Psychology, M.A.
Admission Requirements
Applicants are required to submit the completed application form with all requested supplemental materials, official transcripts from degree-granting institutions, and official transcripts of all previous graduate coursework. Deadlines are rolling and admission is possible each semester but students must be admitted prior to the start of the semester in which they intend to enroll. Students previously admitted to the Marshall University Accelerated Graduate Degree program need to submit an application to be formally transmitted into the MA in Psychology. Once admitted, all students must have a formal Plan of Study in the record before the end of the first semester of admission.
An Undergraduate Grade Point Average (GPA) of 3.0 or higher on a 4.0 scale for all previously completed undergraduate university work is required.
Completion of the following prerequisite courses is required for admission to any M.A. psychology program: Elementary or Introductory Statistics, Experimental Psychology or Research Methods; Abnormal Psychology; Learning, Social Psychology and Developmental Psychology. These prerequisite courses must have been passed at the undergraduate level with a grade no lower than a B.
Admission Priority Deadlines
Applications for admission to the General Psychology Master’s, School Psychology Emphasis, and Behavioral Statistics Certificate programs are due by the following dates:
Domestic Applicants
| Term | Due Date |
|---|---|
| Fall | August 1 |
| Spring | December 1 |
| Summer | May 1 |
International Applicants
| Term | Due Date |
|---|---|
| Fall | June 15 |
| Spring | October 15 |
| Summer | March 15 |
Application Process
All applicants should follow the admissions process described in the Graduate Catalog. Application materials and current program information can be obtained by contacting the Marshall University Psychology Department, the Marshall University Graduate Admissions office website at www.marshall.edu/graduate/admissions/how-to-apply-for-admission, or by consulting the Psychology Department website at www.marshall.edu/psych/. (Submit all materials to the Graduate Admissions Office.)
Conditional Admission
Students may be admitted to the general psychology master’s program with “Conditional” status if they are missing certain official documentation supporting their application. Examples of such official documentation include a final transcript from their college or university documenting the successful completion of the bachelor’s degree. This may occur when a student applies to the general psychology master’s program while completing the final semester or quarter of their undergraduate program.
Provisional Admission
Students may be admitted to the general psychology master’s program with “Provisional” status if no more than one prerequisite course is missing or for no more than one other missing piece of supporting documentation. Provisionally admitted students will be fully admitted to the program when they have completed 12 hours of classes (which must include PSY 517 Inter Behavioral Stat and PSY 506 Psychometrics) from the core courses listed below with no grade being below a B. A student who earns a C or lower in any of the listed core classes during the period of provisional status will not be permitted to take further graduate hours within the psychology department. Students granted provisional admission status because of missing course prerequisites will be fully admitted to the program upon successful completion of the missing prerequisites and of any graduate courses taken during the provisional period. Students will not be provisionally admitted to the area of emphasis in clinical psychology or the post master’s certificate in clinical psychology.
Core (24 credits)
PSY 506 Psychometrics
PSY 517 Inter Behavioral Stat
PSY 605 Ethic Legal & Prof Issue Psych
PSY 606 Adv Social Psychology
PSY 615 Adv Developmental Psychology
PSY 672 Cognition and Emotion
PSY 674 Biological Bases of Behavior
PSY 622 Research Sem in Psych
Provisional students will be assigned an advisor who must approve all course registrations. Provisional students will have a departmental hold placed on their registration to assure advisor approval and compliance with this policy. This hold will be permanently removed upon full admittance.
Program Requirements
General Requirements
The general psychology M.A. program requires a minimum of 36 graduate credit hours, though students may complete significantly more, depending upon their objectives. A common “core” of 24 credits is required of all students. The remaining hours are selected in consultation with an advisor to help meet students’ academic and professional goals.
Ethics and Student Behavior
Students in all programs are expected to behave in accordance with the APA Ethical Principles and Code of Conduct. Consequences for violations may include suspension or dismissal from the student’s program of study. When students in the clinical area of emphasis (M.A. program) exhibit behavior indicating inability or limited capacity to successfully perform clinical roles and functions, they may be suspended or dismissed from their program of study.
Plan of Study
Before registration for the 12th graduate credit hour, all graduate students must complete an official Plan of Study form to be approved by the Graduate Director and/or Department Chair and submitted for approval to the Graduate Studies office.
Comprehensive Examination
A written comprehensive examination is required of all students in the M.A. program. Details about the exam are available from advisors and the program coordinator.
Additional Coursework
The general psychology M.A. program requires a minimum of 12 additional credit hours beyond the required core. These are to be selected in consultation with the advisor. With the advisor’s approval, courses from other departments that are consistent with the student’s academic and career goals may be included in the required 12 additional credits. Students may, and often do, take more than 36 credit hours as part of their degree programs; in preparing their plans of study, students should carefully discuss their academic and career goals with their advisors and other faculty members.
Areas of Emphasis
There are three Areas of Emphasis in the M.A. in Psychology:
- Applied Research in Psychology
- School Psychology
- (Clinical Psychology- Admission currently suspended.)
Two-C Rule and Student Behavior
The following two statements are applicable to all psychology graduate programs:
- 2-C Rule: Psychology students cannot be admitted to, or continue in, a graduate program in psychology if they earn more than one grade of “C” or lower in any graduate course in psychology or any course included in the plan of study. Such students will not be permitted to continue taking courses or to work on a doctoral research project. Please see the complete description of the 2-C Rule on the second page of the M.A. in Psychology section.
- Ethics and Student Behavior: Students in all programs are expected to behave in accordance with the APA Ethical Principles and Code of Conduct. Consequences for violations may include suspension or dismissal from the student’s program of study. When students in the clinical area of emphasis (M.A. program) or the Psy.D. program exhibit behavior indicating inability or limited capacity to successfully perform clinical roles and functions, they may be suspended or dismissed from their program of study.
Plan of Study
Students have the option of completing a research thesis. The department has established a set of criteria and procedures for doing a thesis; these are available from advisors. These may be good choices for students intending to continue their education in research-oriented Ph.D. programs. This issue should be carefully discussed with the advisor. Up to 6 credits of PSY 681 Thesis may be included as “additional coursework” discussed below. In addition to the core courses listed, students must complete at least 12 additional hours approved by the Program Coordinator, as well as the Comprehensive Examination, in order to graduate.
| Code | Title | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Core Requirements | ||
| PSY 506 | Psychometrics 1,3 | 3 |
| PSY 517 | Inter Behavioral Stat 2,3 | 3 |
| PSY 605 | Ethic Legal & Prof Issue Psych | 3 |
| or PSY 603 | Ethics of Behavioral Research | |
| PSY 606 | Adv Social Psychology | 3 |
| PSY 615 | Adv Developmental Psychology | 3 |
| PSY 672 | Cognition and Emotion | 3 |
| PSY 674 | Biological Bases of Behavior | 3 |
| Capstone Research (Pick 3 credits; 3-6 if Thesis) | 3-6 | |
| Comprehensive Exam is required for all MA in Psychology students | ||
| Thesis ( 6 hours) | ||
| Research Sem in Psych | ||
| Electives: Select 12 credit hours | 12 | |
| Alternative Statistics Course 2 | ||
| Experimental Design 3 | ||
| Multivariate Analysis 4 | ||
| Advanced Regression Techniques 4 | ||
| Other Electives selected with Advisor and College of Liberal Arts approval: | ||
| Abnormal Psychology | ||
| Child Psychology | ||
| Psychology of Learning | ||
| Psychology of Personnel | ||
| Theories of Personality | ||
| Intro to I-O Psychology | ||
| Cross Cultural Psychology | ||
| Computer Applic in PSY 4 | ||
| Curr Models of Psychotherapy | ||
| Physiological Psychology | ||
| Health Psychology | ||
| History & Systems Psych | ||
| Teaching Psychology | ||
| Psychopharmacology | ||
| Social Psych Bases of Groups | ||
| Performance Appraisal | ||
| I-O Psych Internship | ||
PSY 690-695 Seminar | ||
| Total Credit Hours | 36-39 | |
*Different electives can be substituted with Advisor and COLA approval
- 1
Note: If PSY 406 Psychometrics or its equivalent was completed with a B or better as an undergraduate, an acceptable alternative must be substituted, in consultation with the student’s advisor.
- 2
Note: If PSY 417 Inter Behavioral Stat or its equivalent was completed with a B or better as an undergraduate, an additional statistics course must be substituted, in consultation with the student’s advisor.
- 3
Note: These nine hours, PSY 506. 517, and 623, go towards the requirements for the Behavioral Statistics Graduate Certificate.
- 4
Note: Select one course, PSY 527, 624, or 652, to meet the elective requirement for the Behavioral Statistics Graduate Certificate.