Psychology (MS) - Thesis Concentration
Degree Requirements
Graduate Studies
The Master of Science degree program in Psychology (BBS) is designed to provide individuals with knowledge of current theories, principles, and methods of psychology in preparation for future work toward a doctoral degree, employment in a research setting or employment in a college teaching position. The Department of Psychology currently accepts applicants to the Master of Science degree program, with an interest in one or more areas of concentration in the Behavioral and Brain Sciences. The available areas of concentration include: Behavioral Statistics/Computational Modeling, Personality and Measurement, Cognitive and Perceptual Processing, Psychophysiology, Social/Developmental Psychology, and Scholarship of Teaching and Learning.
Requirements for Regular Admission
Students are typically only admitted for the Fall Semester. Students may be admitted during Spring semester if warranted due to special circumstances approved by all core program faculty . Applicants should submit their materials by February 15. The following criteria supplement the Graduate School criteria (see Categories of Admission):
- A bachelor's degree from an accredited institution of higher education
- A minimum grade point average of 3.00 on all undergraduate course work (A=4.0).
- Completion of at least 21 semester hours of psychology courses on the undergraduate level including at least one course in statistics and one in experimental methods.
- Official GRE scores are requested, but not required. Admitted students have traditionally had summed scores above 300 on the verbal and quantitative subtests of the GRE. However, each applicant will be evaluated individually and on a holistic basis. Importantly, strong GRE scores may be beneficial for students looking to offset weaknesses in their application (e.g., low GPA).
- A Statement of Purpose: Detailing the applicant's relevant experiences, career and future plans, and with which core program faculty mentors they would most like to work.
- Students should be prepared to provide the names and email addresses of three recommenders. The recommenders will then be contacted separately and submit their recommendations in a dedicated portal.
- TOEFL scores (for international students only).
Accelerated Bachelor’s To Master’s Program In Psychology (ABM)
The USA accelerated bachelor’s to master’s (ABM) in Psychology provides exceptional undergraduate students the opportunity to earn a bachelor’s and master’s degree at an accelerated pace in Psychology. While still an undergraduate, ABM students may count up to 12 credit hours of graduate course work towards their undergraduate degree. ABM students typically complete the master’s degree within one academic year after completing the undergraduate degree.
Psychology majors are encouraged to apply for the Accelerated Bachelor’s to Master’s (ABM) Program in Psychology. This program is designed to allow the student to complete the Bachelor’s degree in Psychology and the Master’s degree in Psychology (Behavior and Brain Sciences program only) in five years.
Requirements for ABM Admission
Admission will be based on characteristics of the applicant and research match to the Psychology faculty. Applicants must transmit a personal statement and have two letters of recommendation sent to the graduate program coordinator. Application material are due by February 15. Once admitted into the ABM program, students must maintain at least a 3.0 GPA and remain in good standing to progress into the graduate program. Admission will be a competitive process. The minimum standards are:
- Have completed at least 90 credit hours
- Have completed at least 30 credit hours at USA
- Must complete PSY 220 prior to fall semester of junior year
- Must complete PSY 220 and PSY 320 with a minimum grade of B
- Must have at least a 3.3 GPA (Cumulative and Psychology). In exceptional cases, candidates with a lower GPA may be considered.
- Requires 2 letters of recommendation.
- A Statement of Purpose: Detailing the applicant's relevant experiences, career and future plans, and with which core program faculty mentors they would most like to work.
- Must have a verifiable score on either the ACT, SAT, or GRE
- Taking PSY 490- Research Design and Analysis III is recommended
ABM Program Procedures
ABM students may begin taking graduate courses after completing at least 90 hours of undergraduate credit. Typically, during their senior undergraduate year, students will take 7 graduate credits per semester for 2 semesters (14 hours) while they are also taking undergraduate courses. Of these 14 graduate hours, 6 hours typically count toward the undergraduate degree. Graduate courses counting toward the graduate degree taken during the senior year must be completed with grades of at least B. Graduate courses with a grade of C can count toward the undergraduate degree but not the graduate degree. Graduate courses with a grade below C cannot count toward the undergraduate or graduate degree. Completion of the ABM program requires students complete at least 150 approved unique credit hours. To qualify for a baccalaureate degree, a student must complete at least 120 approved semester hours. To qualify for a master’s degree a student must complete a minimum of 30 approved semester hours. Generally, undergraduate students are not approved to take more than 12 credit hours of graduate coursework.
Upon completing the undergraduate degree, students will apply to the Psychology (Behavioral and Brain Sciences) Master's program. ABM students who are in good standing will be accepted into the Psychology Master’s program. A student who withdraws or is dismissed from the ABM program may not count graduate coursework towards both degrees.
An ABM student must be a full time student and must complete all degree requirements for the master’s within three semesters of the semester in which they were admitted to the Graduate School. An exception for a fourth semester may be granted where an additional semester is required for final revisions to and submission of a defended thesis. Exceptions to the ABM policy are at the discretion of the Dean of the Graduate School.
Requirements for MS Degree for All Students
Behavioral and Brain Sciences students must complete a minimum of 36 semester hours with a minimum grade of B in each course (and a minimum GPA of 3.0) to obtain the Masters of Science degree in Psychology. There are 10 hours of required core courses for all Master’s students in Psychology as shown below.
All degree requirements must be completed within seven years from the date of matriculation as a graduate student. If a student has not completed her or his degree requirements at the end of the seven years, the student will have to reapply for admission to the program. If the student is re-accepted, he or she will have to re-start their program upon re-admission.
Graduate Curriculum
Behavioral and Brain Sciences Thesis Concentration
Students admitted to the Master of Science in Psychology Behavioral and Brain Sciences thesis concentration must complete the curriculum described below and appropriate electives. A minimum of 36 hours of graduate courses are required.
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Research Methodology/Statistics | ||
| PSY 500 | Proseminar in Psychology | 4 |
| PSY 501 | Research Design and Stats I | 3 |
| PSY 502 | Research Design and Stats II | 3 |
| Comparative/Genetic | ||
| PSY 590 | Sp Top in Psychology - | 3 |
| or PSY 575 | Comparative Psychology | |
| Social | ||
| PSY 520 | Personality Res and Theory | 3 |
| or PSY 522 | Soc & Personality Psychology | |
| Cognition | ||
| PSY 514 | Learning | 3 |
| or PSY 586 | Cognitive Neuroscience | |
| Developmental | ||
| PSY 524 | Lifespan Development | 3 |
| or PSY 570 | Intel Disable/Autism Spec Dis | |
| Electives | ||
| Select eight hours of electives | 8 | |
| Thesis | ||
| PSY 599 | Thesis Research (6 - 9 hours) | 6 |
| Total Hours | 36 | |
Comprehensive Exam
All students must successfully complete a comprehensive written examination prior to graduation. The comprehensive exam entails a write-up of a research project that is submitted to the student's research mentor by the final week of the first spring semester. The manuscripts is evaluated by the comprehensive exam committee. If the student fails the exam, they will be required to retake it by the end of their second summer term. The comprehensive exam committee will meet regarding individuals who have failed the comprehensive examination two times to determine if remediation and/or a third attempt will be recommended or if the student will be immediately dismissed from the program. Failure on the third attempt will result in automatic dismissal.