meet prerequisites for practicum and be successfully evaluated before being admitted to the practicum course.

Course Prerequisites


Students who enter the program are normally expected to have completed at least 18 semester hours in psychology, which must include at least one course each in general psychology, statistics, experimental psychology, human development, and physiological psychology.

Admission Requirements


For admission to the Psychology Master’s program, applicants must apply for and be accepted into the Graduate School. (See Graduate School website for application requirements.) Acceptance by the Department of Psychology’s Committee on Acceptance and Retention is also required. In addition to the requirements for admission to the Graduate School, expectations for admission to the Psychology Master’s Program Include:

  • an undergraduate GPA of 3.0 or better
  • a GRE score of: 148 (Verbal); 147 (Quantitative); 295 (Verbal & Quantitative)
  • three letters of recommendation from individuals able to speak to the student’s professional development and preparation for advanced study
  • a personal statement that comments on the applicant’s career goals and discusses how the program would help achieve those goals. Applicants are encouraged to name faculty members with whom they would be most interested in working on research projects, and to mention why they think such member(s) would provide appropriate mentorship.

The following documents are optional, but encouraged:

  • a curriculum vita (or professional resume)
  • an APA-style writing sample

Course Requirements


The course requirements for the Master of Science degree in Psychology are 38 graduate credit hours.

Students must complete 20 graduate credit hours from the following core courses:

Additional Requirements


In addition to the course requirements noted above, all students must successfully pass a comprehensive exam, a thesis proposal, and a thesis defense.

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