|
|
2016-2017 University Catalog
Psychology, MA
|
|
Banner Code: LA-MA-PSYC
Web: psychology.gmu.edu
College: College of Humanities and Social Sciences
Department: Psychology
The master’s degree in psychology has five concentrations:
The department does not offer a master’s degree in clinical or counseling psychology, but a master’s degree in psychology with a concentration in clinical psychology is available for students who have been admitted to the doctoral program concentration in clinical psychology.
An accelerated master’s option with a CBNR concentration is available to students in the psychology bachelor’s program (BS or BA). See listing for specific requirements.
For policies governing all master’s degree, see Academic Policies .
|
Application Requirements
Applicants to all graduate programs at George Mason University must meet the admission standards and application requirements for graduate study as specified in the Admissions section of this catalog. For information specific to the MA in psychology, see Application Requirements and Deadlines on the departmental web site. Provisional Admission
Students who are admitted provisionally are required to take 12 credits in psychology and earn a minimum GPA of 3.25 in those courses to qualify for removal of the provisional qualifier. Programs may add other conditions to provisional admission. Individualized study courses cannot be used toward the 12 credits. Degree Requirements
In addition to satisfying the requirements for all master’s degrees, students pursuing a master’s degree in psychology must successfully complete 30-46 credits of required course work. They complete this coursework in one of six concentrations.
A maximum of 6 credits of thesis proposal and thesis research (PSYC 798 , 799 ) may be applied to the master’s degree. A maximum of 9 credits of thesis courses (798 , 799 ), Directed Reading and Research (PSYC 597 ), and Practicum (PSYC 792 ) may be applied to the degree.
▲ Concentration in Applied Developmental Psychology (APD)
The concentration in applied developmental psychology focuses on child development. It provides basic knowledge about normal development, skills for assessing developmental level, and techniques for planning and evaluating programs that foster optimal development. Graduates are prepared for employment at agencies concerned with educational and health programs for children, enrichment programs for infants and preschoolers, and education programs for parents. Two core courses (6 credits)
One required course (3 credits)
One additional course (3 credits) chosen from any of the areas below:
Two courses (7-8 credits) of quantitative methods
Two courses (6 credits) of specialized content
One or two courses (3-6 credits) chosen from the following:
A maximum of one course (0-3 credits) chosen from:
Thesis research or practicum experience (4 credits) chosen from one of these options:
Thesis (4 credits)
The thesis includes a combination of PSYC 798 /799 . Per the University Catalog, at least 3 hours must be 799; these 3 hours must be taken the first semester in which PSYC 799 is registered. Thus, this is generally a combination of 1 credit of PSYC 798 and 3 of PSYC 799 .
Students should be aware of the policies governing theses. They must follow the thesis enrollment policy of the university and once enrolled in PSYC 799 , maintain continuous enrollment. See Academic Policies .
Professional seminar (2 credits)
Students should take 1 credit in fall and 1 credit in spring of their first year. Electives (4-5 credits)
Elective credits should be chosen in consultation with your advisor. Elective credit can be taken via content courses, further practicum, directed reading, or research credits, or further thesis credits (i.e. more than 4 credits). Electives may also come from other departments although these often require permission of the instructor.
▲ Concentration in Clinical Psychology (CLN)
The clinical psychology concentration trains students to have flexibility to fill the evolving functions of clinical psychologists, including research, direct provision of clinical services, supervision, program development and evaluation, and consultation.
The clinical psychology MA concentration is not a terminal degree. Students who have been admitted to the doctoral program with a concentration in clinical psychology may apply to receive the MA in psychology on completion of 30 credits of course work. Students must also be in good standing in the program, as determined by the director of clinical training.
Four foundation courses (14 credits)
Two practicum courses (6 credits)
Three or more courses in advanced statistics and research methods (10-11 credits)
Note: For doctoral quantitative emphases B and C, both PSYC 754 and PSYC 756 must be taken, but only one of these courses is required for the MA. Total: minimum 30 credits
▲ Concentration in Cognitive and Behavioral Neuroscience (CBNR)
The concentration in cognitive and behavioral neuroscience focuses on studying biological substrates of behavior. Core and affiliated faculty study areas as diverse as neural control of behavioral development; brain systems in substance abuse; animal models of learning and memory and their disorders (such as Alzheimer’s); human brain systems involved in cognition, perception, human error, decision making, and movement; the relation of neural activity to human performance; and cognitive aging. A focus of the program is on translational neuroscience-complementary study of neural systems in humans and animals, including application of animal research to human behavior. Two courses (5 credits) of specialized content
One chemistry course (3 credits) chosen from:
Two courses (7-8 credits) of quantitative methods
Professional seminar (1 credit)
Elective courses (at least 9 credits)
Students complete the 32 credits required for the degree through additional credits of course work or research. They can choose from courses below or other courses with the approval of their advisor. Students intending to pursue a doctorate are strongly advised to take PSYC 531 . Thesis (6 credits)
A thesis is normally required, but 6 credits of PSYC 792 - Practicum may serve as a substitute if approved by the advisor and program coordinator.
Students should be aware of the policies governing theses. They must follow the thesis enrollment policy of the university and once enrolled in PSYC 799 , maintain continuous enrollment. See Academic Policies . ▲ Concentration in Human Factors/Applied Cognition (HF)
The human factors/applied cognition concentration trains students in the application of cognitive science to real-world problems. Students gain expertise in such areas as human/computer interaction, cognitive system engineering, cognitive ergonomics, and transportation. Faculty members help place students who do not have real-world experience in a part- or full-time practicum before completing the degree. One core course (3 credits) chosen from:
Two courses (7-8 credits) of quantitative methods
One required course (4 credits)
One additional course (3-4 credits) chosen from:
Two courses (6 credits) of specialized content
Two courses (6 credits) which may be repeated, chosen from:
Electives (0-8 credits)
Students complete the 30 credits required for this degree through additional course work, including courses not listed above, within or outside the department, with prior written approval of the graduate director.
Optional Practicum (6 credits)
Students need an advisor’s approval to register for practicum. Optional Thesis (6 credits)
Students need the chair’s approval to register for thesis. Students should be aware of the policies governing theses. They must follow the thesis enrollment policy of the university and once enrolled in PSYC 799 , maintain continuous enrollment. See Academic Policies . ▲ Concentration in Industrial/Organizational Psychology (IO)
The industrial/organizational psychology concentration trains students in the conduct and application of psychological research in work settings. Expertise can be developed in a variety of areas, including personnel selection, training, leadership, motivation, and human performance assessment. One core course (3 credits)
Three courses (at least 10 credits) of statistics
Two courses (6 credits) of survey of content
Three courses (9 credits) of specialized content chosen from:
When their topic is relevant, other courses, including sections of PSYC 592 , may be applied to this requirement. 1 credit of professional development chosen from:
- Practicum (Students need an advisor’s approval to register for practicum.)
Electives (0-3 credits)
Students complete the 32 credits required for this degree through additional course work in statistics or specialized content. |
|
|
Print-Friendly Page
