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 or 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 a 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 clinical psychology and neuroscience, infant and child development, human cognition, education and community development, and social psychology. Substantial library resources on campus total more than one 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.

Credits and course requirements. 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 Seminar in Psychology (two credits; one credit per year)
• PSYC591 and 592 Advanced Research for Graduate Students (two credits; one credit per term of second year)
• PSYC500 Graduate Pedagogy (0.5 credits; first term of first year)

Any other graduate tutorials (PSYC501/502, 503/504, 511/512), undergraduate nontutorial courses in any department (usually 200- or 300-level courses) taken for graduate credit, or graduate seminars (four 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).

For any course to be counted toward 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 toward 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 toward the first year to leave more time for the thesis in the second year.

The required Advanced Seminar in Psychology (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 p.m.) 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 p.m.) 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 (only if they are undergraduate courses being taken for graduate credit). 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 course work or more stringent grading standards on the student 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 toward 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. 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 the first week in April 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 the first week in May, 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 the first week in May, the actual meeting may be held anytime before the end of June as long as the thesis proposal is approved by the committee by the end of June. (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 the end of June.)

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 Universitywide 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' Web site. 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 by the same date (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 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 good standing in the program is contingent on obtaining a B- in each course being applied toward 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 Universitywide Graduate Council, which monitors the progress of all graduate students toward 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 years, 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 online application form, scores from the GRE General Test, official transcripts from other undergraduate or graduate institutions, an autobiographical statement describing educational and career experiences, and three letters of recommendation. 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 mid-March for September enrollment (students are not admitted at other times of the year).

BA/MA degree program. The Psychology Department offers the BA/MA degree program. It is available only to Wesleyan students in their junior year. Please contact the department or visit the Web site.