Office:
University Hall, Third Floor

Telephone:
(760) 750-4102

Program Director: 
Marie D. Thomas, Ph.D.

Faculty:
Nancy G. Caine, Ph.D.
Alexander Gonzalez, Ph.D.
Gerárdo M. González, Ph.D.
Elisa Grant-Vallone, Ph.D.
Gina M. Grimshaw, Ph.D.
Sharon B. Hamill, Ph.D.
Heike I. M. Mahler, Ph.D.
Cherie G. O’Boyle, Ph.D.
Sonia Y. Ruiz, Ph.D.
P. Wesley Schultz, Ph.D.
Miriam W. Schustack, Ph.D.
Marie D. Thomas, Ph.D.
Keith A. Trujillo, Ph.D.
Patricia E. Worden, Ph.D.

 

Programs Offered:

• Bachelor of Arts in Psychology
• Minor in Psychology
• Master of Arts in Psychology

Psychology is the scientific study of behavior.  In order to discover more about behavior, psycholo­gists study both humans and animals. Psycho­logy covers a wide range of topics, from the inner workings of our brains and bodies to the ways our social environment and culture influ­ence us. This breadth is reflected in the psychology curriculum. Given that psychology is an empirical sci­ence, our program gives consider­able emphasis to research design, data analysis, and interpretation.

The psychology undergraduate major is designed to provide each student with a comprehensive over­view of the major fields of psycho­logy and methods used in psycho­logical research. The major also provides elective courses that allow the student to focus upon an area of special interest. These specialty areas might include social, develop­mental, cognitive, clinical, or biological psychology.

Students majoring in other disciplines such as the computer, health or clinical sciences, com­mu­nication, business administration, or education will find that a minor or electives in psychology will provide them with knowledge of direct relevance to their chosen professions. Additionally, psychology has rich ties with other fields such as philosophy, history, litera­ture, the arts, sociology, anthropo­logy, linguistics, communication, and biology.

Career Opportunities

The psychology undergraduate major provides an excellent prepa­ration for careers in a variety of psychology-related business and public organizations, social ser­vice agencies, and teaching insti­tutions. Our undergraduate program provides the appropriate background for graduate training in experimental or clinical psy­chology.  Coursework in psy­chology is also relevant to gradu­ate training in counseling, teaching, medicine, law, business and management, and public administration.

The Master of Arts program prepares students for careers in research, teaching in community colleges, and for further graduate study at the doctoral level.  Training specifically geared for those seeking licensure in mar­riage, family, and child counseling is not currently available within the Master of Arts program.

Preparation

High school students are encouraged to take four years of English and three years of mathematics (inclu­ding algebra).  Courses in biology and psy­chology and the other social and behavioral sciences are recom­mended. Knowledge of computers is helpful for many courses.

Community College Transfer Students

A maximum of nine (9) lower-division semester (13.5 quarter) units of psychology courses may be applied toward the thirty-nine (39) semester units required for the psychology major.  The nine (9) lower-division units must fit the course description require­ments listed in this catalog for PSYC 100, 220, and 230, or their equivalent, as approved by the student’s advisor.

Special Requirements for the Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and the Minor in Psychology

Each course counted toward the major or the minor must be completed with a grade of C (2.0) or higher. No more than a total of three (3) units of either PSYC 498 or PSYC 499 may be applied toward the major. No more than three (3) units of PSYC 495 may be applied toward the major.  A minimum of eighteen (18) units counted toward the psychology major must have been completed at Cal State San Marcos.  For the minor, nine (9) units must have been completed at Cal State San Marcos.  Courses taken at other universities for which we do not have articu­lation agreements will not be counted toward the major at Cal State San Marcos without the written per­mission of the Psychology Program Director.

 

BACHELOR OF ARTS IN PSYCHOLOGY

Units

General Education*51
Preparation for the Major*9
Major Requirements30
Students must take a sufficient number of
elective units to bring the total number of
units to a minimum of120

Preparation for the Major
Lower-division (9 units)             

Units

PSYC 100*3
PSYC 2203
PSYC 2303

 

Major Requirements
Upper-division (30 units)

Units

PSYC 3003

Choose one of the following courses:3
PSYC 330PSYC 332
PSYC 360PSYC 362

Choose two of the following courses:6
PSYC 390PSYC 394
PSYC 391PSYC 395
PSYC 392PSYC 396
PSYC 393                

 

PSYC 4023
PSYC 4903

Twelve (12) units of 300/400/500
level psychology electives12

*Also satisfies a lower-division General Education requirement.

 

Breadth Requirements

It is important that psychology majors have exposure to a range of courses that reflect the diversity of the field.  To help assure sufficient breadth, psychology majors must take at least one course from each of the three clusters in the process of fulfilling the psychology requirement or choosing psychology electives:

Brain and Behavior
PSYC 360PSYC 362
PSYC 461PSYC 465
 

Applied/Mental Health
PSYC 334PSYC 336
PSYC 340PSYC 341
PSYC 346PSYC 354
PSYC 418PSYC 428
PSYC 432PSYC 495

Social/Developmental Processes
PSYC 330                 PSYC 332
PSYC 350                 PSYC 352
PSYC 422

 

MINOR IN PSYCHOLOGY

Lower-division (9 units)             

Units

PSYC 1003
PSYC 2203
PSYC 2303

Upper-division (12 units)

Choose one of the following courses:3
PSYC 330PSYC 360
PSYC 332PSYC 362

 

Choose one of the following courses:3
PSYC 390PSYC 394
PSYC 391PSYC 395
PSYC 392PSYC 396
PSYC 393

Six (6) units of 300/400/ 500 level
psychology electives6

Total Units21

 

MASTER OF ARTS IN PSYCHOLOGY

The mission of the graduate program in psychology at Cal State San Marcos is to pro­vide graduate education of the highest caliber to qualified students, leading to the Master of Arts degree.  Our objective is to prepare students for continued study at the doctoral level, for a variety of positions in business, industry, and the public sector, or for academic careers at the two-year college level. It is our belief that excellent graduate educa­tion is best accomplished in an atmosphere in which graduate stu­dents are treated collegially, and are closely mentored by the faculty.  We are committed to the study of psycho­logy as a scientific enterprise, and our program encour­ages the development of skills that are consonant with the scientific spirit of inquiry in particular, and graduate-level study in general: critical thinking, articulate verbal expression, quantitative reasoning, and healthy skepticism. 

In keeping with the mission of the University, we offer a curriculum that includes opportunities to enhance  profes­sional development of our students and to contribute to the community around us.  In addition, our program seeks to recognize the value of multicultural perspectives and to be sensitive to diversity concerns.

Preparation and Training Offered by the Program

The Master of Arts degree is tradi­tionally seen either as a preparatory or terminal degree. Our program is designed to accommodate students with different goals.  The active research programs of our faculty, and our recognition of psychology as a scientific enterprise, will provide graduate students with the intensive research training and coursework in primary content areas that are central to preparation for more advanced graduate work.  Likewise,  students who have in mind careers in commu­nity college teaching, community service, or business and industry, will benefit from our program’s emphasis on critical thinking, research methods, and advanced coursework.  Indivi­dual career goals will be served by allowing choice in the content of the thesis research and by providing a curriculum that provides options in content areas.

Many students undertake graduate work in psychology in order to pur­sue careers in clinical psychology or psychological counseling.  Training specifically geared to those seeking licensure in marriage, family, and child counseling is not currently available within the program.  How­ever, the program will prepare stu­dents to better compete for admis­sion to doctoral programs in clinical or counseling psychology.  Students with interests in clinical or coun­seling psychology will find oppor­tunities to pursue coursework and thesis topics at Cal State San Marcos that are related to their interests. 

Admission Requirements and Application

Admission to the program requires a bachelor’s degree in psychology, or a bachelor’s degree plus at least one course in statistics and at least  four upper-division courses of three to four (3-4) units each in psych­ology from an accredited univer­sity.  Among the upper-division courses there must be one or more labora­tory courses in psychology.  Appli­cants should have computing skills relevant to graduate coursework in psych­ology, including word proces­sing and statistics software experi­ence.  Admission to the program will be influenced by the breadth and appropriateness of undergradu­ate coursework and research experi­ence in psychology.  In addition, applicants must have a grade point average of not less than 3.0 in the last sixty (60) units of undergradu­ate study, plus a 3.0 average in upper-division psychology courses.

The Graduate Record Examination (GRE) is required of all appli­cants.  Both the general test and the advanced test in psychology are required. Although the mini­mum cut-off scores may vary from year to year,  it is unlikely that students will be admitted with combined verbal and quantitative scores less than 1000.  The advanced test score should be above the 50th percentile.

All applicants, regardless of citizenship, who do not possess a bachelor’s degree from a post-secondary institution where English is the principal language must take the combined Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) and receive a minimum score of 550 on the TOEFL and a minimum of 4.5 on the Test of Written English (TWE) portion of the paper-based TOEFL or on the writing portion of the computer-based TOEFL.

A complete application consists of:

Application Materials sent directly to the Admission Office of Cal State San Marcos

• A completed application form for admission to Cal State San Marcos
• Application fee
• One set of official transcripts from all colleges and universities attended, with indication of graduation

Application Materials sent directly to the Psychology Department (see address below)

• A completed application form for admission to the Master’s Program in Psychology;
• One set of official transcripts from all colleges and universities attended, with indication of graduation;
• GRE (and TOEFL/TWE, if applicable) score reports; and
• Three letters of recommenda­tion.

Application materials sent directly to the Psychology Department Administrative Coordinator at: California State University, San Marcos, San Marcos, CA  92096-0001.

Application Deadlines:

• March 15th for priority admission in the Fall semester.

However, applications will be accepted for review as long as space is avail­able in the program.  There are no Spring admissions.

Degree Requirements

The program requires thirty-three (33) semester units (11 courses) of study, at least 27 of which are from the graduate level (500 or 600 series).  Courses below the 400-level or those which bear General Education credit may not be counted toward the program.  All students will do a substantial piece of empirical research leading to a thesis. The thesis will be planned and exe­cuted while the student is enrolled in the Master’s program, and must be approved by the student’s thesis committee. The grade point ave­rage must be at least 3.0 to gradu­ate. The typical full-time student will com­plete the coursework in four semes­ters.  Units earned not in residence at Cal State San Marcos may not exceed six, and must be approved by the advisor.  Graduate students may not elect credit/no credit for any course counted toward the degree that is also offered on a regular graded basis (PSYC 680 and 699 are graded only credit/no credit).  Students must be continuously enrolled unless they apply for a leave of absence.

Course of Study

Students will proceed with the graduate coursework in the fol­lowing sequence:

First Year, First Semester

PSYC 600

One Proseminar

PSYC 520 or PSYC 424

First Year, Second Semester

PSYC 530

One Proseminar

PSYC 690 or an elective

Second Year, First Semester

PSYC 680

PSYC 520 (If PSYC 520 was previously completed, PSYC 690 or an elective may be substituted.)

One Proseminar

Second Year, Second Semester

One Proseminar

PSYC 699

Continuation

Students must maintain a GPA of 3.0.  A grade of C or better must be earned in all classes.  If the GPA falls below 3.0 for two con­secutive semesters,  the student will be dropped from the program. Each student must present a for­mal thesis proposal to the entire Psychology faculty, usually in the third semester of study.  In addition, each stu­dent will orally defend the com­pleted thesis to her/his com­mittee no later than six (6) semes­ters following the thesis proposal presentation.

Financial Aid

Several sources of financial aid are available to graduate students.  Applicants who choose to apply for graduate assistantships offered by the University should so indi­cate on the appropriate space in the Master’s Program in Psychology application form.  Students are responsible for iden­tifying other sources of financial aid, and may wish to consult with the Office of Financial Aid and Scholarship.

Advancement to Candidacy

Students will be assigned an advisor at the time of acceptance to the pro­gram. It is expected that the student and her/his advisor will work together closely to identify elective courses and possible research topics for the thesis.  Together the advisor and stu­dent will select and ask two additional members of the faculty to serve on the thesis committee. The thesis commit­tee will assist the student in the development of a thesis proposal. The formal, written thesis proposal will be orally presented to the faculty.  The student will be advanced to candidacy after the thesis proposal has been presented to the faculty and approved by the thesis committee.  Students may not enroll in PSYC 699 until the proposal is approved.