PSYCH-MA - Psychology (MA)
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Program Overview
The purpose of the master’s program is to develop further knowledge and skills in Psychology and prepare students for a professional career or doctoral studies. This is achieved by completing courses in the primary field and related areas, and experience with independent work and specialization. The master’s program is available only to PhD students in Psychology and, under special circumstances, students enrolled in other graduate programs offered through the university.
Degree Eligibility
Current Stanford doctoral students can apply for a Master of Arts in Psychology during their PhD, JD, or MD program.
Graduate students already enrolled in the Psychology PhD program and who have completed (a) the first-year and second-year course requirements and (b) at least 45 units of Psychology courses may apply for conferral of the MA degree. This application should be discussed with the student services manager.
Students currently enrolled in a Stanford PhD or professional program in another department may be granted a Master of Arts in Psychology. In such cases, admission to the MA is considered by the faculty on a case-by-case basis. An admitted student must complete at least 45 units of Psychology courses and possibly other research or course requirements as determined by the faculty. Interested applicants should consult the student services manager, Dena Zlatunich (denamz@stanford.edu).
All applicants must satisfy university residency requirements for the degree and are responsible for consulting with their primary departments or the Financial Aid Office about the effects of the proposed program on their current funding.
The Department of Psychology does not offer a terminal master’s degree. Only currently enrolled Stanford doctoral students (PhD, MD, or JD) are eligible to apply for the MA in Psychology.
Admissions Information
Policy and Process for Current Psychology PhD students
Graduate students already enrolled in the Psychology PhD program and have completed (a) the first-year and second-year course requirements and (b) at least 45 units of Psychology courses may apply for conferral of the MA degree. This application should be discussed with the student services manager.
Students currently enrolled in a Stanford PhD or professional program in another department may be granted a Master of Arts in Psychology. In such cases, admission to the MA is considered by the faculty on a case-by-case basis. An admitted student must complete at least 45 units of Psychology courses and possibly other research or course requirements as determined by the faculty. Interested applicants should consult the student services manager, Dena Zlatunich (denamz@stanford.edu).
All applicants must satisfy university residency requirements for the degree and are responsible for consulting with their primary departments or the Financial Aid Office about the effects of the proposed program on their current funding.
Please note: The Department of Psychology does not offer terminal MA degrees for students not already pursuing another advanced degree at Stanford.
How to apply for the Psychology MA: Current Psychology PhD Students
Fill out the application form and obtain your advisor’s signature.
Submit the completed application form to the Psychology student services manager, who will obtain the department chair’s signature.
Submit a request for the master’s degree via Axess using the Graduate Program Authorization Form. To find this form, navigate to the Student Tab, then Petitions and Forms under the Academics tab. Make sure to indicate that you are adding a master’s degree. There will be a checkbox to leave your current graduate program - do NOT check this box!
Enter your payment and select “Apply to Graduate” in Axess (select the master’s, not PhD).
Psychology’s Student Services Office will approve your request in Axess.
Policy and Procedures for External Students Requesting to Pursue a Master of Arts in Psychology
Graduate students from other Stanford departments/graduate programs may request the opportunity to pursue a Master of Arts in Psychology. They are eligible if:
They are PhD, JD, or MD students in another Stanford department/graduate program
They have secured a Psychology faculty sponsor who agrees to serve as their master’s research advisor.
Requirements
The requirements for the MA are the same for internal (Psychology PhD program) and external (non-Psychology PhD program) students. However, for external students, the MA coursework and thesis must be in addition to the coursework and milestone documents they are using toward their primary Ph.D. In other words, a student may not use the same course to count toward the unit or content requirements of both degrees; the student must choose which courses count for which degree. Students are still bound to the PhD course load cap of 10 units per quarter. Students may count the Psych MA course units toward the requirement to complete 135 units in residence for a PhD (a university requirement) but not toward specific department/program-level PhD requirements.
If a student requests permission to waive a particular core or methods course requirement (e.g., PSYCH 252) due to overlapping course content with their PhD coursework, the student must petition the Psychology Graduate Program Committee. If this petition is granted, the student must still complete 45 units of Psychology coursework, of which a maximum of 18 can be labs/practica/research units. Waiving a course requirement means the student replaces the waived course with a different psychology course.
An external student’s master’s thesis cannot overlap with similar milestone documents that count toward their primary Ph.D. For an external student, a successful Master’s Thesis is a report on a research project in Psychology that is done during the first two years of their master’s studies. Typically, the thesis is written in the format of a scientific paper, including the following sections: (i) an introduction describing the background and theoretical context, (ii) a methods section describing the experimental paradigm, (ii) results detailing experiment outcomes with the appropriate data analyses, statistical analyses, figures, and/or tables, (iv) discussion, and (v) references. Both the primary advisor in the Psychology department and a second reader (must be a Stanford Academic Council member) will read and give the student feedback on their Master’s Thesis, and the student must pass a 1-hour thesis defense at which the work is presented to the advisor and reader.
Process
A successful external MA recipient goes through the following steps:
The potential student secures a Psychology faculty research mentor who supports the addition of the MA; have an initial meeting with the student services manager to review the program and set expectations.
The potential student applies to the student services manager. This application is composed of the following materials: Statement of Purpose, CV, and Letter of Support from primary advisor(s) in the home department.
The student services manager collates and submits the application to the area faculty for review.
If the area faculty approves, the student services manager confirms department approval with the student and records the student’s commitment to pursue an MA. Note: The student does not formally add the Psych MA program plan in Axess at this time.
The student pursues the MA coursework and research under the consultation of the MA advisor. The student services manager is available for logistical advising.
The student completes the coursework and submits an MA Thesis. The thesis is submitted via email to the Psychology MA advisor and secondary reader, cc’ing the Psychology student services manager.
The MA Thesis is defended in a presentation to the primary advisor and second reader, and the thesis is reviewed and approved by both the primary advisor in Psychology and the second reader.
The student submits the MA form and formally matriculates, and the MA degree is available in the system for the student to confer.
How to apply for the Psychology MA: Current Stanford JD, MD, or PhD Students
Carefully review the Psychology MA Policy and Process document.
Set up a meeting with the student services manager (Dena Zlatunich, denamz@stanford.edu) to review the process.
Secure Psychology faculty MA advisor.
Apply for the student services manager. The application consists of a Statement of Purpose, CV, and Letter of Support from the primary home department advisor(s). The psychology faculty will review this application.
If the Psychology faculty approves, the Psychology MA advisor will mentor you as you complete the MA requirements. The requirements include the 45 coursework units outlined above and a master’s thesis and master’s thesis defense. For complete details, refer to the Psychology MA Policy and Process document.
After completing the required MA coursework, thesis, and Thesis defense, complete the application form and obtain your advisor’s signature.
Submit the completed application form to the Psychology student services manager, who will obtain the department chair’s signature.
Submit a request for the Master’s Degree via Axess using the Graduate Program Authorization Form. To find this form, navigate to the Student Tab, then Petitions and Forms under the Academics tab. Make sure to indicate that you are adding a master’s degree. There will be a checkbox to leave your current graduate program - do NOT check this box!
Enter your payment and select “Apply to Graduate” in Axess (choose the master’s, not PhD).
Psychology’s Student Services Office will approve your request in Axess.
As with internal MA students, external MA students matriculate into the MA at the end of the program. This ensures that if a student opts not to complete the MA, we do not need to process a formal withdrawal or dismissal from the MA program.
Funding
The department does not provide funding for external MA students. If a faculty mentor wishes to engage an external MA student as an RA, the faculty must provide the funds.