The five-year program in applied social psychology allows students to earn both the BS in Psychology and the MA in Applied Social Psychology degrees in five years. Completing both degrees in five years saves students approximately one year of study.

Graduates of the program obtain skills in basic and applied research methodology, advanced training in statistics and a strong knowledge base for theory and research in social psychology. 

If you have additional questions about the program please contact Dr. Scott Tindale (Graduate Program Director).

CURRICULUM

The five-year degree in applied social psychology requires the completion of 120 hours of undergraduate coursework toward the BS in Psychology and the completion of 30 hours of graduate coursework toward the MA in Applied Social Psychology. Twelve hours of the graduate coursework also fulfill requirements for the undergraduate degree. The total number of required hours is 138. Successful completion of the MA degree also requires an empirical thesis.  Students begin taking graduate courses in their senior year and complete the program in their 5th year.

Course List

Code	Title	Hours
Required Psychology Courses
PSYC 101	General Psychology	3
PSYC 201	Psychology Advising and Career Development	1
PSYC 304	Statistics	3
PSYC 306	Research Methods in Psychology	3
Diversity and Inclusion Requirement Course		3
Choose one of the following:
PSYC 235	Psychology of Human Sexuality
PSYC 237	Cross-Cultural Psychology
PSYC 238	Gender & Sex Differences & Similarities
PSYC 239	Understanding Bias and Inclusivity
PSYC 360	Understanding Prejudice
PSYC 374	Community Psychology
Biological Pillar		3
PSYC 240	Psychology-Biology of Perception
or NEUR 101	Introduction to Neuroscience
Cognitive Pillar		3
Choose one of the following:
PSYC 250	Cognitive Psychology
PSYC 251	Learning and Memory
PSYC 307	Psychology of Language
PSYC 382	Behavorial and Cognitive Neuroscience
Developmental Pillar		3
PSYC 273	Developmental Psychology
PSYC 274	Lifespan Development
Mental Health Pillar		3
PSYC 331	Psychopathology
or PSYC 346	Psychopathology of Childhood
Social Pillar		3
PSYC 275	Social Psychology
Advanced Lab		1
Choose one of the following:
PSYC 311	Lab in Psychobiology
PSYC 312	Lab in Cognitive Neuroscience
PSYC 313	Lab in Behavioral Neuroscience
PSYC 314	Lab in Experimental Psychology: Cognition
PSYC 315	Lab in Tests & Measurements
PSYC 316	Lab in Experimental Psychology: Sense & Perception
PSYC 318	Lab in Developmental Psychology
PSYC 321	Laboratory-Social Psychology
PSYC 327	Lab on Body Image
Two (2) Electives 1		6
Select one of the following:		3
PSYC 370	Psychology Honors Research (Capstone)
2nd Advanced Lab Course
PSYC 369	Psychology Honors Readings (Honors only)	3
Ancillary Quantitative Requirement
Select two of the following:		6-8
MATH 108	Real World Modeling with Mathematics
MATH 117	Precalculus I
MATH 118	Precalculus II
MATH 131	Applied Calculus I
MATH 132	Applied Calculus II
MATH 161	Calculus I
MATH 162	Calculus II
MATH 215	Object-Oriented Programming with Mathematics
COMP 125	Visual Information Processing
COMP 150	Introduction to Computing
COMP 170	Introduction to Object-Oriented Programming
COMP 180	Computing and Data Analysis for the Sciences
DSCI 101	Fundamentals of Modern Data Science with R
STAT 103	Fundamentals of Statistics
MA Requirements
Core Course Requirements
PSYC 420	Research Methods in Psychology 2	3
PSYC 460	Social Psychological Theory	3
PSYC 482	Advanced Statistics	3
PSYC 491	Multivariate Analysis 2	3
Advanced Methods 3
PSYC 486	Methods of Program Evaluation (required)	3
PSYC 493	Structural Equation Modeling	3
Applied Topics (Pick One)		3
PSYC 472	Organizational Psychology
PSYC 484	Prejudice and Intergroup Relations
PSYC 485	Psychology and Law
PSYC 489	Political Cognition
Basic Social Psychology (Pick One)		3
PSYC 461	Attitude and Attitude Change
PSYC 462	Cognitive Social Psychology
PSYC 474	Research in Group Dynamics
PSYC 477	The Self and Self-Esteem
PSYC 479	Cognition and Emotion
Two (2) Graduate-Level PSYC Electives 4		6
Total Hours		77

¹

These can be replaced with 400-level courses.

²

Course must be completed with a grade of "B" or better.

³

Advanced Methods courses can be any graduate level statistics or methods course. Please contact Graduate Program Director for assistance.

⁴

Graduate level (400+) Psychology courses can be found here.

List of BA Elective Courses 

Course List

Code	Title	Hours
COMP 386	Computational Neuroscience	3
PSYC 235	Psychology of Human Sexuality	3
PSYC 274	Lifespan Development	3
PSYC 276	Philosophy of Mind	3
PSYC 280	Psychology of Judgment and Decision-Making	3
PSYC 332	Affective Neuroscience	3
PSYC 340	Psychology of Women	3
PSYC 348	Psychology of Adolescence	3
PSYC 350	Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience	3
PSYC 352	Neuropsychology	3
PSYC 355	Neuroethics	3
PSYC 362	Industrial/Organizational Psychology	3
PSYC 368	Counseling	3
PSYC 371	Psychology of Political Behavior	3
PSYC 372	Psychology & Law	3
PSYC 373	Health Psychology	3
PSYC 375	Psychology of Addiction	3
PSYC 376	Psychology of Religion	3
PSYC 377	Psychology of Music	3
PSYC 378	Drugs and Behavior	3
PSYC 386	Psychology Seminar: Selected Topics	3
PSYC 387	Seminar in Behavorial and Cognitive Neurosciences	3
PSYC 399	Special Studies in Psychology	1-3

 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.

Responsible Conduct of Research

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.

Guidelines for Accelerated Bachelor’s/Master’s Programs

Terms

• Accelerated Bachelor’s/Master’s programs: In this type of program, students share limited credits between their undergraduate and graduate degrees to facilitate completion of both degrees.  
• Shared credits: Graduate level credit hours taken during the undergraduate program and then applied towards graduate program requirements will be referred to as shared credits.

Admission Requirements

Accelerated Bachelor’s/Master’s programs are designed to enhance opportunities for advanced training for Loyola’s undergraduates. Admission to these programs must be competitive and will depend upon a positive review of credentials by the program’s admissions committee. Accordingly, the admission requirements for these programs may be higher than those required if the master’s degree were pursued entirely after the receipt of a bachelor’s degree. That is, programs may choose to have more stringent admissions requirements in addition to those minimal requirements below.

Requirements:

• Declared appropriate undergraduate major,
• By the time students begin taking graduate courses as an undergraduate, the student has completed approximately 90 credit hours, or the credit hours required in a program that is accredited by a specialty organization,¹
• A minimum cumulative GPA for coursework at Loyola that is at or above the program-specific requirements, a minimum major GPA that is at or above the program-specific requirements, and/or appropriate designated coursework for evaluation of student readiness in their discipline.²

Students not eligible for the Accelerated Bachelor’s/Master’s program (e.g., students who have not declared the appropriate undergraduate major) may apply to the master’s program through the regular admissions process. Students enrolled in an Accelerated Bachelor’s/Master’s program who choose not to continue to the master’s degree program upon completion of the bachelor’s degree will face no consequences.³

Ideally, a student will apply for admission (or confirm interest in proceeding towards the graduate degree in opt-out programs) as they approach 90 credit hours. Programs are encouraged to begin advising students early in their major so that they are aware of the program and, if interested, can complete their bachelor’s degree requirements in a way that facilitates completion of the program. Once admitted as an undergraduate, Program Directors should ensure that students are enrolled using the plan code associated with the Accelerated Bachelor’s/Master’s program. Using the plan code associated with the Accelerated Bachelor’s/Master’s program will ensure that students may be easily identified as they move through the program. Students will not officially matriculate into the master’s degree program and be labeled as a graduate student by the university, with accompanying changes to tuition and Financial Aid (see below), until the undergraduate degree has been awarded. Once admitted to the graduate program, students must meet the academic standing requirements of their graduate program as they complete the program curriculum.

¹

Programs that have specialized accreditation will adhere to the admissions criteria provided by, or approved by, their specialized accreditors.

²

The program will identify appropriate indicators of student readiness for graduate coursework (e.g., high-level performance in 300 level courses). Recognizing differences between how majors are designed, we do not specify a blanket requirement.

³

If students choose not to enroll in the Accelerated Bachelor’s/Master’s program, they still must complete all of the standard requirements associated with the undergraduate degree (e.g., a capstone).

For more information on Admissions requirements, visit here.

Curriculum

Level and progression of courses. The Accelerated Bachelor’s/Master’s programs are designed to be competitive and attractive to our most capable students. Students admitted to Accelerated Bachelor’s/Master’s programs should be capable of meeting graduate level learning outcomes. Following guidance from the Higher Learning Commission, only courses taken at the 400 level or higher (including 300/400 level courses taken at the 400 level) will count toward the graduate program.^1,2  Up to 50% of the total graduate level credit hours, required in the graduate program, may come from 300/400 level courses where the student is enrolled in the 400 level of the course. Further, at least 50% of the credit hours for the graduate program must come from courses that are designed for and restricted to graduate students who have been admitted to a graduate program at Loyola (e.g., enrolled in plan code that indicates the Accelerated Bachelor’s/Master’s program, typically ending with the letter “D”).³

In general, graduate level coursework should not be taken prior to admission into the Accelerated Bachelor’s/Master’s program. Exceptions may be granted for professional programs where curriculum for the Accelerated Bachelor’s/Master’s program is designed to begin earlier. On the recommendation of the program’s Graduate Director, students may take one of their graduate level courses before they are admitted to the Accelerated Bachelors/Master’s program if they have advanced abilities in their discipline and course offerings warrant such an exception.⁴ Undergraduate degree requirements outside of the major are in no way impacted by admission to an Accelerated Bachelor’s/Master’s program.⁵

Shared credits. Undergraduate courses (i.e., courses offered at the 300 level or below) cannot be counted as shared credits nor count towards the master’s degree. Up to 50% of the total graduate level credit hours, required in the graduate program, may be counted in meeting both the undergraduate and graduate degree requirements. Of those shared credits, students in an Accelerated Bachelor’s/Master’s program should begin their graduate program with the standard introductory course(s) for the program whenever possible. So that students may progress through the Accelerated Bachelor’s/Master’s program in a timely manner, undergraduate programs are encouraged to design their curriculum such that a student can complete some required graduate credit hours while completing the undergraduate degree. For instance, some of the graduate curriculum should also satisfy electives for the undergraduate major.

The program’s Graduate Director will designate credit hours to be shared through the advising form and master’s degree conferral review process. Shared credit hours will not be marked on the undergraduate record as having a special status in the undergraduate program. They will be included in the student’s undergraduate earned hours and GPA. Graduate credit hours taken during the undergraduate program will not be included in the graduate GPA calculation.

¹

If students wish to transfer credits from another university to Loyola University Chicago, the program’s Graduate director will review the relevant syllabus(es) to determine whether it meets the criteria for a 400 level course or higher.

²

Programs with specialized accreditation requirements that allow programs to offer graduate curriculum to undergraduate students will conform to those specialized accreditation requirements.

³

In rare cases, the Graduate Director may authorize enrollment in a 400-level course for a highly qualified and highly motivated undergraduate, ensuring that the undergraduate's exceptional participation in the graduate class will not diminish in any way the experience of the graduate students regularly enrolled.

⁴

For example, if a particular course is only offered once every 2-3 years, and a student has demonstrated the necessary ability to be successful, the Graduate Director may allow a student to take a graduate level course to be shared prior to the student being formally admitted to the graduate program. See, also, footnote 3.

⁵

Students should not, for example, attempt to negotiate themselves out of a writing intensive requirement on the basis of admission to a graduate program.

Graduation

Degrees are awarded sequentially. All details of undergraduate commencement are handled in the ordinary way as for all students in the School/College/Institute. Once in the graduate program, students abide by the graduation deadlines set forth by the graduate program. Students in these programs must be continuously enrolled from undergraduate to graduate degree program unless given explicit permission by their program for a gap year or approved leave of absence. In offering the option of an Accelerated Bachelor’s/Master’s program, the university is making possible the acceleration of a student’s graduate degree completion. It should be understood that students may not request deferral of their matriculation into the Master’s degree program. If students would like to delay their graduate studies after earning the undergraduate degree, they may apply for admission to the traditional master’s degree program. Any application of graduate credit earned while in the undergraduate program is subject to the policies of the graduate degree granting school.

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