Master of Arts in Psychology, MA

Master of Arts in Psychology

General Psychology Specialization

The General Specialization exposes students to foundational courses in psychology, such as Motivation and Emotion, Ethics, Cognition and Emotion, Theories of Personality, and Research Design. In addition to these foundational courses, students are given the ability to select elective courses from a broad range of topics to fit their personal and professional goals. The flexibility in course selection allows for a degree program of study that meets your interests. 

General Psychology FastForward Track

The General Specialization exposes students to foundational courses in psychology, such as Motivation and Emotion, Ethics, Cognition and Emotion, Theories of Personality, and Research Design. In addition to these foundational courses, students are given the ability to select elective courses from a broad range of topics to fit their personal and professional goals. The flexibility in course selection allows for a degree program of study that meets your interests. 

The Master program provides an opportunity to substitute specific courses in the required course sequence with doctoral level courses. The completion of the doctoral level courses provides a Fast Forward Track into the Doctor of Philosophy in Psychology degree.

Enrollment in the Master program and completion of the FastForward Track course substitutions does not guarantee admission into a Ph.D. program. Students must meet all required Basis for Admissions (BFA) requirements as outlined in the university catalog for specific doctoral programs.

Doctoral level coursework completed in the Master program must be completed with a grade of “B” or better to meet eligibility requirements to be applied to the applicable Doctoral degree program and be within 5 years from the time they complete the course to transfer it into the Doctoral degree.

Gender and Sexual Fluidity Specialization

The Gender and Sexual Fluidity specialization is one of the newest degree programs of study, and as such, it has been updated with current and relevant research on gender and sexual fluidity. In addition to the foundational courses described above, students in this degree program of study will take courses such as the psychology of sexuality and sexual orientation, the Psychology of gender, the Psychology of LGBTQ+, and an Introduction to Transgender and Non-Binary studies.

Gender and Sexual Fluidity FastForward Track

The Gender and Sexual Fluidity specialization is one of the newest degree programs of study, and as such, it has been updated with current and relevant research on gender and sexual fluidity. In addition to the foundational courses described above, students in this degree program of study will take courses such as the psychology of sexuality and sexual orientation, the Psychology of gender, the Psychology of LGBTQ+, and an Introduction to Transgender and Non-Binary studies.

The Master program provides an opportunity to substitute specific courses in the required course sequence with doctoral level courses. The completion of the doctoral level courses provides a FastForward Track into the Doctor of Philosophy in Psychology degree.

Enrollment in the Master program and completion of the FastForward Track course substitutions does not guarantee admission into a Ph.D. program. Students must meet all required Basis for Admissions (BFA) requirements as outlined in the university catalog for specific doctoral programs.

Doctoral level coursework completed in the Master program must be completed with a grade of “B” or better to meet eligibility requirements to be applied to the applicable Doctoral degree program and be within 5 years from the time they complete the course to transfer it into the Doctoral degree.

Research and Teaching Specialization

The Master of Arts in Psychology Research and Teaching specialization focuses on providing students with a basic understanding of the various theories and concepts typically encountered within the field of psychology, along with some discussion of the current state of existing research evidence to support or refute these ideas. This new specialization in Research and Teaching will provide graduates with specialized knowledge, skills and abilities necessary to perform research, conduct quantitative and/or qualitative data analysis, and provide valid and tenable recommendations based on results. The ability to effectively communicate the results of research findings to inform best practices in real world settings will be part of this curriculum. Additionally, graduates will be sufficiently prepared to teach psychology at an entry level in academia as an alternative career option. 

In this flexible, 30-credit program, students will focus on topics related to research design and statistics, teaching, learning, motivation, human development across the lifespan, testing and assessment, cognition and emotion, and ethics. As an example, one of the core courses involves the study of Cognitive and Affective Bases of Behavior. In this course, students are introduced to evidence-based research about the various theories of cognitive psychology and emotion, exploring how these theories apply to learning, communication, and conducting research. Assessment and Testing is another key course important to the specialization of Research and Teaching in Psychology. In this class, students will learn more about the importance of reliability and validity in testing and data collection, and how to accurately interpret the results of various psychological tests and measures. At the end of the program, an optional internship will be offered to provide students with an opportunity to apply their classroom studies to real-world situations.