Progressive Degree Program

Progressive Degree Program in Psychology
This progressive degree program permits superior students to complete all requirements for both the B.A. in Psychology and the M.A. in Psychological Science in five years. Students may apply on completion of 64 units of course work, but not later than the end of their junior year (or the completion of 96 units). To be eligible for admission, students must have at least a 3.5 overall GPA and must have completed PSYC 274 Statistics and PSYC 314 Research Methods with at least a B+ in each. The application for admission to a progressive degree program must be accompanied by an approved course plan proposal and letters of recommendation from two USC faculty members (at least one in the Department of Psychology who agrees to mentor the student). The requirements for both the B.A. and M.A. degrees must be satisfied. Further details about progressive degrees can be found in the USC Catalogue.

Master of Arts in Psychological Science
The M.A. in Psychological Science is designed for superior students who wish to further their research training and to acquire the methodological background and hands-on research experience to define their scholarly interests and to pursue graduate education, professional degrees or careers requiring advanced skills in research and writing. This is a terminal degree. Students who wish to pursue their doctorate at USC should apply directly to the Ph.D. program initially.
Admission Requirements
A minimum 3.5 cumulative GPA in the bachelor's degree and grades of at least B+ in an undergraduate statistics and an undergraduate methods course are required for admission.
Course Requirements
This program requires a minimum of 24 units at the graduate level. The student must complete one statistics and/or research methods course, one course in brain and cognitive sciences, and one clinical, developmental or social area course and one additional course in one of the three areas. Specific courses that satisfy each of these 4 requirements may be selected from this course list. The student must take 2 units of PSYC 590 Directed Research each semester under the supervision of a faculty member who has agreed to serve as the student’s faculty mentor.
Thesis Requirement
The student will enroll in PSYC 594a during fall semester and PSYC 594b during spring semester and will complete a final paper (either an empirical paper or an extensive review paper) that is written in publication format. The student will submit the thesis to the faculty mentor and two other psychology faculty members by May 1 and will schedule a one-hour committee meeting to defend the master's thesis prior to graduation.