Online Psychology Master's Degree (Direct Assessment)

This course prepares students for academic and professional success in graduate-level psychology. Students will explore historical and foundational concepts of psychology while enhancing their oral and written communication skills. Topics also include critical thinking, stress and time management, and collaborative processes.

This course examines biological and environmental influences on human development across the life span. The biological foundations of human growth and development are presented along with major theories of cognitive, social, and emotional development. Current research in developmental psychology is presented as students explore both opportunities and challenges that people face as they age. Social, cultural, systemic, and ethical issues related to research and practice are also addressed.

This course enables students to differentiate among the primary theoretical approaches to the study of personality. Students will examine the biological and social determinants of personality, appraisal of personality, and the role of personality in behavioral reactions. Students examine the underlying assumptions inherent in various personality models and learn how the tenets of these models are investigated through empirical research.

This course examines how situations and the environment influence our thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. Students will learn about the social psychological concepts such as attitudes, conformity, social conditioning, cognition, and influence.

This course provides students with an in-depth investigation of cross-cultural issues and perspectives in the field of psychology. Students learn to identify and consider cultural and systemic variables in psychological theory, research and practice. Multicultural issues, social dynamics, social justice and valued diversity are emphasized.

This course emphasizes the biological and biochemical correlates of behavior. The course focuses on the structure and function of the human nervous and endocrine systems as they relate to human behavior, emotion, and cognition.

This course presents the fundamentals of research methods and statistics applicable to the field of psychology. Topics include research design, quantitative and qualitative forms of analysis, ethical issues in research, and appropriate documentation of research processes and outcomes. Students will learn to critically evaluate, analyze, and interpret data from empirical psychological studies.

This course surveys various professional activities in psychology with emphasis on the legal and ethical responsibilities of psychological researchers and practitioners. Students will study the APA Code of Ethics and analyze case studies involving assessment, research and practice in psychology. Topics include ethics in research, the purpose and function of internal review boards (IRBs), participant and client rights, informed consent, confidentiality, duty to warn and protect, dual relationships, supervision, consultation, ethical considerations when working with diverse populations, and the application of ethical decision-making models.

This course covers the elements of learning and cognitive psychology. The course includes research related to the theories of learning, problem solving and reasoning, attention, memory, knowledge representation, and language. Strategies and methods for applying principles of learning and cognition to various life and career settings are also addressed.

This course will introduce students to the science and practice of psychological testing and assessment. Students will learn to evaluate the validity and reliability of various psychological assessments. Students examine the psychometric properties and appropriate applications of commonly used educational, intelligence, career, and personality assessment instruments. Students will learn how to bridge the gap between diagnostic interpretations and social, cultural, and ethical considerations in assessment when working with diverse populations.

This course will introduce students to the major categories of psychopathology as presented in the most recent edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM). Mental disorders and their etiologies will be conceptualized from different perspectives, including cultural, biological, psychodynamic, cognitive-behavioral, existential and systemic. Ethical issues related to research and practice in the field will be addressed. Students will be challenged to consider various definitions of normality/abnormality, the process of rendering a diagnosis, and the symptoms, causes and interventions for commonly occurring mental disorders.

This course will introduce students to different areas of applied psychology, such as clinical, counseling, industrial/organizational, forensic, and educational psychology. Students will apply psychological research and principles from their program to a selected specialty area and explore human behaviors related to health, personal relationships, education, and the workplace. This application will guide students in their exploration of career opportunities within the broad field of psychology.