Department of Psychology Master's Overview
Our department does not admit terminal master's students.
We offer a single doctoral degree in psychology which may be earned in one of the following programs: brain, behavior, and quantitative science, clinical psychology, and social psychology. Please visit our department website for more information on these programs. Students admitted to one of these programs enter with the expectation of continuing graduate study through the Ph.D.
All of our programs boast distinguished and award-winning faculty, notable research publications, and a deep foundation in the historical progress of psychological advances.
A separate clinical child psychology training program has been developed for doctoral students in an interdepartmental program with the Department of Applied Behavioral Science. For more information regarding the clinical child graduate program, please visit their website.
Admission to Graduate Studies
An applicant seeking to pursue graduate study in the College may be admitted as either a degree-seeking or non-degree seeking student. Policies and procedures of Graduate Studies govern the process of Graduate admission. These may be found in the Graduate Studies section of the online catalog.
Please consult the Departments & Programs section of the online catalog for information regarding program-specific admissions criteria and requirements. Special admissions requirements pertain to Interdisciplinary Studies degrees, which may be found in the Graduate Studies section of the online catalog.
Graduate Admission
The department does not admit students seeking the terminal master’s degree, as students enter the department with the expectation of earning the Ph.D. For further information regarding the application process for our program, including department-specific deadlines and required supplemental documentation, please visit the Admissions page of the department website, or contact the department's graduate program coordinator.
M.A. Degree Requirements
Within 2 years of first enrollment in the Ph.D. program, the student must earn at least 30 graduate credit hours, no more than 6 of which may be in courses offered by other departments. Courses required for the M.A. degree are determined in consultation with faculty of the program in which the student is enrolled as part of the process of development of an individualized program. No more than 6 thesis hours may be applied to the 30 hours required for the M.A. However students must enroll in at least 1 hour of thesis as per Graduate Studies Policy. At least 50% of coursework for the master’s degree must be taken at the 700 level or above. The student must complete an acceptable thesis based on an empirical study and pass an oral examination. The oral examination may cover the thesis as well as more general material.
