Masters of Arts in Psychology

Program Director: Dr. Amy Canevello

The objective of the M.A. in Psychology program is to train psychologists in the knowledge and skills necessary to address problems encountered in modern living. The program provides a foundation in the research methods and content of basic psychology as well as excellent preparation for doctoral programs in psychology. The relatively small, competitively selected student body receives individual attention from faculty members who maintain rigorous standards of academic excellence. For more information on potential job and learning outcomes, please visit the Frequently Asked Questions section.

PLEASE NOTE: This master’s program will not qualify you to be a therapist. Please read our FAQ for more information on how to successfully apply to our MA program. For clinical training at the doctoral level, please go to the Health Psychology Ph.D. website.

The M.A. program offers optional areas of emphasis: Community Psychology, Cognition, and Health Psychology (Health Psychology is available only for co-enrolled Health Psychology Ph.D. students). Other focus areas can be considered with the backing of a faculty member. Applicants are encouraged to check with faculty in their area of interest to determine if they would be open to serving as their research advisors.

Applicants should check with faculty in their areas of interest to determine if they would be open to serving as their research advisors. Without a faculty member who is willing to commit to serving as a research advisor for an applicant, the likelihood of being admitted to the program is very low. For more detailed information on applying, please review our applicant information document.

For questions and additional information about the M.A. program please contact program director Dr. Amy Canevello.

Graduate Program Admissions

Admission to the Graduate Program for Psychology is very competitive, with many students competing to get into the program. We select students with the strongest qualifications. Application deadline for M.A. in Psychology is February 1st. Late admit deadline is April 1st. However, please note that there are seldom positions available for students who submit after the February 1st deadline. While you can submit early, applications will not be processed by the program until Feb. 1st.

Students are admitted only for Fall semester. Application materials and instructions can be found on the Graduate School website

Fees

Admission, Degree, Core Requirements and more

Electives (12 credits)

A minimum of 12 elective credit hours selected in consultation with the student’s advisor are required. You can use any graduate level Psychological Sciences or Health Psychology (PSYC) class, and other courses outside Psychology that are approved by your advisor (including the ones listed below or elsewhere in this plan of study). You will need to submit a petition to the Graduate School in order to count non-Psychology classes not listed here towards the MA. You can use any of the courses listed above as elective credit. For example, a student in the Cognitive Science area may use PSYC 6116 and 6115 to satisfy the Specialty Courses requirement, then use PSYC 5316 and PSYC 6111 as elective credit.

Students can, with their advisor’s approval, co-enroll in a related graduate certificate program and use those courses for elective credit.

Any classes not specifically listed here will not automatically count as an elective for the MA Program in Psychology. To receive credit for those classes you will need to complete a graduate school petition.

Examples:

You can double dip so that classes count both for the Certificate program and MA (but generally can’t double dip for two certificates).

The faculty conduct a thorough review of student performance on a regular basis. Continuation in the program is contingent upon a favorable review during these evaluations. Students who consistently show borderline course performance, who fail to complete coursework in a timely basis, or who otherwise perform unprofessionally or unsatisfactorily, may be required to complete additional courses or may be removed from the program. The enrollment of a student who receives three grades of C or one Unsatisfactory (U) grade during his or her graduate career is automatically terminated.

Assistantships

See funding opportunities on the Graduate School website.