The Master of Arts in Psychology

The Department of Psychology offers an eight-course program of study leading to the M.A. in Psychology. The Program provides the flexibility to pursue a variety of areas in psychology, building on a common foundation of scientific methodologies. Exploration of the application of psychology to various behavioral, cognitive, and societal issues is a strength of the program. Most graduate-level courses offered by the department are open to M.A. students and all faculty are available for academic supervision. Faculty are actively engaged in psychological research, which provides ample opportunity for students to participate in ongoing projects.

The M. A. Program satisfies the interests of those who wish to undertake a rigorous course of study that leads to the master's degree. The Program is appropriate both for students with a limited background in psychology, and for those who hold an undergraduate degree in the field. Some students use the Program as a means to clarify their interest in professional psychology; others use it as a first step toward a doctoral program. Many of our graduates have applied their advanced training in psychology to work in government, industry, as researchers, trainers, mental health workers, administrators, and managers. Others have continued with doctoral studies in psychology or related fields.

It should be noted that the program is not intended to qualify students for the independent practice of professional psychology. Advanced courses in clinical psychology are available to M. A. students by special permission. Successful completion of the Program, however, can satisfy most of the non-clinical substantive content requirements specified by the Council for the National Register of Health Service Providers in Psychology.

There are no specific course prerequisites for the M. A. Program, although basic course work is strongly recommended. The Program attracts a widely diverse student body. In our recent classes, students have come from academic backgrounds ranging from the humanities to the physical sciences. The Program attracts a large number of students from abroad as well as from various regions of the country. Boston University offers a supportive and stimulating environment for study.

Candidates for the M. A. in psychology must complete a minimum of eight four credit semester courses. Three of these courses are required: the Proseminar (PS704), a course in quantitative methods, and a directed study (PS 901/2) in which students work with a faculty supervisor and undertake an independent project. In addition, students must fulfill the comprehensive requirement by taking a minimum of one course from two of the four programmatic knowledge areas (please see the Graduate Student Handbook, p. 10).

The application form for the Program is included in the Graduate School catalogue. The Program Admissions Committee takes into consideration all of the information provided by the complete application, looking for evidence of the ability to successfully complete a demanding course of studies. The Committee carefully reviews letters of reference, the personal statement, earlier academic history and various test scores, and attempts to make fair judgments about the promise of competent performance in a graduate program.

The application deadline for the MA-only program is May 15.  (Please note that MA applications will be reviewed beginning March 1.)  For information and instructions on applying to our graduate programs, please visit the Graduate School of Arts & Sciences website at http://www.bu.edu/cas/admissions/graduate/ (click on apply).  Please note that applications to all psychology graduate programs must be submitted on-line.  All supplementary materials must be submitted in one packet by the deadline to the Graduate School of Arts & Sciences.  All applicants to the MA and PhD programs must submit recent scores (within the last five years) of the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) General Test.  The GRE Subject Test in Psychology (or in your major if different from psychology) and the Miller Analogies Test (MAT) are optional.  Please do not direct any application materials to the Department of Psychology.  Incomplete applications and applications submitted after the deadline will not be reviewed.  If you have any questions after reviewing the application materials, please contact the MA Program Coordinator at 617/353-6423.

Although financial assistance for students in the M. A. Program is not available within the Department of Psychology, the Graduate Catalogue lists fellowships and scholarships available through the University, and contains information on loans and College Work-Study. For additional information about these, applicants would contact the Office of Financial Assistance, Boston University Graduate School, 705 Commonwealth Avenue, Boston, MA 02215 (617/353-2696).

The Director of the M.A. Program is Hilda Perlitsh, Ph. D.

Frequently Asked Questions-Master of Arts in Psychology