Program Description
School of Psychology, Family, and Community Faculty
School of Psychology, Family, and Community Graduate Programs Website
The Master of Science (MS) in Research Psychology program allows students to earn a master’s degree by completing 33 quarter-based credits. This master's degree is intended for completion in three academic quarter-based terms and one summer term, focused on completion of a capstone project and capstone presentation.
The MS in Research Psychology provides high quality, rigorous coursework in advanced statistics and research methods as well as research experiences for students preparing for career trajectories in research laboratories, research and data-driven corporate/industrial settings, or agencies prioritizing research and program evaluation to enhance service effectiveness and capacity for increased grant funding.
The MS in Research Psychology also provides important research preparation and mentoring for students with doctoral program goals by allowing more focused research training and opportunities to contribute to professional peer-reviewed publications and conference presentations.
Seattle Pacific University is especially well suited for this program due to its maintenance of state-of-the-art research laboratories, extensive faculty research involvement, and capacities of existing undergraduate, masters, and doctoral programs to support new masters-level students.
Admission Requirements
- Online application and $75 application fee.
- Bachelor’s degree
- From a regionally accredited institution in the field of psychology with coursework in statistics and research methods.
- From a regionally accredited institution in a non-psychological field with the ability to demonstrate strong competency in statistics and research methods.
- Students must have graduated with good academic standing with a minimum grade-point average of 3.0.
- Preference will be given to students with strong experience in research, statistics, and writing.
- Prerequisites
- Completion of a course comparable to three quarter-based credits in descriptive or inferential statistics, with a grade of at least C+ (2.3).
- Completion of a course comparable to three quarter-based credits in research methods, with a grade of at least C+ (2.3).
- No GRE (Graduate Record Exam) is required for this program.
- Letters of recommendation
- Three letters of recommendation are required. Two (2) should come from academic references (e.g., professor, instructor) and one (1) from a professional (e.g., employer, internship supervisor).
- Letters of recommendation are not required for Seattle Pacific University students or alumni from the School of Psychology, Family, and Community.
- Personal statement, typed and addresses the following
- Future career or graduate school objectives
- Rationale for seeking a degree in research psychology and why you are seeking to attend Seattle Pacific University
- Description of how this experience would differ from your undergraduate courses or experiences
- Experience working on research teams or other groups and what you have learned from working in groups
- Area of research or questions you are interested in studying
- Mention your professional and personal strengths as they apply:
- Related research experiences
- Relevant knowledge of and use of statistics and research methods
- Personal values
- Awareness of SPU's faith identity and related openness to faith discussions as well as faith-related course requirements
- Any other insights deemed appropriate by the applicant
Deadline
February 3
Admissions Process
The Admissions Committee of the Master of Science in Research Psychology program will conduct a preliminary screening process.
- Finalists may be invited to an on-campus or virtual interview day.
- Admission to the master’s program depends upon recommendation by the Research Psychology faculty and approval from the Research Psychology chair.
- The entire process is usually completed within twelve weeks after the final deadline date for applications.
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