Master of Science in Psychology Program

Description

The New College of Interdisciplinary Arts and Sciences at Arizona State University offers a Master of Science (M.S.) degree in Psychology.  The Masters in Psychology program is research oriented and does not lead to eligibility for clinical licensing. The program is most appropriate for students who plan to continue on to a doctoral program, and students who wish to pursue a research-based or applied career in psychology or related fields, such as marketing research, education research analysis, public policy analysis, research project management, and program evaluation.

The Masters in Psychology program is housed on ASU’s west campus in Phoenix, AZ, and offers state-of-the art laboratory, computing and classroom space. Students have flexibility to take graduate courses throughout the university’s graduate programs to match their career goals.

Is This Program Right For Me?

The two-year program consists of 31 credit hours, including electives.  During the second year of the program either a thesis or an applied project is required (a thesis is recommended for students wishing to seek admission to a doctoral program).  Upon admission, students are matched individually with a faculty advisor who assists in designing the student's program of study, and facilitates optimal completion of all requirements.  Our students receive training in advanced research methods and statistics, and can take elective seminar courses in several areas including abnormal psychology, affective science, behavior analysis, cognitive psychology, developmental psychology, health psychology, legal psychology, psychophysiology, and social psychology.

It is expected that all students participate in faculty-guided research.  Our students receive hands-on experience on experimental design, laboratory instrumentation, data collection and analysis, manuscript development, and grant proposal writing.  Students are prepared for and encouraged to attend regional and national psychological conventions to present their findings.  It is expected that over the two-year program, students will participate as coauthors in published research reports and monographs.  For information about faculty research interests, see a list of the faculty.

Do I Qualify?

Our Masters in Psychology program has a limited number of spots each year, and we have the following criteria to assist in our selection.

• Completed M.S. application
• Bachelor's degree in Psychology or a related field
• Minimum cumulative grade point average (GPA) of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale
• Completion of the Graduate Record Exam (GRE), with a recommended V+Q score of 1100 (old exam) or 300 (new exam).
• Successful completion of undergraduate statistics and research methods courses
• Three letters of recommendation from faculty
• A personal statement no longer than 3 pages double-spaced describing how you would be a good fit for our program, including your research interests and career plans. Your statement should specify the faculty member(s) with whom you are interested in working.

How Do I Apply?

For admission to the Fall 2012 semester, we will begin reviewing applications in February 2012, and we will continue to accept applications on a rolling basis as space permits.  Applications are accepted online through the ASU Graduate College website (http://graduate.asu.edu/admissions). The application fee is $70. (Please note: The Masters in Psychology program does not admit students to begin in the spring semester.)

How Much Does It Cost?

Tuition costs depend on students‘ residency and the number of credit hours taken each semester. Visit http://students.asu.edu/costs to calculate your tuition costs.

Is Financial Support Available?

In addition to the financial support options offered by ASU, a limited number of teaching and research assistantships may be available during the second year in the program for qualifying students.

For More Information

If you have questions about the Masters in Psychology program, please contact Dr. Dawn McQuiston, Program Director, at dawn.mcquiston@asu.edu or 602-543-6157, or Jan Lacey, Academic Success Coordinator at jlacey@asu.edu or 602.543-6266.

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