Psychological Research, M.S.

Curriculum

Our two-year curriculum focuses on three areas: a faculty-mentored research experience culminating in a master’s thesis, skill development in data analysis techniques, and broad domain-knowledge in psychological science. An example path-to-degree is described below, followed by more general program information.

Path to Degree

Admissions

1. Students apply to the program by the deadline. Applications are due March 1 and will be considered until all program spaces are filled.
2. The admissions committee coordinates interviews with prospective students and facilitates matches between accepted students and their faculty mentors.
3. The committee is especially interested in admitting students who display an active interest in developing their analytical skills as it relates to areas within psychological science reflected in our program. Successful applicants will have a strong academic background, strong letters of reference, and will have clearly articulated their research interests and how these may overlap with our program.
4. Brooklyn College is a highly diverse institution, and we welcome applicants from all backgrounds. We are committed to values and policies that enhance respect for individuals and their cultures.

Year One: Fall Semester

1. Students enroll in three courses: Survey in Psychological Science I, Statistical Methods in Psychology I, and Independent Reading I.
   • Survey in Psychological Science I is a team-taught, seminar-style course introducing students to three major areas of research in psychological science. Each week students will read and discuss foundational and current research papers in each domain. The course is split into three modules (five weeks each), each taught by a faculty expert in the domain. For example, the modules could include any three of the following domains: learning, perception, cognition, comparative, cognitive neuroscience, or behavioral neuroscience.
   • Statistical Methods in Psychology I introduces students to basic descriptive and inferential statistics commonly used in psychological research. Additionally, the course provides some introduction to programming environments for statistical analysis, such as R.
   • Independent Reading I is the first faculty-mentor supervised course providing opportunity for a focused literature review in research areas that will provide conceptual background for a student’s research project. Students produce a brief APA-style report of their research activity.
2. By the end of the first semester, students work with their faculty mentor to assemble a thesis committee. This committee will be composed of the faculty mentor (chair), and at least two other faculty members. The committee will meet once per semester to discuss the student’s research project.

Year One: Spring Semester

1. Students enroll in three courses: Survey in Psychological Science II, Statistical Methods in Psychology II PSYC, Independent Research I.
   • Survey in Psychological Science II is a team-taught, seminar-style course introducing students to three major areas of research in psychological science. Each week students will read and discuss foundational and current research papers in each domain. The course is split into three modules (five weeks each), each taught by a faculty expert in the domain. For example, the modules could include any three of the following domains: social psychology, developmental/lifespan psychology, psychopathology, relationship science, research in clinical psychology.
   • Statistical Methods in Psychology II introduces students to more advanced inferential statistics, including ANOVA, regression, and their formal relationship through the general linear model. Additionally, the course continues to provide introduction to programming environments for statistical analysis, such as R.
   • Independent Research I is the second faculty-mentor supervised course where students engage in research activities. For example, a student could pilot a research idea and collect data that may be included in their thesis project. Students produce a brief APA-style report of their research activity.
2. Students meet with their thesis committee at the end of the semester, and are expected to present a brief thesis proposal. The thesis proposal describes tangible research activities that will form the basis for the thesis work.

Year Two: Fall Semester

1. Students enroll in three courses: Professional Development Seminar, Data Skills for Reproducible Psychological Research, and Independent Research II.
   • Professional Development Seminar provides more exposure to current research in psychology through seminar style invited talks, usually by faculty in the department. Additionally, students present their own research projects, which provides training in research communication skills.
   • Data Skills for Reproducible Psychological Research provides training in the use of computer programming environments, such as R, for advanced data-analysis, data-visualization, computationally reproducible workflows, data-sharing techniques, and software-aided skills for communicating research assets.
   • Independent Research II is the third faculty-mentor supervised course where students engage in research activities. Students produce a brief APA-style report of their research activity. At this stage, the student’s written report could form a chapter in their thesis.
2. Students meet with their thesis committee at the end of the semester. If the thesis proposal has not yet been presented and approved, the student presents their thesis proposal.

Year Two: Spring Semester

1. Students enroll in one required course: Research in Psychology, which is the “thesis” course, and constitutes the fourth and final faculty-mentor supervised course where students engage in research activities culminating in a thesis. At this stage students will complete data-collection, analysis, and writing of the thesis document.
2. Students enroll in two elective courses:
   • The program will offer one content-focused or multi-disciplinary elective in psychology, and one “data-analysis” focused elective (e.g., multivariate analysis, Bayesian statistics, etc.).
   • Students also have opportunities to fill these credits by taking electives in other approved programs with permission of the graduate deputy.
3. At the end of the semester the student meets with their advisory committee for their official thesis defense.
   • The student gives an oral presentation of the thesis to their thesis committee.
   • The student gives a conference-style talk summarizing their thesis at the annual in-house conference held in the spring.
4. After successfully completing 36 credits and submitting their thesis, students’ degrees are conferred.

General Program Information

Classes

Class sizes are small, typically seven to 15 students per class. Small classes allow students to get to know each other and the professor and provide many opportunities for discussion and debate. Students learn to think critically and express themselves clearly, while engaging deeply with the foundations of psychological knowledge and cutting-edge research.

Classes are offered throughout the day, with some classes beginning as early as 9:30 a.m. Research labs typically operate during business hours.

Completion Timeline

The degree can be completed in two years by taking nine credits per semester.

Other Information

This is not an evening program. If you are unsure about whether your work schedule is compatible with the program, we encourage you to contact us.

The M.S. in psychological research does not provide training in clinical psychology techniques. Students interested in a clinical program should consider Brooklyn College’s M.A. in mental health counseling.

Research Opportunities

Our master’s program involves hands-on and intensive faculty-mentored research experiences culminating in a master’s thesis. Accepted students will be paired with a faculty mentor and work with faculty in completing psychological research each semester. Our faculty have a diverse range of research interests across many domains within psychological science, so it is possible for students to find mentors who work with human and non-human animals on basic and/or applied research questions. We encourage prospective students to identify faculty mentors with shared research interests by visiting their websites and contacting them via email.

Psychological Research at Brooklyn College

Individual laboratories in the department focus on topics such as creativity and cognition in the arts, computational cognition, prejudice and discrimination, cognition in invertebrates (e.g., octopus), the role of inequality in cognitive development, the neurobiological bases of psychopathic behavior, metamemory (knowledge of one’s own memory), the development of children and adolescents’ career goals, moral decision-making, and the neurobehavioral and computational mechanisms of associative learning and causality perception.

All labs are well equipped, and many have attracted funding from NSF, NIH, NASA, DARPA, and other organizations. Several faculty members have appointments and working collaborations with research labs in city hospitals and medical schools with access to technologies such as fMRI.