Masters in General Psychology: Curriculum

*** Fall 2012 Admissions Status ***

For Fall 2012 applicants we will be reviewing your applications beginning March 1st and hope to give you a decision within 6 to 8 weeks. We understand many programs require responses by April 15th, if you need an early decision, please contact the program to expedite your file.

Formal requirements for the MA degree in General Psychology include the satisfactory completion of 36 points (i.e., credits). At least 24 of those credits must be taken in the Graduate School of Arts & Science at NYU, and at least 21 must be in the Psychology Department. One consequence of these restrictions is that no more than 12 credits can be transferred in from another university.

In addition, (1) all core courses must be taken at NYU in the Psychology Department, and (2) students must earn a grade of at least B in all substantive core courses (i.e., not including the statistics and research courses).

All of the courses in the MA program are 3 points each, so 12 courses must be taken. Students may take anywhere between one and three courses each semester. The program is expected to take two years to complete in most cases, but can be completed a little sooner for full-time students, or somewhat later for those working full-time. A maximum of five years is allowed for the degree. A student who has completed all course work, but must stay enrolled to take the comprehensive examination or complete a thesis, must pay a matriculation fee each semester until graduation.

Statistics Requirement: All students must satisfactorily complete either G89.1016, Introductory Master's Statistics, or G89.2016, Master's Statistics (which course is taken depends on the student's prior background). The statistics course requirement must be satisfied upon completion of 12 credits.

Research Requirement: Students in the General Program must satisfy a research requirement by taking one of the Core C courses: either Clinical Research Design (G89.2066), or Research Methods and Experiences (G89.2126).

Comprehensive Examination: Separate written comprehensive examinations are given for the general and the I/O programs, with questions drawn from areas covered by the core courses in each program. The "comps" are given three times a year: October, February, and June.

MA Thesis: Instead of the Comprehensive Examination, the student may seek permission to write an MA thesis. For such permission to be granted, the student must demonstrate an outstanding record of performance in his or her studies and, as a minimum, must have completed all of the core requirements with at least a B+ average in all core courses. The student must also secure the sponsorship of a full-time faculty member in consultation with the MA director.

MA Scholars: MA students with superior academic credentials, as reflected in their GRE scores and undergraduate GPA's, will automatically be designated as MA Scholars and may enroll in certain doctoral-level courses by permission of the relevant instructor. Students who do not enter as MA Scholars can attain that status through superior coursework in the MA program.

Specializations: Several specializations are available within the General Program, but students are not required to specialize.

Core Course Requirements
Three courses, distributed as follows: 1-2 from each of Core A and Core B for a total of 3 (i.e., 2 from Core A and 1 from Core B; or 1 from Core A and 2 from Core B). Students who are admitted without having majored in Psychology as an undergraduate will be required to take a total of four core A/B courses, such that at least one is taken from each core.

The core requirements for the general program are listed below:

Recommended Electives:
G89.1080 Psychoanalytic Theory
G89.2030 Physiological Basis of Abnormal Behavior
G89.2031 Neuropsychology
G89.2032 Industrial and Organizational Psychology
G89.2036 Psychology of Violence
G89.2038 Forensic Psychology
G89.2039 Advanced Forensic Psychology
G89.2051 Health Psychology
G89.2053 Gender Roles
G89.2054 Developmental Psychopathology
G89.2057 Traumatic Stress Reactions
G89.2059 Psychology of Decision-Making
G89.2060 Introduction to Psychological Testing
G89.2062 Theories of Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy
G89.2075 Counseling Psychology
G89.2121 Theories of Psychotherapy
G89.2125 Fieldwork

For a brochure on this program: MA General Brochure [PDF file] (If you are unable to open this file, you can download Adobe Acrobat Reader for free which will enable you to do so. To download Adobe Acrobat Reader go to: http://www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/readstep2.html )

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