Degree Title and Name:  Master of Science in Psychological Science

Program Name and Number:  Psychological Science – MS4103

Department/Unit:  Department of Psychology

Delivery Mode:  Athens Campus

Term(s) of Entry:  Fall, Spring, Summer

Program Overview:  The Master’s program in Psychological Science offers an outstanding and distinctive graduate education that prepares students for careers in academic and other professional settings. The program produces graduates who have gained knowledge about a substantive area of psychology, who have the quantitative and methodological expertise to conduct rigorous, cutting-edge research, and who have demonstrated their research skills through the completion of a master’s thesis.

Program Learning Outcomes:

• Knowledge Base in Content Area: Students will demonstrate a thorough understanding of the major concepts, theoretical perspectives, empirical findings, and historical trends in one of the substantive areas of psychology.
• Research Methods in Psychology: Students will demonstrate strong research skills that will enable them to contribute original and independent insights to the existing psychological literature.
• Critical Thinking Skills in Psychology: Students will demonstrate the ability to critically analyze the body of scholarship comprising psychological science.
• Values in Psychology: Students will behave in a manner that reflects appropriate professional values and ethical standards.
• Communication Skills: Students will develop excellent written and oral communication skills.

Opportunities for Graduates: The M.S. degree prepares students for doctoral training in psychology as well as a variety of research-based professional positions, e.g., behavioral medicine, consumer research, and so on.

Link to Program:  https://www.ohio.edu/cas/psychology/

Graduation Requirements:  Complete 30 credit hours for the degree. At least 7 hours must be research courses, including PSY6120 (Advanced Research Methods in Psychology), PSY6950 (Thesis), and PSY6980 (Research Seminar); at least 6 hours must be quantitative courses, including PSY6111 (Intermediate Statistics for the Behavioral Sciences) and PSY6112 (Linear Regression); and at least 6 hours must be substantive courses in Psychology, excluding courses that satisfy the research and quantitative components for the master’s degree as well as PSY6930 (Readings in Psychology). Completion of an empirical thesis is required.

Culminating Experience:  Students will complete an empirical thesis.

Admission Requirements:  Applicants for the M.S. in Psychological Science must submit a CV, a transcript, a personal statement, and three letters of recommendation. At least one letter must come from an Ohio University Department of Psychology faculty member who is willing to supervise the applicant’s research.

Further, applicants should have (1) a bachelor’s degree or qualify for early admittance to a graduate program under Ohio University policy and (2) a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher overall and in Psychology.

Students who are enrolled in one of the department’s doctoral programs are admitted directly into the doctoral program, but they may earn the MS in Psychological Science by completing the program requirements for the MS degree as part of their graduate work.

International Students:  This program permits full-time enrollment in residence at Ohio University, and an I-20 may be issued based on admission to this program.