Master of Arts in Psychology

Current Stanford doctoral students can apply for a Master of Arts in Psychology during the course of their PhD, JD, or MD program.

Graduate students who are already enrolled in the Psychology PhD program and who have completed (a) the first-year and second-year course requirements; and (b) at least 45 units of Psychology courses may apply for conferral of the MA degree. This application should be discussed with the Student Services Manager.

Students who are currently enrolled in a Stanford PhD or professional program in another Department may be granted a Master of Arts in Psychology. In such cases, admission to the MA is considered by the faculty on a case-by-case basis. An admitted student must complete at least 45 units of Psychology courses and possibly other research or course requirements as determined by the faculty.  Interested applicants should consult with the Student Services Manager, Dena Zlatunich (ecfay [at] stanford.edu (d)denamz [at] stanford.edu (enamz[at]stanford[dot]edu)).

All applicants must satisfy University residency requirements for the degree and are responsible for consulting with their primary departments or the Financial Aid Office about the effects of the proposed program on their current funding. 

Please note: The Department of Psychology does not offer terminal MA degrees for students who are not already pursuing another advanced degree at Stanford.

Degree Requirements Summary

  • Completion of 45 units of graduate-level Psychology courses
  • Completion of the required Core Courses, including two statistics courses (details below)
  • A maximum of 18 units may be from lab courses, independent study, outside units, and practica (eg. 222, 258, 269, 275, 281, 297, 282, 290)
  • Successful completion of the First Year Project (FYP) or equivalent Master's thesis
Core Courses & Quantitative Requirements

Core Courses and Statistics/Methods Coursess must be taken for a letter grade and passed with a grade of B- or higher. 

Core Courses

Students are required to complete 4 of the following Core Courses by the end of Yr 3.

  • PSYCH 202: Cognitive Neuroscience
  • PSYCH 205: Foundations of Cognition
  • PSYCH 211: Developmental Psychology
  • PSYCH 212: Social Psychology OR PSYCH 215: Mind, Culture, and Society
  • PSYCH 213: Affective Science

Statistics / Methods Courses

Students must complete PSYCH 251 and one additional statistics/methods course from the list below. At least one of these courses must be taken in the first year, and both should be  completed by the end of the 2nd year. Statistics courses must be taken for a letter grade  and passed with a grade of B- or better. 

  • PSYCH 251: Experimental Methods (Required)
  • PSYCH 249: Large-Scale Neural Network Modeling for Neuroscience
  • PSYCH 252: Statistical Methods for Behavioral and Social Sciences
  • PSYCH 253: Measurement and the Study of Change in Social Science Research
  • PSYCH 254: Advanced Statistical Modeling
  • PSYCH 289: Longitudinal Data Analysis in Social Science Research

Some students may wish to take advanced courses not listed above; please consult with your PSYCH advisor and send an inquiry to the Student Services Manager.

How to apply for the Psychology MA: Current Psychology PhD Students

  1. Fill out the application form and obtain your advisor's signature.

  2. Submit the completed application form to the Psychology Student Services Manager, who will obtain the Department Chair's signature.

  3. Submit a request for the Master's Degree via Axess using the Graduate Program Authorization Form. To find this form, navigate to the Student Tab, then Petitions and Forms under the Academics tab. Make sure to indicate that you are adding a Master's degree. There will be a checkbox to leave your current graduate program - do NOT check this box!

  4. Enter your payment and select "Apply to Graduate" in Axess (make sure to select the Master's, not PhD).

  5. Psychology's Student Services Office will approve your request in Axess.

How to apply for the Psychology MA: Current Stanford JD, MD, or PhD Students
  1. Carefully review the Psychology MA Policy and Process document.
  2. Set up a meeting with the Student Services Manager (Dena Zlatunich, denamz [at] stanford.edu (denamz[at]stanford[dot]edu)) to review the process.
  3. Secure Psychology faculty MA advisor.
  4. Submit an application to the Student Services Manager. The application consists of the following: Statement of Purpose, CV, and letter of support from primary home department advisor(s). This application will be reviewed by Psychology Faculty.
  5. If approved by Psychology faculty, the Psychology MA advisor will mentor you as you complete the MA requirements. The requirements include the 45 units of coursework outlined above as well as a Master's Thesis and Master's Thesis defense. For complete details, refer to the Psychology MA Policy and Process document. 
  6. Upon completion of required MA coursework, Thesis, and Thesis defense, fill out the application form and obtain your advisor's signature.
  7. Submit the completed application form to the Psychology Student Services Manager, who will obtain the Department Chair's signature.
  8. Submit a request for the Master's Degree via Axess using the Graduate Program Authorization Form. To find this form, navigate to the Student Tab, then Petitions and Forms under the Academics tab. Make sure to indicate that you are adding a Master's degree. There will be a checkbox to leave your current graduate program - do NOT check this box! 
  9. Enter your payment and select "Apply to Graduate" in Axess (make sure to select the Master's, not PhD).
  10. Psychology's Student Services Office will approve your request in Axess.
Back to Top