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? Learn from faculty with expertise in a variety of psychological research methods and topics about human thought, emotions and behavior.
The Master of Science degree in psychology is available in two modalities (campus or digital immersion) with different culminating experience options (thesis, applied project or capstone).
Campus immersion
Students completing a thesis or applied project as their culminating experience receive hands-on training through a research mentorship model. That is, students receive training in advanced research methodology and statistical analysis through rigorous coursework and by conducting research. For example, students gain experience developing research questions, designing studies, collecting and analyzing data, and preparing presentations and manuscripts. They also gain firsthand exposure to grant proposal writing and are encouraged to present research findings at professional conferences and publish as co-authors in faculty-guided research. This option culminates with the completion of a thesis or applied project and is ideal for students who plan to pursue doctoral work in psychology or related fields or careers that involve psychological research methods, such as marketing research, education research analysis, public policy analysis, or research project management.
Students completing a capstone in behavioral data science as their culminating experience receive training in the analytical, computational and theoretical skills needed to apply data science methods to behavioral research and real-world problems. Specifically, they engage in hands-on project-based learning through rigorous coursework in research methodology, statistical modeling, programming and the communication of scientific findings. This option culminates in a capstone course that showcases students' applied data science skills through a public-facing deliverable that demonstrates both conceptual understanding and technical fluency, such as a data science portfolio, technical report, or extended analysis. It is ideal for students who plan to pursue careers in user experience research, health data analytics, government and nonprofit sectors, or doctoral study in psychology, cognitive science, informatics and related fields.
Digital immersion
The online program modality 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 gained from psychological science rather than conducting research as an explicit part of the curriculum, and students are not typically provided hands-on research opportunities. The online program culminates with a capstone course.
The campus immersion and online modalities both offer elective courses in several areas, including psychological disorders and psychopathology, affective science, cognitive psychology, cognitive science, neuroscience, developmental psychology, health psychology, legal psychology, physiological psychology and social psychology.
This program is not designed to prepare students for clinical practice. While a stepping stone to further clinically-oriented programs, 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
- STEM-OPT extension eligible: No
This program allows students to obtain both a bachelor's and a master's degree in as little as five years. Accelerated bachelor's plus master's degree programs are designed for high-achieving students who want the opportunity to share undergraduate coursework with graduate coursework to accelerate completion of their master's degree. These programs feature the same high quality curriculum taught by ASU's world-renowned faculty.
This program is offered as an accelerated bachelor's plus master's degree with:
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 (6 credit hours) Additional Coursework for Campus Immersion Students (21-24 credit hours) Additional Coursework for Digital Immersion Students (24 credit hours) Culminating Experience (3 or 6 credit hours) Additional Curriculum Information
PSY 502 Professional Issues in Psychology (3)
BDS 500 Research Methods (3) or PSY 500 Research Methods (3)
BDS 505 Statistical Methods (3) or PSY 513 Fundamentals in Quantitative Methods (3) or PSY 515 Quantitative Analysis I (3)
Statistics and research coursework (0-12)*
Foundation (0-15)
Electives (9-18)
*Additional statistics and research coursework selected in consultation with faculty and dependent on area of research interest and approved culminating experience
Foundation courses (15 hours)
Electives (9 credit hours)
PSY 553 Capstone in Psychology (3)
PSY 593 Applied Project (6)
PSY 599 Thesis (6)
The MS program in psychology is delivered in person as well as online through digital immersion. Students in the online program and the Mandarin pathway will only have the option to complete a capstone course. The thesis and applied project are for in-person program students and are determined in consultation with faculty. The capstone course may be approved for in-person students.
General university admission requirements:
All students are required to meet general
university admission requirements.
U.S.
applicants | International
applicants | English
proficiency
Applicants must fulfill the requirements of both the Graduate College and the New College of Interdisciplinary Arts and Sciences.
Applicants must 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.
There are separate applications and admissions criteria for the campus immersion and online modalities. In the application for the campus immersion modality, students must indicate whether they are applying for the thesis or applied project option, or the behavioral data science capstone option.
Applicants must provide evidence of successful completion of an undergraduate or graduate 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 campus immersion thesis or applied project option, 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 MS program in psychology prepares graduates for careers across a range of research-based and applied areas. Career examples include:
- community health worker
- health data analyst
- 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 researcher or research assistant
- user experience researcher
*Further graduate training required for clinical licensure in most U.S. states.
School of Social and Behavioral Sciences
|
FAB N101
NCGradAdvising@asu.edu
602-543-3000
Admission deadlines
Program term definitions
Accelerated programs allow students the opportunity to expedite the completion of their degree.
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. 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.
Concurrent degrees allow students to pursue their own personal or professional interests, earn two distinct degrees and receive two diplomas. To add a concurrent degree to your existing degree, work with your academic advisor.
Joint programs, or jointly conferred degrees, are offered by more than one college and provide opportunities for students to take advantage of the academic strengths of two academic units. Upon graduation, students are awarded one degree and one diploma conferred by two colleges.
ASU adds new programs to Degree Search frequently. Come back often and look for the "New Programs" option.
ASU Online offers programs in an entirely online format with multiple enrollment sessions throughout the year. See https://asuonline.asu.edu/ for more information.
The Western Regional Graduate Program (WRGP) provides a reduced tuition rate to non-resident graduate students who qualify. Visit the WRGP/WICHE webpage for more information: https://graduate.asu.edu/wiche.
