The Department of Psychology at Montana State University offers a research-oriented Master of Science (M.S.) degree in Psychological Science. Psychological Science is a broad term for scientific research in the core academic areas of psychology. These areas include cognitive, developmental, health, learning, physiological, and social psychology. Psychologists conducting psychological research work in a wide range of settings such as colleges and universities, health care facilities, federal & state government, small & large businesses, public schools, urban affairs, police & correctional systems, transportation & defense systems, labor unions, and consumer affairs.
The goal of our two-year graduate program is to train students to conduct psychological research. The psychology department at MSU does not have graduate faculty who specialize in clinical, counseling, community, or school psychology. Moreover, we are not a practitioner-oriented or MBA-type program. We consider ourselves to be a feeder program for students who want to continue on to a doctoral program in psychology and conduct research.
To satisfy the degree requirements, students must work intensively with their advisor to complete a research project culminating in a written master's thesis. Six graduate-level psychology courses and one additional supporting course (e.g., biology, statistics, and sociology) are also required. General areas of faculty research interest include: cognitive psychology, physiological psychology, social psychology, health psychology, applied statistics, and research methods.
The psychology faculty at MSU uses an individualized mentorship approach to graduate training. Students and their advisors work together to devise a program of coursework and research best suited for the students' career goals. The opportunity to conduct research with a faculty member is a unique component of our graduate program as it provides training useful for the ultimate pursuit of a doctoral degree or position work in
