Dec 28, 2025

2025-2026 Graduate Catalog

Psychology, M.A.

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College of Arts and Sciences (AC)
Department: Psychology

Major Contacts, Deadlines, and Delivery Information

The M.A. in Psychology is not a terminal degree; students are not admitted to a terminal M.A. degree in Psychology. See deadlines for admission to the Ph.D. degree in Psychology.

Concentrations:

Clinical Psychology
Cognition, Neuroscience, and Social Psychology
Industrial-Organizational Psychology

The graduate faculty of the Psychology Department is divided into three broad concentrations: Clinical, Cognition, Neuroscience, & Social Psychology, and Industrial-Organizational. Each of these areas offers Ph.D. level training in the following areas of special expertise.

Clinical Psychology –

Psychopathology, Psychological Assessment and Interventions, Health Psychology, Addictive Behaviors, Clinical Child Psychology.

Cognition, Neuroscience, & Social Psychology –

Behavioral Neuroscience, Cognition, Language, Judgment and Decision Making, Development, Memory, Perception, Emotion Processes, Social.

Industrial-Organizational Psychology–

Staffing, Measurement & Personnel Testing, Learning, Training & Development, Motivation & Job Attitudes, Teams & Multilevel Organizational Systems, Leadership, Career Development, Work-Family, Occupational Health Psychology, Future of Work.

Methodological offerings across areas include Regression, Analysis of Variance, Psychometrics, Factor Analysis, Meta-analysis, Structural Equation Modeling.

Accreditation:
Clinical Program accredited by the American Psychological Association and the Psychological Clinical Sciences Accreditation System, and is a member of the Academy of Psychological Clinical Science.

Admission Information

Not a terminal MA. - admission only through Ph.D.; see Ph.D. Requirements.

The Department of Psychology does not admit students seeking a terminal M.A. degree in Psychology. Additional information is available in the Graduate Student Handbook. (Those interested in a terminal M.A. degree may be interested in our Psychological Sciences M.A. Program.)

Curriculum Requirements

Total Minimum Hours: 30

Core – 7 Credit Hours
Concentration Requirements – 10 Credit Hours minimum
Electives - 3 Credit Hours Minimum*
Thesis – 4 Credit Hours
Practicum - 2 Credit Hours (Clinical Concentration only)

*Concentration hours vary; students take necessary coursework in the concentration and/or electives to meet the total minimum of 30 credit hours hours required for this major.

Students are required to earn B- or better for each required course.

Core Requirements (7 Credit Hours)

PSY 6206C Regression and Generalized Linear Models Credit Hours: 4
PSY 6065 Introduction to Advanced Psychology Credit Hours: 1-4 (3 credit hours)

Concentration Requirements

Students select from the following Concentrations:

Clinical Psychology Concentration (14 Credit Hours)

Required Courses (14 Credit hours):
CLP 6166 Psychopathology Credit Hours: 3
CLP 6438 Psychological Assessment: Theory and Research Credit Hours: 1-4 (3 Credits for this program)
CLP 6435 Evidence-Based Assessment Credit Hours: 3
CLP 7188 Clinical Psychology Interventions Credit Hours: 1-4 taken as Theory and Research (3 Credits for this program)
PSY 7931 Seminar in Ethics and Professional Problems Credit Hours: 2

Cognition, Neuroscience, and Social Psychology (10 Credit Hours)

Required Courses (3 Credit Hours):
PSY 6208 Experimental Design and Analysis of Variance Credit Hours: 3
And a minimum of two of the following (6 Credit Hours):
EXP 6608 Cognitive Psychology Credit Hours: 3
PSB 6056 Physiological Psychology Credit Hours: 3
SOP 6068 Personality and Social Psychology Credit Hours: 3
A minimum of at least one of the following (1 Credit Hour):
PSY 6917 Directed Research Credit Hours: 1-19 (1 Credit Hour for this program)
PSY 6907 Independent Study Credit Hours: 1-19 (1 Credit Hour for this program)

Industrial-Organizational Psychology Concentration (13 Credit Hours)

Required Courses (13 Credit Hours):
INP 6211 Personnel Psychology Credit Hours: 3
INP 6072 Organizational Research Methods Credit Hours: 3
INP 6317 Organizational Psychology Credit Hours: 3
PSY 6305C Psychometrics Credit Hours: 4

Electives

Clinical Psychology Electives (3 Credit Hours)

Discipline Specific Knowledge and Elective Courses (3 Credit Hours)

Students must complete at least one course:
SOP 6068 Personality and Social Psychology Credit Hours: 3
EXP 6608 Cognitive Psychology Credit Hours: 3
EXP 6606 The Nature of Emotion Credit Hours: 3
CLP 6167 Emotion and Its Disorders Credit Hours: 3
PSB 6056 Physiological Psychology Credit Hours: 3
CLP 6937 Topics in Clinical Psychology Credit Hours: 1-3 taken as Human Neuropsychology/Cognitive Neuroscience (3 Credit Hours for this program)
PSY 7223 Open Science Practices in Psychological Science Credit Hours: 3
CLP 7379 Graduate Seminar in Clinical-Community Psychology Credit Hours: 1-3
CLP 7317 Health Psychology Credit Hours: 3
CLP 7186 Veterans and Their Families Credit Hours: 3
CLP 6462 Working with Families of Infants and Toddlers Credit Hours: 3
SOP 6739 Cultural Competence Credit Hours: 3
Or other graduate course chosen in consultation with the major professor and approved by the clinical faculty (3 Credit Hours)

Cognition, Neuroscience, and Social Psychology Electives (9 Credit Hours)

A minimum of three 3-credit CNS Seminars (9 Credit Hours) from the list below:
EXP 6608 Cognitive Psychology Credit Hours: 3
PSB 6056 Physiological Psychology Credit Hours: 3
SOP 6068 Personality and Social Psychology Credit Hours: 3
(One of the above classes can be taken to meet one of the three Seminar requirements if not take to meet the two-of-three required courses above.)
EXP 6606 The Nature of Emotion Credit Hours: 3
PPE 6058 Personality Credit Hours: 3
PSY 6220 Presentation and Data Visualization Credit Hours: 3
PSY 6222 Writing and Reviewing Credit Hours: 3
SOP 6939 The Self in Social Psychology Credit Hours: 3
SOP 7415 Stereotypes and Prejudice Credit Hours: 3
SOP 7505 Interpersonal Relationships Credit Hours: 3
EXP 7217 Eye Tracking Research Credit Hours: 3
EXP 7575 Judgment and Decision Making Credit Hours: 3
PSY 7821 Stress and Coping Credit Hours: 3
EXP 7099 Graduate Seminar in Experimental Psychology Credit Hours: 1-3 (3 Credit Hours for this program, can be taken three times for a total of 9 credits). Taken, for example, as: Memory (3 Credit hours); Topics in Neuroscience (3 Credit Hours)

Industrial-Organizational Psychology Electives (6 Credit Hours)

A minimum of two, 3-credit Industrial-Organizational (I-O) courses chosen in consultation with their major professor (6 Credit hours)

Students in the Industrial-Organizational Concentration may be allowed to substitute advanced three-hour courses in industrial-organizational psychology for one or more of the content requirements in consultation with their advisor and with the written permission of the I-O Area Director.

Practicum (Clinical Concentration Only) (2 Credit Hours)

PSY 6946 Practicum and Internship in Clinical Psychology Credit Hours: 1-15

Thesis (4 Credit Hours Minimum)

PSY 6971 Thesis: Master’s Credit Hours: 2-19 (4 credit hours required for this program)

Comprehensive Exam

Successful completion of a Comprehensive Exam.

Department Handbook

Procedures and guidelines for the different concentrations are described in detail in the Psychology Graduate Student Handbook.

University of South Florida

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