To qualify for the master of arts degree in psychology,
students must:
- Complete 10 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 pass a qualifying exam demonstrating competency in content
areas studied in the program.
Three research courses are required of all students:
56:830:510 Introduction to Psychological Science (3)
56:830:580 Research Methods (3)
56:830:650 Statistics and Research Design (3)
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 Introduction to Psychological Science
course during their first semester in the program will be evaluated by a
committee (including the student's potential thesis adviser and the graduate program director) to determine the student's 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 toward the 30 credits required to
complete the degree.
All students must complete three of the following core
content classes:
56:830:626 Graduate
Developmental Psychology (3)
56:830:631 Graduate
Personality Psychology (3)
56:830:635 Graduate
Social Psychology (3)
56:830:640 Graduate
Abnormal Psychology (3)
56:830:662 Graduate
Cognitive Psychology (3)
56:830:675 Graduate
Physiological Psychology (3)
Consistent with their individual interests, students
also select two (if pursuing 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 an elective course 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.
