Psychology, MS
Behavioral Health, Human Behavior, MASTERS, Master of Science in Psychology, Psychological, Psychology, Research, Science, behavioral, behavioral sciences, science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM)
Are you fascinated by the human mind and human behavior? Collaborate with esteemed faculty and talented colleagues in the field of psychology to design and conduct your own research and present your findings at scientific conferences.
The MS degree program in psychology, offered by the New College of Interdisciplinary Arts and Sciences, is available in two modalities (campus immersion or online) with different culminating experience options (thesis, applied project or capstone).
The campus immersion option is ideal for students who plan to pursue doctoral work or careers that involve psychological research methods such as marketing research, education research analysis, public policy analysis, research project management or program evaluation. The program is intensive and research-oriented, and it culminates in a thesis or applied project. Students receive training in advanced research methodology and statistical analysis, grant proposal writing, laboratory instrumentation, data collection and manuscript development. Students gain firsthand exposure to designing and conducting research, analyzing data, and developing presentations and manuscripts. Students are encouraged to present research reports at professional meetings and conferences and to publish as co-authors in faculty-guided research.
The online program option gives students and working professionals an understanding of psychological theory and empirical research findings as they relate to human behavior, cognition, emotion and attitudes. The coursework is designed to help students learn about the various roles of psychologists in society today and discover which they might like to pursue. The online curriculum is focused on applications of knowledge rather than research, and students are not provided hands-on research opportunities. The online program culminates with a capstone course.
Both options offer elective courses in several areas, including abnormal psychology, affective science, behavior analysis, cognitive psychology, developmental psychology, health psychology, legal psychology, psychophysiology and social psychology.
This program is not designed to prepare students for clinical practice. Opportunities to prepare for licensure exams are not available through this degree program.
- College/school:
New College of Interdisciplinary Arts and Sciences
- Location: West Valley or Online
Acceptance to the graduate program requires a separate application. Students typically receive approval to pursue the accelerated master’s during the junior year of their bachelor's degree program. Interested students can learn about eligibility requirements and how to apply.
36 credit hours and a thesis, or
36 credit hours including the required applied project course (PSY 593), or
36 credit hours including the required capstone course (PSY 553), or
36 credit hours including the required capstone course (PSY 553) - Mandarin Pathway
Required Core (3 credit hours) Research and Statistics for Campus Immersion (15 or 18 credit hours) *additional statistics and research coursework selected in consultation with faculty and dependent on area of research interest Foundation, Research and Statistics for Digital Immersion (21 credit hours) Electives (9 or 12 credit hours) Culminating Experience (3 or 6 credit hours) Additional Curriculum Information The thesis option is intended for students who are interested in later gaining admission to a doctoral program. This option has hands-on experience with research and in-depth learning on advanced quantitative analysis. Thesis students complete a written and oral prospectus before proceeding to their thesis research, which they must defend before a committee. Thesis students complete 18 credit hours of research and statistics and nine credit hours of electives. The applied project option provides students who are interested in pursuing a professional career in research with sufficient methodology and statistics skills to enhance their professional career opportunities. Applied project students also complete a written research proposal that is reviewed by their advisor and one additional committee member. Applied project students complete 15 credit hours of research and statistics and complete 12 credit hours of electives. In specific circumstances, in-person students will be allowed to complete a capstone course specific to their area of study. In this case, students who complete a capstone will also complete 18 credit hours of electives. Capstone course online options (English and Mandarin) provide students who are interested in professional development the necessary communication and methodology skills to advance in their chosen career. Students in the capstone must write a literature review paper on a research topic of their choice. Capstone course students complete 21 credit hours of Foundation, Research and Statistics coursework. They complete nine credit hours of electives.
PSY 502 Professional Issues in Psychology (3)
PSY 500 Research Methods (3)
PSY 515 Quantitative Analysis I (3)
PSY 592 Research (6)
statistics and research coursework (3-6)*
PSY 500 Research Methods (3)
PSY 513 Fundamentals of Quantitative Research (3)
foundation courses (15)
PSY 553 Capstone in General Psychology (3)
PSY 593 Applied Project (6)
PSY 599 Thesis (6)
The Master of Science in psychology is delivered in person and online through digital immersion. The capstone course option is only for students in the online program and the Mandarin pathway. Thesis, applied project or capstone options are for in-person program students.
Applicants must fulfill the requirements of both the Graduate College and the New College of Interdisciplinary Arts and Sciences.
Applicants are eligible to apply to the program if they have earned a bachelor's or master's degree in any field from a regionally accredited institution.
Applicants must have a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.00 (scale is 4.00 = "A") in the last 60 hours of their first bachelor's degree program, or a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.00 (scale is 4.00 = "A") in an applicable master's degree program. Priority is given to applicants who have achieved a 3.25 GPA or higher.
All applicants must submit:
- graduate admission application and application fee
- official transcripts
- statement of purpose
- two letters of recommendation
- proof of English proficiency
Additional Application Information
An applicant whose native language is not English must provide proof of English proficiency regardless of their current residency.
At the time of application, students must identify the culminating experience that they wish to pursue. Students applying to the capstone course option are only considered for the online program. Students applying to the thesis or applied project option are only considered for the in-person program.
Applicants must provide evidence of successful completion of an undergraduate or graduate social science statistics and research methods course. Typically, these prerequisite courses should be in a social science field; however, applicants may apply with courses outside a social science field.
The statement of purpose should describe the applicant's educational background, scholarly interests and academic and professional goals.
It is preferred that the letters of recommendation be from faculty members who know the applicant's work well; if these are not available, then recommendations should be from individuals in supervisory or professional roles. Two letters of recommendation are required. However, for the in-person program, three letters of recommendation are strongly recommended.
ASU offers this program in an online format with multiple enrollment sessions throughout the year. Applicants may view the program’s ASU Online page for program descriptions and to request more information.
The campus-based Master of Science degree program in psychology is specialized to prepare students for admission to doctoral programs in psychology in areas that include clinical or counseling, social, cognitive and developmental specialties. Graduates may pursue professional research careers in education, health care or marketing.
Although some graduates of the online Master of Science degree program have received admission to a doctoral program, the online curriculum is not research-intensive, and most students in the online program are pursuing the Master of Science in psychology to benefit their current or future careers in education, social service, for-profit and nonprofit organizations, or management.
Career examples include these positions:
- community health worker
- health educator
- market research analyst and marketing specialist
- medical and health services manager
- mental health counselor
- psychology teacher, postsecondary
- social and community service manager
- social and human services assistant
- social science research assistant
School of Social and Behavioral Sciences
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FAB N101
ncgradadvising@asu.edu
602-543-3000
Admission deadlines
3 year programs
These programs allow students to fast-track their studies after admission and earn a bachelor's degree in three years or fewer while participating in the same high-quality educational experience of a 4-year option. Students should talk to their academic advisor to get started.
Accelerated master's
These programs allow students to accelerate their studies to earn a bachelor's plus a master's degree in as few as five years (for some programs).
Each program has requirements students must meet to be eligible for consideration. Acceptance to the graduate program requires a separate application. Students typically receive approval to pursue the accelerated master’s during the junior year of their bachelor's degree program. Interested students can learn about eligibility requirements and how to apply.
