PSYCHOLOGY
Professors: Jill G. Morawski, Scott Plous, John G.
Seamon, Harry M. Sinnamon, Robert S. Steele, Ruth Striegel-Moore, Chair
Associate Professor: Lisa Dierker
Assistant Professors: Hilary Barth, Henry A. Danso,
Namni Goel, Regina Langhout, Andrea L. Patalano, Steven Stemler
Adjunct Professor: Philippa Coughlan, Director,
Office of Behavioral Health for Students
Adjunct Lecturer: William H. Weitzer, Senior
Associate Provost and Dean of Continuing Studies
GRADUATE PROGRAM
The Department of Psychology at Wesleyan University offers a two-year program of
study culminating in the Master of Arts (MA) degree. The hallmarks of the
program include its selectivity, its small size, and its strong research
orientation. Through a program of courses, readings, teaching, and research,
students broaden their knowledge of the field of Psychology as a whole and
acquire expertise in a particular area of research of interest. A central
requirement is the completion of a substantial research project and thesis. An
undergraduate major in Psychology is not required for entrance into the program.
A distinctive feature of
the program is that particular plans of study are individualized to best meet
the needs of each student. The flexibility relies on the fostering of close
one-on-one interaction between a student and a faculty member. Therefore, an
essential condition of admission is an agreement by a faculty member to serve as
a candidate’s research and program sponsor. In your application, please list
the names of faculty members whose research areas are of interest to you.
Most students who complete
the program go on to pursue doctoral studies, though the program also provides a
strong background for many kinds of employment.
FACILITIES AND RESOURCES
Research facilities in the
department include active, well-equipped laboratories for the study of
behavioral neuroscience, infant and child development, human cognition,
psycholinguistics, community development, and social psychology. There is also
a laboratory designed for overnight sleep and circadian rhythm studies in
humans, and for outpatient treatment studies of clinical depression. There are
substantial library resources on campus totaling over a million volumes. Campus
and departmental computing facilities are readily available. A colloquium
series also affords students an opportunity to hear and meet informally with
speakers from around the country.
MENTOR RELATIONSHIP
The
MA program involves a close working relationship between a student and a faculty
mentor. Once a student has been admitted to the program, the student will be
officially assigned a graduate advisor. The student should seek advice from the
advisor regarding course selection and program of research. Any questions or
problems that cannot be resolved by the faculty advisor should be brought to the
attention of the Graduate Program Coordinator. The student may only change
advisors in consultation with the old advisor, the new advisor, and the Graduate
Program Coordinator.
REQUIREMENTS FOR THE
MASTER OF ARTS DEGREE
In the MA program, the MA
degree requires a minimum of 8.5 credits. These 8.5 credits should be
distributed as follows:
-
PSYC520: Advanced Research Seminar (2 credits; one
credit per year)
-
PSYC591 AND 592: Thesis Research (2 credits;
one credit per term of second year)
-
PSYC500: Graduate Pedagogy (.5 credits; first term
of first year)
- Any
other graduate tutorials (PSYC501/502, 503/504, 511/512), undergraduate
non-tutorial courses in any department (usually 200 or 300-level
courses) taken for graduate credit, or graduate seminars (4 credits; no more
than two of these credits may come from graduate tutorials;
undergraduate tutorials and teaching assistantships of any kind may not
be used for graduate credit)
In order for any course to
be counted towards the graduate degree, the following conditions must be met.
First, it must be taken for graduate credit (see later discussion). And,
second, a grade of a B- or better must be earned in the course. Courses taken
Pass/Fail cannot be counted towards the degree.
Other than PSYC520
and PSYC591/592, the credits may be distributed in any way over the two
years of the program. However, students typically either divide the credits
equally across the two years or weight the credits towards the first year so as
to leave more time for the thesis in the second year.
The required Advanced
Research Seminar (PSYC520) has some additional qualities that bear
mentioning. While the course is typically open for enrollment during only one
semester each year (usually Spring Term), it actually meets every other week for
the entire year (usually on alternating Tuesdays 12-1 pm) in exchange for one
credit. Students are required to attend this seminar throughout their time in
the program. As a component of the seminar, they are also required to attend
the department’s Colloquium Series (currently held on occasional Wednesday
afternoons from 4:15-5:30 pm) and to participate in other departmental
graduate-student events.
In addition to the
Graduate Pedagogy course (PSYC500), students are required by the Office
of Graduate Student Services to attend a one-time three-hour pedagogy session at
the start of their graduate year (see Office of Graduate Student Services for
date and time).
At the beginning of each
of the four semesters of the program (by the end of the third week of classes),
a Graduate Course Verification Form (available from the Psychology Graduate
Program secretary) must be submitted to the Psychology Graduate Program Office,
listing the courses being taken for graduate credit that semester. Each course
must be approved by the course instructor and by the student’s advisor. The
signature of the course instructor indicates that he or she is informed that the
course is being taken for graduate credit and is aware that he or she may wish
to impose more rigorous coursework or more stringent grading standards on the
student (if it is typically an undergraduate course) in exchange for the
graduate credit. Any graduate requirements must be negotiated by the instructor
and the student at the beginning of the course. The signature of the advisor
indicates that these courses have been approved towards the MA requirements.
Research and Thesis
Requirements. A major expectation
of this program is that students will spend at least 20 hours per week engaged
in research. At the beginning of each of the four semesters of the program, a
Statement of Graduate Research Form (available from the Psychology Graduate
Program secretary) must be submitted to the Psychology Graduate Program office.
The plan must describe the research being conducted by the student that semester
and must have the signed approval of the advisor. It is due by the end of the
third week of classes. The research can be changed during the term by submitting
an updated signed form.
The research experience
will culminate with an MA thesis describing a student’s original contribution to
knowledge, which the student will carry out in partial fulfillment of the degree
requirements. Work on the MA thesis should progress as follows under the
guidance of the faculty advisor. By April 3rd
of the student’s first year, an MA thesis committee must be established
and must include the advisor and two or more additional faculty (the student
must submit the Establishment of Thesis Committee Form to program secretary by
this date). Both the advisor and at least one of the additional faculty members
must be in Psychology. By May 8th, the student must set the date for
the committee meeting to discuss and approve the proposal (Scheduling Thesis
Proposal Meeting Form submitted to program secretary). The thesis proposal
should be given to the committee at least two weeks before the scheduled
meeting. While the date must be agreed upon by May 8th, the actual
meeting may be held anytime before June 30th as long as the thesis
proposal is approved by the committee by June 30th (student should
take the Thesis Proposal Approval Form to the thesis proposal meeting, and must
return it and a copy of the proposal to the program secretary by June 30th).
During the second year of
the program, the student must complete the thesis. Unlike most other rules and
requirements of the program, the rules governing the completion of an MA thesis
are largely determined by the University’s Office of Graduate Student Services.
By the University-wide deadline in early April (consult the Office of Graduate
Student Services for the exact date), a Response Form is due in the Office of
Graduate Student Services listing the date scheduled for an oral defense of the
thesis. This form is obtained from the Office of Graduate Student Services in
the Exit Packet. A copy of the Response Form should be turned in to the
Psychology Graduate Program Office. A variety of other forms must also be
obtained from and returned directly to the University’s Office of Graduate
Student Services (see this office for forms).
The oral defense must be
held during the oral exam period designated by the Office of Graduate
Student Services (this period is approximately the full month of April).
The final copy of the thesis should be given to committee members by the student
at least two weeks before the oral exam date. The student should bring to the
oral examination two forms required by the Office of Graduate Student Services:
the Oral Examination Form and an Approval of Thesis Form to be filled out by
committee members. These forms and two copies of the final version of the
thesis are due in the Office of Graduate Student Services within 48 hours after
the defense (an “Exit Appointment” should be scheduled with the office in
advance of the oral defense). The Office of
Graduate Student Services has a number of formatting guidelines for
preparation of the thesis; these guidelines should be obtained in preparation
for the appointment.
Teaching Requirements.
MA students must serve as a
teaching assistant for one course during each semester of the program. At least
one of the courses must be a departmental service course (such as Foundations of
Contemporary Psychology, Statistics, Research Methods, or a breadth requirement
course). Every attempt will be made to rotate students among the courses in
order to give each student a range of experiences.
Evaluation and Review.
An evaluation of MA students is conducted by the Psychology Graduate Faculty
Committee in the Spring Term of each year of the program. Maintaining in “good
standing” in the program is contingent on obtaining a B- in each course being
applied towards the MA, the meeting of all above requirements (except in
extenuating circumstances as determined by the Committee), as well as majority
approval of the department faculty. A student who is not in good standing can
be asked to leave the program at the discretion of the Psychology Graduate
Faculty Committee.
Graduate Council.
The
MA program is under the administrative supervision of a three-person committee
of the University-wide Graduate Council, which monitors the progress of all
graduate students towards completion of degree requirements. The University’s
Office of Graduate Student Services maintains a list of those enrolled in the
program and administers the academic record of MA students during their time in
the program.
TUITION
Wesleyan does not charge tuition for the two
years of the program. Students can be charged tuition for time required to
complete the program beyond the second year.
Financial Support.
MA
students receive health insurance and a yearly stipend. During the two academic
years, stipends are covered by teaching assistantships; in other words, the
department appoints graduate students to assist faculty members in the
instruction of courses in psychology. The work includes preparing
demonstrations, preparing and grading exams, leading discussion groups,
supervising student research, and lecturing under close supervision of the
faculty member. During the summer between the first and second year, the
department provides research assistantships for students. Financial support is
determined at the time of admission. It is not possible to increase the support
at a later time. Continued support from the University depends on the student
remaining in “good standing” as defined earlier. Limited funds are also
available to help with graduate student research needs (e.g., equipment, travel,
participant payments). Students needing funds may make requests to the
department through their faculty advisors.
APPLICATION
As part of the application
procedure, the candidate must submit the application form, scores from the GRE
General Test, official transcripts from other undergraduate or graduate
institutions, and an autobiographical statement describing educational and
career experiences. A bachelor’s degree in any field is a prerequisite. Other
test scores may be submitted but are not required. No application fee is
required. All admissions decisions are made by the Psychology Department in
late February for September enrollment (students are not admitted at other times
of year).
Please check with the
department for a complete course schedule.
PSYC500
Graduate Pedagogy
Identical with: BIOL500
Credit:
0.50
Fall 2005
PSYC501/502
Individual Tutorial, Graduate
Topic to be
arranged in consultation with the tutor.
Credit:
1.00
PSYC503/504
Selected Topics, Graduate Sciences
Credit:
1.00
PSYC511/512
Group Tutorial, Graduate
Credit:
1.00
PSYC520 Advanced Seminar in
Psychology
We will examine the substantive and
practical issues inherent in psychological research and inquiry.
Credit: 1.00
PSYC550
Diagnostic Assessment Practicum
This
graduate practicum teaches the fundamental skills of clinical interviewing and
introduces students to two semi-structured research interviews, the Structured
Clinical Interview for DSM IV Diagnoses (SCID) and the Eating Disorder
Examination (EDE). Students also learn ethical conduct with human participants
and how to manage critical incidents. Students will be introduced to the
concepts and research strategies pertaining to reliability and validity of
diagnostic interviews. Under the supervision of trained graduate students and
the instructor, students will learn to administer SCID and EDE interviews to
individuals recruited for the purpose of student training or for research
studies conducted by the instructor. Students are required to complete the
Human Participants Protection Education for Research Teams online course
(http://www.nih.gov) prior to enrolling in the course. This course is intended
for students with previous research experience who are ready to commit to an
intensive training experience.
Credit:
1.00
Spring 2006
PSYC562
Graduate Field Research
Credit:
1.00
PSYC591/592
Advanced Research for Graduate Students
Investigation of special problems leading to a thesis.
Credit:
1.00
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