M.A. in Psychology Degree Requirements

Degree Program Requirements

Psychology Course Offerings

Certificate Credit Towards Graduate Degree

Degree Program Requirements

The MA in Psychology requires 33 hours of course work, including a thesis for six (6) credit hours for those students admitted on a thesis track. All students are required to take a set of core courses and qualifying examinations during the first year of study, and then to choose a specialization concentration during their second year of study.

Psychology Course Offerings

Core Requirements:
PSB 6056 (3) Physiological Psychology
DEP 6607 (3) Typical and Atypical Development
EXP 6608 (3) Cognitive Psychology
PSY 6217 (3) Research Methods and Measurement
PSY 6218 (3) Graduate Research Methods

Electives:
Risk, Resilience and Prevention Concentration
CLP 6318 (3) Prevention Science and Health Psychology
CLP 6623 (3) Professional and Ethical Issues in Applied Psychology
CLP 6477 (3) Infant-Family Mental Health
SOP 6739 (3) Cultural Competence
CLP 6478 (3) Developmental Disabilities and Other Disorders of Childhood and Adolescence
CLP 6462 (3) Working with Families of Infants and Toddlers
Other Electives
EXP 6930 (3) Topics in Experimental Psychology
SOP 6709 (3) Topics in Social Psychology
CLP 6937 (3) Grant Writing
PSY 6850 (3) Teaching of Psychology
PSY 6947 (3) Grad Instruction Methods

As an option, students may take up to six (6) hours of the 33-hour requirement in an area of specialization through other departments of the university, including three (3) at any other USF system campus. A departmental graduate advisor helps students with such choices. Offerings of USF System offerings present a range of options. For course descriptions, see www.ugs.usf.edu/sab/sabs.cfm.

Qualifying Exams:

For advancement to the second year of graduate study, students must pass all five (5) required first-year core courses with a grade of B (not B-) or better, and pass comprehensive qualifying exams in biological, social-developmental and cognitive bases of behavior and in statistics and research methodology at the end of the first full year of study.

Non-Thesis Option:
Students admitted to the RRP concentration pursue study of individuals across their lifespan in the context of family, peer networks, child-care programs, schools, neighborhoods, and larger communities. Our program stresses theory and research in the ultimate service of policy and practice. Health and well-being of children, youth, and adults, pathways through which group disparities emerge and reduction of disparities, and innovative educational and societal strategies for promoting health and preventing illness and later psychological maladjustment are key content areas. Thematic areas include prevention science and health psychology, infant-family mental health, ethics, cultural competence, individual and family strengths and developmental risk and disability. All students must demonstrate competencies in working with data and addressing applied research questions through successful completion of a Qualifying Exam in Research Methodology.

Thesis Option:
Students admitted on a thesis track will complete an empirical research study on a topic approved by a thesis committee of three (3) faculty members and defend orally before this committee at the end of the second year of study. During the course of their second year thesis work, students must enroll in six (6) credits of PSY 6971 (3) Thesis Research.

Certificate Credit Towards Graduate Degree

Up to 12 hours of certificate courses can be applied to a graduate degree with department approval. The Infant-Family Mental Health Graduate Certificate is an ideal certificate to apply to this program as long as all grades received in the courses were B or better and no older than seven (7) years.
http://www1.usfsp.edu/spgrad/transferofcredit.htm