|
The Master of Arts in General Psychology is a 36 credit program that can be completed on a part-time or full-time basis. The program is designed to serve three broad groups:
- students who wish to acquire knowledge in psychology to advance an already established career path
- students who have an interest in future doctoral level training, but who need additional preparation to apply competitively for such a program
- students who have a general interest in learning more about psychology and human behavior.
The Master of Arts in General Psychology student takes 12 courses (3 credits each). Five of the twelve courses are required core courses in the foundations of psychology. The remaining seven courses are elective courses that allow the student to tailor course selections to their individual needs, and can be taken in various areas of psychology or a clustering of courses in a specific area of psychology such as Industrial/Organization, Forensic Psychology, or Clinical Studies.
Industrial/Organizational Concentration
The Master of Arts in general psychology offers several courses in industrial/organizational psychology. In general, these courses prepare students for positions in business with a focus on human resource management (HRM). Course content areas include personnel selection, performance evaluation, management/employee relations, motivation, and organizational behavior and change. Taking a special predetermined group of I/O courses will lead to a Certificate in Human Resources Management (see below). This selection of courses is designed to prepare students to develop core competencies needed to plan, control, and direct organizations for effective and efficient use of human resources, and to become skilled, knowledgeable, and ethical professionals applying concepts of psychology and organizational behavior to business. Several of these courses are offered in conjunction with the School of Business.
Successful graduates of the Master of Arts in general psychology program who complete the specified concentration in industrial/organizational psychology will earn an M.A. degree in psychology and a certificate in human resource management.
Forensic Psychology Electives
We periodically offer several courses in the area of Forensic Psychology. Recent courses offered in this area have included: The Criminal Mind, Forensic Assessment, Introduction to Forensic, Proseminar in Forensics, Juvenile Delinquency, Current Issues in Forensics, Family Violence, and Child Custody Forensic Evaluations.
Clinical Studies Electives
We periodically offer several courses in the area of Clinical Studies. Recent courses offered in this area have included: Child Psychopathology, Eating Disorders, Trauma, Dialectical Behavioral Therapy, Substance Abuse, Psychopharmacology, Clinical Interventions, Hypnosis, and Autism Spectrum Disorders.
Graduation Requirements
To meet the requirements for the Master of Arts, students must earn a minimum grade of B in all core courses. Students will have to repeat any core course in which they received a grade below B. Electives in which students earned less than a B will not count toward graduation. However, students may choose to take a different elective.
After completing all course requirements students must pass the Comprehensive Exam, with a minimum grade of 80. The comprehensive exam consists of questions about the core courses. You will have four hours to complete the four questions. There is a $50. One-time fee for taking this exam.
All four sections of the Comprehensive Exam need to be passed before a student can earn his/her degree. A student may retake the sections that he/she fails up to two times within a one year period. Exams are generally given in August and in January. It is the student’s responsibility to contact the department to get the exact date once the student knows which administration he/she wishes to take.
If a student does not pass all sections of the Comprehensive Exam within the first year, the student will receive an F on his/her transcript. This F cannot be removed (Course # 0502-634-01) from his/her transcript. The student is allowed to retake the Comprehensive Exam one more time but will need to re-register for the Comprehensive Exam (Course# 0502-634-01), complete the entire exam, and pass all four sections within the subsequent year. In addition, the student must register for Continuous Matriculation (Course # 0502-599) for each semester until he/she completes all requirements of the degree program. Students will be allowed to register for the Comprehensive Exam only twice. If the student fails both attempts, the student will not be eligible to receive a Master’s Degree. If all degree requirements have not been completed successfully after three years of continuous matriculation, the student will be withdrawn from candidacy for the degree.
|
