Masters in Psychology Curriculum
MS GRADUATE COURSES
DESCRIPTION OF CURRICULUM AND SUGGESTED SEQUENCE
INTRODUCTION
The MS Curriculum has been designed to provide an individualized training experience for students interested in pursuing an advanced education in scientific psychology in order to obtain further educational or career goals related to the field. Although each student will complete a basic core curriculum, they will have the opportunity to individually design the remainder of their coursework and laboratory experiences under the guidance of their faculty mentor and the Program Director. Each student is expected to devote 8 hours per week to laboratory work, under the guidance of their mentor. Alternatively, a student and faculty mentor may agree to assign some of this laboratory time in another laboratory. These 8 hours per week are documented at the end of each term by the faculty mentor and program director. The total number of credits required for graduation includes 45 course credits, and 6 credits of independent study, for a total of 51 credits.
REQUIRED "CORE" COURSES
The MS curriculum has six specific core courses required for all students in the program. These are listed below.
| PSY 610 | Data Analysis (Section designated for MS students only) |
| PSY 530 | Principles of Neuroscience |
| PSY 512 | Cognitive Psychology |
| PSY 510 | Research Methods I (Section designated for MS students only) |
| PSY 511 | Research Methods II (Section designated for MS students only) |
| PSY 514 | Learning and Applied Behavior Analysis |
| (PSY 624 Behavior Analysis may be substituted for this course) |
As indicated in the introduction, the remaining credits are competed through independent study, completion of MS theses research, and elective courses. Each of these is described below.
INDEPENDENT STUDY CREDITS
The MS curriculum includes two courses (3 credits each) of Independent Study. These courses will offer the student an opportunity to partially structure the 8 hours per week of laboratory experience required through a concentrated area of study that will provide a basis for later research. The Independent Study forms are completed in consultation with the student's mentor at the time of registration for the winter and spring term of your first program year. The course code for Independent Study is PSY 865, however it is important to check with the program administrator prior to each term registration to confirm the correct course code to be used for Independent Study.
MASTERS THESIS COURSES
At the time the student begins their thesis work (usually at the end of the first program year), the following course sequence is provided for all work directed toward completion of the masters thesis. Beginning in the second program year, students working on their thesis should register for one of these courses per term, in sequence. After students complete the first two courses, MS Thesis courses will be non-billable, but students must register for the course indicated as a "non-billable" category.
| PSY 898 | MS THESIS I |
| PSY 898 | MS THESIS II |
| PSY898.NBL | MS THESIS III |
ELECTIVE COURSES
There are many different electives available to students in the MS program. They should be selected in consultation with the student's mentor/advisor in accordance with their individual curriculum needs and areas of research. A number of electives are available to all MS students ("Unrestricted Electives"). Additional elective courses are available only with the approval of the instructor and program director (Restricted Electives). In order to request an elective from this list, you must submit a request to register for the course to the course instructor and program director, with a statement of explanation concerning your qualification to take the course (e.g., any required pre-requisites) and why the course is important to your curriculum. This same procedure applies to requests to take courses offered through other departments or colleges. Below is a list of the unrestricted electives, as well as the restricted elective courses. However, please note that any elective courses may not be available in a given year. Therefore, in planning your curriculum it is important to check the courses that are available in any given term.
Unrestricted Electives
| PSY 562
|
Consciousness |
| PSY 516 | Developmental Psychology |
| PSY 648 | Forensic Psychology |
| PSY 819 | Health Psychology |
| PSY 712 | History & Systems |
| PSY 614 | Problem-solving & Creativity |
| PSY 540 | Principles of Neuropsych |
| PSY 612 | Psychology of HCI & Design |
| PSY 630 | Psychopharmacology |
| PSY 520 | Psychopathology |
| PSY 825 | Seminar in Mind/Body Studies |
Restricted Electives
You must obtain written approval from both the course instructor and program director prior to registering for any elective course that is not listed above. The courses below are a partial list of elective courses that MS students have taken, with the necessary approvals. However, students are encouraged to seek approval for any courses that are appropriate and relevant to their individual curriculum, including courses in other departments.
| PSY 530
|
Principles of Neuroscience |
| PSY 542 | Neuropsychological Assessment |
| PSY 616 | Empirical Foundations Unconscious Processes |
| PSY 522 | Intellectual Assessment |
| PSY 620 | Personality Assessment |
| PSY 722 | Psychotherapy Theories |
| PSY 517 | Social Cognition in Psychology |
| PSY 618 | Loss & Bereavement |
| PSY 812 | Cognitive Neuroscience |
| PSY 827 | Behavioral Stress Management |
| PSY 820 | Cognitive behavior Therapy |
| PSY 823 | Substance Abuse |
| PSY 550 | Multicultural Perspectives |
| PSY 621 | Theories of Personality |
| PSY 822 | Pediatric Psychology |
| PSY 827 | Weight and Eating Disorders |
| PSY 826 | Social Problem Solving and Child Psychology |
SUGGESTED SEQUENCE FOR COMPLETION OF COURSES
The following course sequence is provided to aid the MS student in curriculum planning. Although substitutions or changes in the sequence can be made (with the approval of the faculty mentor, program director, and relevant course instructor), the following sequence is designed to have core courses provided at the optimal point in the student's educational process, while encouraging individualized course of study.
*Special Note: Due to faculty sabbaticals, Research Methods II will not be available in the 2007-2008 Academic Year. Research Methods I will be offered only in the spring term, 2008.
| COURSE | ||
| Year 1 | Credits | |
| Fall Term | ||
| PSY 610 | Data Analysis | 3 |
| PSY 530 | Principles of Neuroscience | 3 |
| PSY 512 | Cognitive Psychology | 3 |
| Winter | ||
| PSY 510 | Research Methods I | 3 |
| (See List) | Elective Course | 3 |
| PSY 865 | Independent Study | 3 |
| Spring | ||
| PSY 511 | Research Methods II | 3 |
| (See List) | Elective Course | 3 |
| PSY 865 | Independent Study | 3 |
| Year 2 | ||
| Fall | ||
| PSY 514 | Learning and Applied Behavior Analysis | 3 |
| (Behavior Assessment I) | ||
| PSY 690 | MS Research I | 3 |
| (See List) | Elective Course | 3 |
| Winter | ||
| PSY 691 | MS Research II | 3 |
| (See List) | Elective | 3 |
| (See List) | Elective | 3 |
| Spring | ||
| PSY 692 | MS Research III | 3 |
| (See List) | Elective | 3 |
| Total Credits | 51 | |