MS, Psychology

Mission Statement

The primary mission of the Master of Science in Psychology Program is to provide students with a broad training including the areas of developmental, cognitive/neuroscience, social psychology, and personality. Also, the focus of this program will prepare graduates to teach, conduct research, further their education, and/or utilize their skill and understanding in the applied areas of psychology.

Admissions Requirements

1. Bachelor’s Degree – Degree must include a minimum of 18 hours in psychology (or related field) and have been awarded from an institution with regional accreditation or equivalent verification. Currently, international students do not qualify for the program due to the 100% Online format.
2. Undergraduate Grade Point Average – Students must have achieved an undergraduate GPA of 2.75 or higher on a four (4)-point scale.
3. Letters of Reference – Two letters of reference from the applicant’s undergraduate instructors or one letter from an instructor and one from a professional source are required.
4. Personal Statement – Submit an essay detailing the student’s purpose for attending the LMU MSP program, relevant skills, qualifications, preparation, and a statement of goals after completing the program.
5. Transfer Credit – A maximum of nine (9) graduate credit hours closely related to the MSP degree will be allowed in transfer by approval of the program’s Admissions Committee.
6. Entrance Interview – An entrance interview may be requested if one or more requirements are not met.

Graduation Requirements

1. A minimum of thirty-three (33) credit hours of graduate course work and satisfactory completion of all core courses is required for graduation with the Master of Science in Psychology degree.
2. The student must maintain a cumulative GPA of 3.00 or be placed on academic probation. Failure to meet or exceed this standard of academic progress in the subsequent semester will result in dismissal from the program.
3. All MSP students must complete a comprehensive examination
   1. Students must complete all required classes in the program prior to taking the comprehensive examination.
   2. Comprehensive examination will be administered in the semester prior to graduation. For instance, students planning to graduate in the Spring semester should complete the comprehensive examination by the end of the preceding Fall semester.
   3. Students must schedule their comprehensive examination with the Program Director by the 8th week of the semester that they plan to take the examination.
   4. The comprehensive assessment is graded on a pass/fail basis.
   5. Students unable to pass the comprehensive examination will be required to retake sections for which they did not receive a passing grade. Failure to successfully pass all sections of the comprehensive examination will result in a failure to meet graduation requirements. Students have up to three (3) attempts at a section to achieve a passing score. Students that do not achieve a passing score in a section must enroll in a one (1) hour independent study per section failed to refocus their studies and retake the examination.
4. Completion of all program and university assessments and surveys.

Curriculum & Standards

The curriculum of the MSP program at LMU is designed to enhance a student’s academic qualifications. All classes are preparatory coursework for post-graduate goals in programs leading to a terminal degree. Please note that the semester’s schedules and/or coursework and timeframes are subject to change based upon individual student needs or as determined by the AHSS Graduate Council. There are two tracks students can pursue, (1) General Track and (2) Forensic Psychology track.  The Forensic Psychology track consists of 6 graduate courses from the MSP General Track and 5 graduate courses from the Master of Science in Criminal Justice Program.  Each track consists of 33 total credit hours and designed to be completed in 16 months or less.