Applied Social Psychology (MA)
The Master of Arts in Applied Social Psychology is a terminal degree program designed primarily to prepare people for careers as research specialist. Such individuals usually work under the direction of a PhD-level supervisor in government agencies, market research firms, research centers, personnel departments and so forth.
Curriculum
The Master of Arts in Applied Social Psychology requires 30 credit hours of coursework and the completion of a master's thesis.
Required Coursework
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Core Course Requirements | 12 | |
| Research Methods in Psychology 1 | ||
| Social Psychological Theory | ||
| Advanced Statistics | ||
| Multivariate Analysis 1 | ||
| Advanced Methods 2 | 6 | |
| Methods of Program Evaluation (required) | ||
| Structural Equation Modeling | ||
| Applied Topics (Pick One) | 3 | |
| Organizational Psychology | ||
| Prejudice and Intergroup Relations | ||
| Psychology and Law | ||
| Political Cognition | ||
| Basic Social Psychology (Pick One) | 3 | |
| Attitude and Attitude Change | ||
| Cognitive Social Psychology | ||
| Cognition and Emotion | ||
| Research in Group Dynamics | ||
| The Self and Self-Esteem | ||
| Two Graduate-Level PSYC Electives 3 | 6 | |
| Total Hours | 30 | |
- 1
Course must be completed with a grade of "B" or better.
- 2
Advanced Methods courses can be any graduate level statistics or methods course. Please contact Graduate Program Director for assistance.
- 3
Graduate level (400+) Psychology courses can be found here.
All PhD students and students in thesis-based Master's degree programs must successfully complete UNIV 370 Responsible Conduct in Research and Scholarship or other approved coursework in responsible conduct of research as part of the degree requirements. It is strongly recommended that students complete this two-day training before beginning the dissertation/thesis stage of the program.
Thesis
The master's thesis should reflect an applied problem or theoretical issue relevant to social psychology. In addition, the thesis should be empirical, i.e., involve the collection and analysis of data. The student must present the results of the study to the faculty and students of the Social Psychology Program as part of the Program colloquium series. All master's theses must be submitted for publication in accordance with Graduate School policy.
Students are encouraged to begin work on their Master's thesis early in their graduate careers. Optimally, data collection should begin in the fall semester of the student's second year, and the thesis should be completed by the beginning of the fall semester of his/her third year. This allows students to begin teaching for the department during their third year of graduate school.
Graduate & Professional Standards and Regulations
Students in graduate and professional programs can find their Academic Policies in Graduate and Professional Academic Standards and Regulations under their school. Any additional University Policies supercede school policies.
Learning Outcomes
- Explain how classic and contemporary social psychological theory and research applies to human behavior in social settings
- Learn to conduct a literature review
- Evaluate the scientific rigor of research presented in social psychological journals and books
- Synthesize principles of basic and advanced research methods to produce independent, scholarly work
- Understand how to derive novel, previously untested hypotheses.
- Design and conduct basic and applied social psychology research
- Understand how to statistically analyze and interpret data collected in social psychology research
- Understand how to write up an academic research article
- Understand how to give a high quality professional presentation
- Apply ethical standards to evaluate psychological science and practice
- Apply knowledge of social psychology to scholarly and/or professional activities to promote positive social change
- Apply psychological content and skills to career goals
- Acquisition of research and publication skills that will allow students to pursue an applied job after completing the program