Requirements

Successful completion of eight courses is required for the degree, including:

  • PSYC 210a & 210b — Advanced Psychological Statistics (two semesters)
  • PSYC 211a* — Graduate Research Methods in Psychology
  • PSYC 250b — Master’s Project Readings (Readings and research for master's thesis. This 4-credit course is offered only in the spring semester.)

Students are also required to choose four courses from the list of 100-level or higher electives below, in consultation with their faculty advisor to develop a broad foundation in psychology (Cross-listed courses can count toward the requirements with advisor approval).

Students are also strongly encouraged to register for and attend PSYC 316a (Psychology Research Seminar) both semesters, which is a Brown Bag Lunch held every Thursday from Noon to 1 p.m. (This 4-credit course does not count as one of the four electives.)

Electives

Course  Course Title
NPSY-120b Human Space Flight
NPSY-121b Alzheimer’s Disease Resilience & Risk Factors
NPSY-139a Memory and the Brain
NPSY-141a Stress, Physiology, and Health
NPSY-154a Human Memory
NPSY-170a

Decision Neuroscience

NPSY-174b Visual Cognition
NPSY-180a Social Neuroscience and Culture
NPSY-182a Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience: Infancy through Adolescence
NPSY-196b Adv. Topics in Cognition
NPSY-197a Adv. Topics in Behavioral Neuroscience
NPSY-199a Human Neuropsychology
PSYC-123a Applied Bayesian Modeling

PSYC-128b

The Psychology of Deafness and Blindness
PSYC-130b Life Span Development: Early and Middle Adulthood
PSYC-136b

Advanced Topics in Developmental Psychology

PSYC-140a Statistical Analysis Software Applications
PSYC-142a Sport Psychology: A Health Psychology Perspective
PSYC-148a Applied Statistical Computing in R
PSYC-153b

Psychology of Trauma and Adversity

PSYC-155a Interpersonal Sensitivity
PSYC-160b Seminar on Sex Differences
PSYC-169b Disorders of Childhood
PSYC-178b

The Psychology of Prejudice

PSYC-193b Tests and Measurements
PSYC-215a Multivariate Statistics I
PSYC-216a Multivariate Statistics II

Thesis

The Master’s Project Readings course culminates in a Master’s Thesis, which is either an empirical research project or a comprehensive literature review with research proposal.

In consultation with their advisor, students must choose a second reader for their MA project from within the Psychology Department and must submit a written thesis proposal. The final written thesis must be completed and submitted to the advisor and second reader one month prior to the Graduate School’s deposit deadline.

After final approval, the master's thesis must be deposited electronically to the Robert D. Farber University Archives at Brandeis. For deposit deadlines, please refer to the academic calendar.