Catalog Navigator : Degree Requirements

To qualify for the Master of Arts in Psychological Science degree, students entering into the program in 2023 or later must Complete 30 credits of work (most earned in 3-credit courses) with a minimum GPA of 3.0 (see the Psychology Department policy on scholastic standing).

Students must also complete all the requirements for one of two tracks:

Thesis Track. Students on the Thesis Track complete an independent research project and present it as a master's thesis. This involves

proposing a thesis project proposal before a committee of 3 faculty members;
conducting the proposed research according to the proposal (and any subsequent changes) as approved by the committee;
writing up the results of the research in a manuscript that is sent to the committee;
defending the completed project and manuscript before the same committee for their approval;
presenting the results of the project to an academic audience (e.g. at a professional conference; the Camden campus' Celebration of Graduate Student Research; or the Readings in Psychology Speaker Series) or in a manuscript written to be submitted for publication (e.g., in an academic journal or book).

Content Track. Students on the Content Track take additional content or elective courses (instead of thesis-related courses) and must pass a qualifying ("Comprehensive") exam demonstrating competency in core content areas studied by the individual during the program.

Two research courses are required of all students (in either track):

56:830:580 Research Methods (3)
56:830:650 Statistics and Research Design (3)

All students must also complete at least two of the following Core Content courses:

56:830:626 Graduate Developmental Psychology (3)
56:830:631 Graduate Personality Psychology (3)
56:830:633 Graduate Cultural Psychology (3)
56:830:635 Graduate Social Psychology (3)
56:830:640 Graduate Abnormal Psychology (3)
56:830:662 Graduate Cognitive Psychology (3)
56:830:665 Graduate Physiological Psychology (3)

Thesis Track students must complete the following two courses (and have their completed thesis approved by their adviser and thesis committee):

56:830:590 Independent Study: Thesis Proposal (3)
56:830:690 Independent Study: Thesis Research (3)

With the Graduate Director's approval in advance of enrollment, students in either track may take psychology-related courses offered in a different graduate program at Rutgers-Camden, such as Prevention Science, Data Science, Master of Public Policy and Public Administration, or Master of Business Administration. Credits earned in these courses may be used as electives to meet graduation requirements for the psychology M.A. degree.

In rare instances, with the Graduate Director's approval in advance of enrollment, students may take psychology-related undergraduate classes at the 300 or 400 level, and count credits earned toward the graduation requirements for the Psychology M.A. degree. Graduate students taking an undergraduate course must typically do some extra work beyond what is required of undergraduates in the course (such as an extra paper or assignment) as determined by the course instructor. The rules governing enrollment in undergraduate courses are discussed here. The Department rarely approves undergraduate classes for graduate credit unless there is an exceptionally compelling educational reason.

In cases where there is an exceptionally compelling educational reason, students in the program may take psychology-related graduate courses offered by another division of Rutgers or another university, and count credits earned toward the requirements for our Psychology M.A. degree. Approval must be sought from the Graduate Director and the Associate Dean of the Graduate School in advance of enrollment. Rules governing such "transient credit" can be found here.

With approval of the Graduate Director, graduate courses that were completed at other universities (or other Rutgers graduate schools) prior to enrollment at Rutgers-Camden may sometimes be used to fulfill requirements of our Psychology M.A. degree. Rules governing such "transfer credits" can be found here.