Applied Psychological Research (APSYR)

Degree Conferred: M.A.

Program Faculty and Advisers

• Michael A. Becker, Ph.D. (SUNY-Albany) Associate Professor of Psychology
• Thomas G. Bowers, Ph.D. (Virginia Tech) Associate Professor of Psychology
• Gina M. Yanni-Brelsford, Ph.D. (Bowling Green) Assistant Professor of Psychology
• Barbara A. Bremer, Ph.D. (Bryn Mawr) Associate Professor of Psychology
• Marissa Harrison, Ph.D. (SUNY Albany) Assistant Professor of Psychology
• Senel Poyrazli, Ph.D. (Houston) Associate Professor of Counseling Psychology
• Maria A. Turkson, Ph.D. (Maryland) Assistant Professor of Psychology
• Xu Xu, Ph.D. (Northern Illinois) Assistant Professor of Psychology

Associated Graduate Faculty

• John Steven Backels, Ph.D. (Ball State) Affiliate Assistant Professor of Psychology, Director of Personal Counseling

The Program

The Master of Arts in Applied Psychological Research program focuses on the development of research skills within the context of scientifi c training in psychology. The program requires 35 credits of course work (29 credits of core courses and 6 credits of electives).

The program is designed to meet the needs of students who plan careers in research or administration within human service or similar organizations, who plan to conduct research in other settings, or who plan to pursue doctoral study. Students can select electives and research experiences, in consultation with their adviser, to reflect their individual interests.

The program is intended for both part-time and full-time students. Admission is for the fall semester only. The deadline for fall admission is April 30. Early application is encouraged, especially for anyone who is hoping to be considered for merit-based awards. Decisions are made on a rolling basis beginning in January.

Admission Requirements

Students will be admitted on a competitive basis and must submit the following:

• completed online application form with the application fee;
• two official transcripts of all colleges and universities attended;
• three professional letters of recommendation, at least two of which should be academic;
• a brief (two-page) interest statement.
• verbal, quantitative, and analytical scores on the Graduate Record Examinations.

The applicant must have a bachelor’s degree from a regionally accredited academic institution, must have completed at least 18 credits in psychology, and must have a cumulative grade-point average of 3.0 or above in the last 60 credits of coursework. The undergraduate work must include a statistics course and a psychology research methods course with grades of B or higher. A personal interview is required.

The Curriculum

The M.A. in Applied Psychological Research requires 35 credits of course work, including 6 credits of supervised research experience and a master’s research paper.

Psychology Core Courses (29 credits) provide a foundation in professional ethics, individual differences and cultural diversity, the scientifi c bases of behavior, and scientific research skills.

• PSYC 500 ETHICS AND PROFESSIONAL PRACTICE IN PSYCHOLOGY (3). Prerequisite: admission to the Applied Clinical Psychology or Applied Psychological Research programs
• PSYC 501 CULTURAL COMPETENCY IN PSYCHOLOGY (3). Prerequisite: admission to the Applied Clinical Psychology or Applied Psychological Research programs
• PSYC 502 APPLIED SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY (3)
• PSYC 520 RESEARCH METHODS (4). Prerequisites: SCLSC 470 and admission to program
• PSYC 521 STATISTICS (4). Prerequisites: PSYC 520, admission to program, satisfactory performance on a statistics proficiency exam
• PSYC 524 BIOLOGICAL BASIS OF BEHAVIOR (3). Prerequisite: admission to the Applied Clinical Psychology or Applied Psychological Research programs
• PSYC 530 RESEARCH PAPER (3). Prerequisites: PSYC 520, 521, and permission of the program
• PSYC 594 APPLIED PSYCHOLOGICAL RESEARCH (6)

Elective Courses (PSYCH)

• PSYCH 410 CHILD DEVELOPMENT (3). Prerequisite: PSYCH 100
• PSYCH 412 ADOLESCENCE (3). Prerequisite: PSYCH 100 or SOC 001
• PSYCH 416 ADULT DEVELOPMENT (3). Prerequisite: PSYCH 100
• PSYCH 438 PERSONALITY THEORY (3) Prerequisite: PSYCH 100, 6 additional credits of PSYCH
• PSYCH 456 ADVANCED COGNITION AND PERCEPTION (3). Prerequisites: PSYCH 100, 6 additional credits of PSYCH
• PSYCH 461 LEARNING THEORY (3). Prerequisite: PSYCH 100, 6 additional credits of PSYCH
• PSYCH 470 ABNORMAL PSYCHOLOGY (3). Prerequisite: PSYCH 100; PSYCH 238, PSYCH 243, or PSYCH 270
• PSYCH 473 BEHAVIOR MODIFICATION (3). Prerequisite: PSYCH 100, 6 additional credits of PSYCH
• PSYCH 476 CHILD PSYCHOPATHOLOGY (3) Prerequisite: PSYCH 100; PSYCH 212, PSYCH 238, PSYCH 243, or PSYCH 270

Elective Courses

(Offered through other Penn State Harrisburg graduate programs)

• ABA 522 SINGLE SUBJECT RESEARCH DESIGNS
• ADTED 550 QUALITATIVE RESEARCH IN ADTED
• CMPSY 520 RESEARCH METHODS II

(Offered through the Penn State College of Medicine at the Penn State Milton S. Hershey Medical Center, approximately 8 miles from Penn State Harrisburg) Click here for course descriptions.

• HES 500 RESEARCH ETHICS FOR CLINICAL INVESTIGATORS (1)
• HES 510 CLINICAL RESEARCH METHODS (3)
• HES 516 STATISTICA; GENETICS (3)
• HES 520 PRINCIPLES OF BIOSTATISTICS (3)
• HES 521 APPLIED BIOSTATISTICS (3)
• HES 522 MULTIVARIATE BIOSTATISTICS (3)
• HES 536 HEALTH SURVEY RESEARCH METHODS (3)
• HES 550 PRINCIPLES OF EPIDEMIOLOGY (3)
• HES 551 ADVANCED EPIDEMIOLOGICAL METHODS (3)
• HES 552 MOLECULAR EPIDEMIOLOGY OF CHRONIC DISEASE (3)
• HES 570 HEALTH ECONOMICS & ECONOMIC EVALUATION (3)
• HES 580 CLINICAL TRIALS: DESIGN & ANALYSIS (3)
• HES 581 CLINICAL TRIALS: CASE STUDIES (1)
• HES 594 RESEARCH TOPICS (3)

To register for one of these courses, Penn State Harrisburg students may register via eLion provided that they first enroll in a course at Penn State Harrisburg. Students not taking a Penn State Harrisburg course in a given semester who would like to take one of the above courses should contact Kathy Simon in Graduate Registration at the College of Medicine at kzs2@psu.edu, 717-531-6608 or by fax at 717-531-4139

Transfer Credits

Penn State allows for the approval of up to 10 transfer credits to graduate programs.

Grade-Point Average

Students must have a 3.00 grade-point average to graduate from the program.

For a list of courses, visit the web at http://www.psu.edu/bulletins/whitebook/$programs.htm

Please note: This page is not a part of the official Penn State Graduate Bulletin.