Psychology, M.A.

California State University, Fresno

The M.A. Psychology offers a choice of programs in either general/experimental psychology. Students completing the M.A. program receive a thorough grounding in psychology as an empirical science. All M.A. students are prepared in the foundations necessary to successfully enter and complete doctoral programs students receive instruction in quantitative methods, experimental design, psychological theory, and research. For the General/Experimental and Applied Behavior Analysis options, we operate within a "mentorship model" in which students work closely with a faculty member whose research interests align with their own. To choose possible research mentors go to the Research Page. Together, the student and faculty member develop a research question and hypothesis which eventually turns into the final product of the graduate experience: an experimental thesis. One of the particular strengths of our department's graduate programs is this close relationship between faculty and students: very often, a graduate student is the only student - or is one of a small number of students (2-3) - with whom the faculty member works, allowing for a training experience in experimental psychology that is deep, rigorous and personalized for our graduate students' goals.The General/Experimental curriculum offers a flexible program with coursework in research methodology, advanced statistics, and in content courses like Behavioral Approaches to Language, Psychopharmacology and Social Psychology. By the end of the curriculum, our students are prepared for Ph.D. work, occupations in Research Analysis, and/or teaching at the community-college level. Approximately half of previous M.A. program graduates have continued their studies in academic or applied doctoral programs others work in research analysis and program evaluation, administration, and community colleges.

College of Science and Mathematics