Department of Psychology

The Master of Science in Psychology (M.S.)

Contents

Course Offerings


Application Information


Scope and Objectives


The Master of Science program in general/experimental psychology provides students with an education in core areas of psychological science, including personality/social, learning, perception/cognition, developmental, and sensory/physiological. The M.S. program is designed for students with a variety of career goals. Whereas many of our students pursue doctoral degrees in psychology, others pursue careers in related fields. For students who intend to continue their graduate study, the program's accomplishments are threefold. First, students who complete the M.S. program establish a foundation for further study in psychology, in both basic and applied areas. The wide variety of courses offered in the program provides students with a strong background, useful for understanding specialized areas of psychology, as well as for teaching related courses. Second, for those students who are undecided about which area of psychology they would like to pursue, the program provides an opportunity to become familiar with a variety of areas of psychology, thus, enabling students to focus their interests. Finally, the program provides students with an opportunity to demonstrate their ability to perform at a graduate level, enhancing their opportunities for entrance into a doctoral program. 

The program also is designed for those who are interested in pursuing careers in applied areas of psychology and in related fields that require mastery of the principles and methods of general/experimental psychology. Some of our former students, for example, are working in management, government, human factors, human resources, health related fields, and research positions. The experimental M.S. in psychology is not intended to prepare students for careers in clinical psychology, although some of our masters students have been subsequently admitted into doctoral programs in clinical and counseling psychology. At ISU, the current areas of specialization include cognition, social, personality, developmental, and physiological and comparative psychology. Although each of these areas is not considered a separate degree program, our mentor model does allow for individualized courses of study. Students are encouraged to select a mentor/advisor working in the student's area of interest during their first semester of study. Although the student also is encouraged to work with other faculty, the advisor serves to guide the student's course selections and thesis. 

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Applicant Qualifications

Masters degree program applicants may be admitted in either spring or fall. Applicants for fall semester admission should submit a competed application packet by March 1. Applicants for spring semester admission should submit a completed application packet by November 1. Please contact the department for an application packet. Applicants are required to have a BA/BS in psychology or the equivalent and an undergraduate GPA at or above 3.0 for the last two years.  Applicants must submit both Aptitude and Advanced Subject test scores to be considered for Admissions. GRE's of 50th percentile or higher on two of the three aptitude tests (i.e., verbal, quantitative, analytical) and the GRE Advanced Subject Test in Psychology are preferred.  Occasionally, students with majors in other areas are admitted, but only when the student's undergraduate degree provides them with a strong background in experimental design and analysis. Applicants should have had at least a course in basic statistics and in at least three of the following areas: experimental design, learning, sensation and perception, developmental, neuroanatomy, and tests and measurement. Other graduate courses preferred for admission are in the natural sciences, math, and statistics.

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Applicant/Student Statistics for the Master of Science Program

Year:
 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006
 Number of Complete Applications   
 5 6 6 5 4 6 4
 Number of Admission Offers
4 0 4 2 3 2 3
 Number Enrolled
3 - 4 1 1 2 2
 Number of New Students Funded
2 - 4 1 1 2 2

GRE Scores and Undergraduate GPA for Students Offered Admission


2000
Mean/Median 		2002
 Mean/Median 		2003
Mean/Median 		2004
Mean/Median		 2005
Mean/Median 		2006
Mean/Median
GRE-Verbal
528 530 523 520 540 540 450 430 480 480 527 530
GRE-Quantitative
623 605 600 600 580 580 663 670 490 490 563 530
GRE-Advanced Psychology
598 630 628 600 640 640 600 550 675 675 620 620
Undergraduate GPA
3.70 - 3.79 - 3.30 - 3.95 - 3.77 - 3.47 -

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Financial Support

Two graduate teaching assistantships (GTA's) are currently available for graduate students in the general/experimental program. GTA's work an average of 15-20 hours per week assisting faculty at both the graduate and undergraduate level, performing such duties as grading exams, giving presentations, holding office hours, directing review sessions, and constructing and proctoring exams. Current GTA stipends are $8,694 plus tuition and health insurance. In addition, some experimental students will be awarded service learning positions. Service learning positions, which consist of direct care positions in residential treatment centers, currently earn $8 to $9 per hour. Service learning positions carry a non-resident tuition waiver.  In addition, some scholarship funding is available for Idaho residents. Non-residents may apply for a Non-resident Tuition Waiver from the Graduate School. Funded students are not expected to seek or accept additional employment.

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Curriculum

The current curriculum is designed to be a two year course of study. A strong undergraduate psychology major is expected of most applicants. Should a student lack a strong background in measurement, statistics, research design, or other areas judged relevant by the faculty, he or she may be required to complete the undergraduate requirements for such courses prior to obtaining classified graduate student status. Such students might take more than four semesters to complete the program. 

The required course work for the masters program is intended to provide students with a general knowledge of the field of experimental psychology, and the necessary academic background to propose and complete a thesis. Elective course work permits the student to specialize in an area of psychology. All students must complete 12 credits of electives and the following required courses:

  1. Psyc 627 - Advanced Statistics
  2. Psyc 632 - Advanced Experimental Design I
  3. Psyc 650 - Thesis (6 credits)
  4. Area requirements including one course from each of the 4 areas:
    1. Biological Bases (Sensation & Perception, Physiological Psychology I, Physiological Psychology II)
    2. Cognitive-Affective Bases (Cognitive Psychology)
    3. Social (Advanced Social Psychology)
    4. Individual Behavior (Advanced Developmental Psychology, Personality and Individual Differences)

The masters thesis consists of original research, representing the integration of methodology and an area of specialization selected by the student. Students generally select an area of interest based upon consideration of future career plans. The student should select a faculty advisor for the thesis based upon his or her expertise in the student's specialty area. Thus, students are encouraged to carefully consider the specialties of the faculty (see Diretory under Faculty Pages section above) prior to applying to the program. Interested students also are invited to contact individual faculty members regarding their research interests. Faculty can be emailed by accessing the Directory under the Faculty Pages section listed above on this webpage.

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