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 (at least 3.00 or higher) in all college work taken;
3. an acceptable score on the Graduate Record Examination (GRE)-generally a minimum of 291 on the combined Verbal and Quantitative sections is expected.

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

Application Procedures

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

Application Deadlines: Applications for Summer/Fall admission must be completed by March 1, and applications for Spring admission must be completed 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). Once this initial application has been accepted, the applicant will receive directions on how to enter the graduate portal to be able to submit other materials.
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;
6. submit a current resume or curriculum vitae.

NOTE 1: Admission to graduate study in Quantitative Psychology 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 2: To be considered for a graduate assistantship, students must submit additional materials by the deadline (October 1 for spring admissions; March 1 for fall admissions). Information about the application procedure is available at www.mtsu.edu/psychology/grad/assistantship.php.

Degree Requirements

The Master of Arts in Psychology with a concentration in Quantitative Psychology requires completion of a minimum of 36 hours (thesis) or 36 hours (non-thesis).

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/PSY 3071 or PSY 4080/PSY 5080 )
   3. group measurement/testing (PSY 4260/PSY 5260 )
   4. abnormal psychology, personality, social, or developmental (PSY 2210, 2300, 3230/PSY 5230 , 3590, 4190, 4210/PSY 5210 , 4610/PSY 5610 , PSY 6020 , PSY 6030 , PSY 6120 , PSY 6130 , or PSY 6410 )
   5. learning, cognition, brain and behavior, or sensation and perception (PSY 2190, 4040, 4480/PSY 5480 , 4780/PSY 5780 , 4240/PSY 5240 , 4030/PSY 5030 , or PSY 6190 ).
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

The following illustrates the coursework requirements.