Curriculum Planning

Introduction

The M.S. 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 M.S. curriculum has six specific core courses required for all students in the program. These are listed below.

Special Note: Due to departmental needs or faculty sabbaticals, it is possible that the sequence or availability of a course may be changed in a particular term, which may result in a course substitution. In such a case, students will be notified of the change.

As indicated in the introduction, the remaining credits are completed through independent study, completion of MS theses research, and elective courses. Each of these is described below.

Independent Study Credits

The M.S. 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.

Elective Courses

There are many different electives available to students in the M.S. 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 M.S. 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 (Recommended) Electives

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 M.S. 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.

Suggested Sequence For Completion Of Courses

The following course sequence is provided to aid the M.S. 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, Cognitive Psychology will be waived as a core requirement for the 2010-2011 academic year and substituted with Developmental Psychology. The following suggested course sequence is for this year only.