Psychology, Quantitative Psychology Concentration, M.A.

Admission Requirements

Admission to the Master of Arts in Psychology with a concentration in Quantitative Psychology requires

1. an earned bachelor’s degree from an accredited university or college;
2. an acceptable grade point average in all college work taken (generally 3.00 or higher);
3. an acceptable score on the Graduate Record Examination (GRE)—generally a minimum of 291 (current scale) or 900 (former scale) on the combined Verbal and Quantitative sections is expected.

NOTE: Students who do not meet admission requirements may be admitted conditionally to a specific concentration. Students admitted conditionally must maintain a 3.25 GPA in their first semester (9 hours minimum) of required graduate courses in their concentration areas.

Application Procedures

All application materials are to be submitted to the College of Graduate Studies.

Application Deadlines: Applications for Summer/Fall admission must be complete by March 1, and applications for Spring admission must be complete by October 1. Late applicants who meet the admission criteria may be considered on a case-by-case basis.

Applicant must

1. submit application with the appropriate application fee (online at www.mtsu.edu/graduate/apply.php);
2. submit official transcripts of all previous college work;
3. submit official GRE scores;
4. submit letter of intent stating goals and objectives;
5. submit three required recommendation forms (online at www.mtsu.edu/graduate/pdf/ReferenceForm.pdf);
6. submit a current resume or curriculum vitae.

NOTE 1: Most applicants have completed 15 semester hours of psychology classes prior to admission to their graduate programs. Those applicants without 15 semester hours of undergraduate psychology may be admitted to the programs but must complete those credits in addition to their graduate programs.

NOTE 2: Admission to graduate study is competitive and not automatic for students meeting minimal admission requirements. Students are selected from a pool of qualified applicants. Each year the number of students admitted to the program depends on the availability of adequate faculty supervision.

NOTE 3: To be considered for a graduate assistantship, students must submit additional materials. Information about the application procedure is available at www.mtsu.edu/psychology/grad/assistantship.php.

Degree Requirements

Candidate must

1.  be able to meet the demands required for professional work in psychology. Therefore, students may be subject to dismissal from the Psychology Department if they (a) commit a serious breach of ethics or gross professional negligence or (b) present evidence of impaired psychological functioning that would present a danger to themselves or others in a professional role. Students who are dismissed may reapply and will be considered for readmission on a competitive basis. Students who reapply may be asked to provide evidence of improved ability to meet performance requirements. See each area coordinator and program handbook for readmission policy.
2. demonstrate knowledge of the core areas of psychology by completing the following courses at either the undergraduate or graduate level prior to entering the Quantitative program or during enrollment in the program (relevant courses offered at MTSU are listed in parentheses):
   1. basic statistics (PSY 3020)
   2. research methods (PSY 3070)
   3. group measurement/testing (PSY 4260/PSY 5260  or PSY 6050 )
   4. abnormal psychology, personality, social, or developmental (PSY 2210, 2300, 3230/PSY 5230 , 3590, 4190, 4210/PSY 5210 , or 4610/PSY 5610 )
   5. learning, cognition, brain and behavior, or sensation and perception (PSY 2190, 4040, 4480/PSY 5480 , 4780/PSY 5780 , 4240/PSY 5240 , or 4030/ PSY 5030 ).
3. complete PSY 6280  and PSY 6290 .
4. complete a minimum of 36 semester hours, including at least 30 hours in psychology (see Curriculum section below for specifics). Only 30 percent of the total number of hours may be dually listed (5000-level meeting in conjunction with 4000- or 3000-level) courses.
5. pass a written comprehensive examination prepared by the faculty in the student’s concentration (may be taken no more than twice);
6. complete either the thesis or non-thesis curriculum as detailed below in the Curriculum Section;
7. if choosing the thesis option, successfully write and orally present a written thesis evaluated by a committee of Psychology faculty in conjunction with PSY 6640  (thesis, 3 hours).

Curriculum: Psychology, Quantitative Psychology

Program Notes

Candidate must

1. file a degree plan in the College of Graduate Studies prior to entry into the program;
2. file a notice of Intent to Graduate form in the College of Graduate Studies within the first two weeks of the term in which candidate intends to graduate.