MA in Psychological Studies

Leverage psychological research to make meaningful decisions.

The Master of Arts in Psychological Studies is designed to help you further your career in psychology by learning to apply skills in psychological research while gaining hands-on experience. Our goal is to foster creativity, social justice, and innovation in psychological research. Demonstrate your learning not with exams and quizzes, but with reflective essays, reading journals, collaborative projects, research papers, and oral presentations.

This degree is offered by AU Los Angeles.

Program Overview

This 48 unit degree is the appropriate choice if you are seeking a master’s degree in psychology for personal and professional development, en route to a different career goal, and/or academic preparation for doctoral study. You can design an individualized program, which reflects your personal interests, ideals, values, and career path.

Faculty serve as mentors and advisors who make themselves available to you throughout the program. Our curriculum incorporates an introspective approach that helps you develop awareness and insight, while our advising model helps you find your direction and fulfill your goals.

This degree does not fulfill educational requirements for licensure in California, but does provide you with the introductory knowledge, attitudes, and skills in social science research that can be applied in business, non-profit, non-clinical mental health, and other settings. You will delve more deeply into topics of interest through the completion of a master’s level project, such as writing a thesis, conducting original research, and or implementing a community-based project.

Degree Requirements

• 48 units of coursework and a 4-quarter full-time residency
• 48 units, approximately 12 units per quarter for those who wish to complete the degree in one year and transfer to a doctoral program (longer residencies and more quarters of enrollment are possible)

Requirements

Students can choose to delve more deeply into topics of interest by completing a master’s level project by writing a thesis, implementing a project, or a non-clinical practicum. Past topics have included:

• Designing a workshop on somatic responses to grief
• Understanding relationships between juvenile delinquency and childhood abuse
• The Psychology of Taste: Cooking, Psychology, and Umami
• Suicidality: Understanding the needs of suicide hotline workers
• Autism and the Family

For detailed curriculum and degree requirements, please visit the AULA catalog.