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.shtml);
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 letters of recommendation.

NOTE: 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: 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.

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/PSY 5070 )
   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 , PSY 6290 , (PSY 3020 or equivalent is a prerequisite for PSY 6280 and 6290), and PSY 6640  (thesis, 3 hours).
4. complete a minimum of 45 semester hours, including at least 33 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. successfully write and orally present a written thesis evaluated by a committee of Psychology faculty in conjunction with PSY 6640  (thesis, 3 hours).
6. pass a written comprehensive examination prepared by the faculty in the student’s concentration (may be taken no more than twice).

Curriculum: Psychology, Quantitative Psychology

Candidate must complete 45 hours in the following course of study:

Program Notes

Candidate must

1. file a degree plan in the College of Graduate Studies prior to the completion of 21 credit hours;
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.