MA Program Information
 

Study Guide for Comprehensive Examination (Updated 10/05/2007)
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Latest Version Department Thesis Policy (Updated 2/7/2006)
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Plan of Study (Updated 05/31/2007)
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General Information

1. The MA program in Psychology is based on the South Charleston (SC) campus of MUGC. While students may take some courses in Huntington if they prefer, the should expect that their advisors and most classes will be in SC. All clinical courses and training experiences and advising for the Clinical area of emphasis in the MA program are based in SC   
2. Information on financial aid is available from the Financial Aid office. The psychology department has a limited number of graduate assistantships available each year. These are typically awarded to advanced graduate students who have completed an elective seminar in the Teaching of Psychology, and who then apply to assist with the teaching of our undergraduate General Psychology course. Other graduate assistantships may be available on campus for full-time students. A limited number of graduate fee waivers are granted each semester to students who apply using the following priorities: faculty and staff, degree seeking students who provide service to the department, interns where there is a salary penalty, minority students, academically talented students. Application deadlines apply.
3. The MA program requires a minimum of 36 graduate credit hours, though students may complete significantly more, depending upon their objectives. A common "core" of 24 credits (see below) is required of all students. The remaining hours are selected in consultation with an advisor to help meet students' academic and professional goals. The Clinical Psychology area of emphasis (see below) requires a minimum of 23 specified credits beyond the core.  
4. Two-"C" rule: The department maintains a policy whereby students cannot continue in a graduate program if they earn more than one grade of "C" or lower in any graduate course. Psychology students who earn a second "C" (or lower) will not be permitted to continue taking courses, or to work on a thesis.
5. Thesis:  Students have the option of completing a research thesis. The department has established a set of criteria and procedures for doing a thesis; these are available from advisors. Theses may be good choices for students intending to continue their education in research oriented Ph. D. programs. This issue should be carefully discussed with the advisor. Up to 6 credits of PSY 681 (Thesis) may be included to meet the requirement for "additional coursework" discussed in the curriculum section below.
6. Comprehensive Evaluation:   A written comprehensive examination is required of all students in the MA program. Details about the exam are available from advisors and the program coordinator. In addition, students in the Clinical Psychology area of emphasis must, as part of their clinical internship, complete a comprehensive evaluation based on identified clinical competencies.
7. Admissions:
           Criteria include:

A.   Introductory Statistics, Experimental Psychology or Research Methods; Abnormal Psychology; Learning, Social         Psychology and Developmental Psychology.

B.   A minimum undergraduate GPA of 3.0

C.   Completion of the Graduate Record Exam (General Test), with scores no lower than 400 on either the Verbal or               Quantitative sections, and a minimum total of 900 on those two sections.

D.   Students may be admitted to the psychology master’s program with “Provisional” status if either the GRE admission criteria OR the GPA criteria are met. (Students who do not meet either criterion are not eligible for provisional admission.) Provisionally admitted students will be fully admitted to the program when they have completed 12 hours of classes (which must include PSY 517 and 506) from the core courses listed below with no grade being below a ‘B.’ A student who earns a C or lower in any of the listed core classes during the period of provisional admission will not be permitted to take further graduate hours within the psychology department.

Students receiving provisional admittance must take:
Statistics (PSY 517)
Psychometrics (PSY 506)
And two of the following: Biological Bases of Behavior (PSY 674) Cognitive Psychology (PSY 672) Advanced or Applied Social Psychology (PSY 502 or 503) Advanced or Applied Developmental (PSY 615 or 617)

No student may take more than 18 hours in the psychology department nor take any courses in the clinical concentration without receiving full admission to the department.

Provisional students will be assigned an advisor who must approve all course registrations. Provisional students will have a departmental hold placed on their registration to assure advisor approval and compliance with this policy. This hold will be permanently removed upon full admittance.

Students who meet criteria in b and c above but who are missing no more than two of the required undergraduate prerequisite classes listed above may also receive provisional admission. They will then be able to take some graduate classes with the approval of their advisor while completing the prerequisites. However, they may only enroll in graduate classes for which there is no expectation of having had a required "missing" undergraduate course as a prerequisite. For example, a student who has not had elementary statistics cannot enroll in Intermediate Statistics (PSY 517); a student without an undergraduate social psychology course cannot take Advanced Social Psychology, etc. Students receiving provisional admission only because of missing prerequisites will be fully admitted to the program upon successful completion of the missing prerequisites and of any graduate courses taken during the provisional period.

Comprehensive Evaluation: A written comprehensive examination is required of all students in the MA program. Details about the exam are available from advisors and the program coordinator. In addition, students in the Clinical Psychology area of emphasis must, as part of their clinical internship, complete a comprehensive evaluation based on identified clinical competencies.

Thesis: Students have the option of completing a research thesis. The department has established a set of criteria and procedures for doing a thesis; these are available from advisors. Theses may be good choices for students intending to continue their education in research oriented Ph. D. programs. This issue should be carefully discussed with the advisor. Up to 6 credits of PSY 681 (Thesis) may be included as "additional coursework" discussed below.

Curriculum

a. Core Requirements (can be taken on either campus; usual caveat that doctoral cohort students have first priority for enrollment in Huntington):
Intermediate Behavioral Statistics (PSY 517); NOTE: if PSY 417 or its equivalent was taken as an undergraduate, an additional statistics course must be substituted, in consultation with the student's advisor.
Biological Bases of Behavior ( PSY 674)
Cognitive Psychology (PSY 672)
Advanced or Applied Social Psychology (PSY 502 or PSY 503); NOTE: if either course or its equivalent was taken as an undergraduate, the student must take the other course at the graduate level.
Advanced or Applied Developmental Psychology (PSY 615 or PSY 617)
Psychometrics (PSY 506) NOTE: If PSY 406 or its equivalent was taken as an undergraduate, an acceptable alternative must be substituted, in consultation with the student's advisor.
Ethical and Legal Issues in Psychology (PSY605)
MA Research Seminar ( PSY 692)

Total 24 credits

b. Additional Coursework: A minimum of 12 additional credit hours from the following list are to be selected in consultation with the advisor. Students may, and often do, take more than 36 credit hours as part of their degree programs; in preparing their plans of study, students should carefully discuss their academic and career goals with their advisors and other faculty members.

Advanced Social Psychology – PSY 502
Applied Social Psychology – PSY 503
Psychometrics – PSY 506
Abnormal Psychology – PSY 508
Child Psychology – PSY 515
Psychology of Personnel – PSY 518
Industrial/Organizational Psychology – PSY 520
Cross Cultural Psychology – PSY 526
Current Models of Psychotherapy – PSY 533
Physiological Psychology – PSY 540

Health Psychology - PSY 543

History and Systems – PSY 560
Teaching of Psychology - PSY 600

Differential Diagnosis and Treatment Planning – PSY 608
Advanced Developmental – PSY 615
Applied Developmental – PSY 617
 Experimental Design – PSY 623
Multivariate Analysis – PSY 624
Social Psychological Bases of Groups – PSY 627
Child and Family Diagnosis and Therapy – PSY 635
Seminar in Performance Appraisal – PSY 650

Thesis - PSY 681
Internship in Industrial Organization – PSY 683
 

With the advisor's approval, courses from other departments that are consistent with the student's academic and career goals may be included in the required 12 additional credits.

c. Clinical Psychology area of emphasis: The Clinical Psychology area of emphasis consists of 23 credit hours of clinical coursework and supervised clinical experience beyond the required department core (Note: These 23 credits will meet the requirements for 12 addiction credit as noted in b above). It is designed to prepare graduates for masters-degree level clinical roles within professional psychology. Any student who is fully admitted to the Psychology MA program may apply for admission to the clinical psychology area emphasis.  Incoming students may also apply for admission to the clinical area of emphasis.  Application are reviewed once per year during the spring term.  More information is available from advisors and from the clinical area coordinator.  It is important to note that students choosing the clinical area of emphasis must complete the entire track to receive any letters of support or other indication from individual faculty members, the department or the university that the student has achieved appropriate competence in the skills or knowledge bases associated with master’s level clinical training, and such students must complete the entire sequence for any indication of the clinical specialty track to appear on their transcripts. The following courses are required for the Clinical Psychology area of emphasis. Those marked with * are restricted only to students in the clinical track. Students in the MA clinical area of emphasis must take their specialty track courses in South Charleston.

Current Models of Psychotherapy (PSY 533; 3 cr.)
Diagnosis and Treatment Planning (PSY 608; 3 cr.)
Individual Psychotherapy and Interviewing (PSY 633; 3 cr.)*

Assessment of Adults (PSY 610; 3 cr.)*
Assessment of Children (PSY 611; 3 cr.)*

Adult Assessment Practicum (PSY 620; 1 cr.)*
Child Assessment Practicum (PSY 621; 1 cr.)*
Group Therapy (PSY 634; 3 cr.)*
Clinical Practicum (PSY 670; 3 cr.)*
Clinical Internship ( PSY 680; 3 cr.)*