Program Requirements

M.A. Psychology

5.0 credits are required to qualify for the degree:

• 1.0 credit in PSYC 5410 and PSYC 5411
• 0.5 credit in professional development courses: PSYC 5002, PSYC 5003, PSYC 5004, PSYC 5802 or PSYC 5903
• 1.0 credit in PSYC at the 5000-level in Content courses – OR – 0.5 credit in PSYC at the 5000-level from Content courses and 0.5 credit in Elective Stats or Professional Development
• 2.5 credits – Thesis – which must be defended at an oral examination
• PSYC 5906 (Pro-Seminar in Psychology) is a required non-credit course (recommended to complete during the first two terms of your program)

For details on which courses are being offered in the current academic year, click here.

M.A. Psychology with Specialization in Climate Change (5.5 credits)

5.5 credits are required to qualify for the degree:

• 1.0 credit in PSYC 5410 and PSYC 5411
• 1.0 credit in CLIM 5000
• 0.0 credit in CLIM 5800
• 0.5 credit in professional development courses: PSYC 5002, PSYC 5003, PSYC 5004, PSYC 5802 or PSYC 5903
• 0.5 credit course work in PSYC at the 5000 level, excluding professional development courses and excluding the elective statistics courses
• 2.5 credits – Thesis – must be in the area of Climate Change, and must be defended at an oral examination
• PSYC 5906 (Pro-Seminar in Psychology) is a required non-credit course (recommended to complete during the first two terms of your program)

M.A. Psychology with Specialization in Data Science

Students interested in pursuing a Specialization in Data Science should contact the Department by the beginning of the third term of their program.

5.0 credits are required to qualify for the degree:

• 1.0 credit in PSYC 5410 * and PSYC 5411 * (recommended to complete during the first two terms of your program)
• 0.5 credit in Data 5000 *
• 0.5 credit in professional development courses: PSYC 5000, PSYC 5002, PSYC 5003, PSYC 5004, PSYC 5802 or PSYC 5903
• 0.5 credit course work in PSYC at the 5000 level, excluding professional development courses and excluding the elective statistics courses
• 2.5 credits – Thesis – must be in the area of Data Science, and must be defended at an oral examination
• PSYC 5906 (Pro-Seminar in Psychology) is a required non-credit course (recommended to complete during the first two terms of your program)

*Students must receive at least an A grade in each of the courses included in the Specialization.

M.A. Psychology with Concentration in Mental Health and Well-being

Students admitted to the MA in Psychology may decide to pursue a Concentration in Mental Health and Well-Being.

5.0 credits are required to qualify for the degree:

• 1.0 credit in PSYC 5410 and PSYC 5411
• 0.5 credit in PSYC 5209 * or health-oriented course approved by the Graduate Supervisor
• 0.5 credit in PSYC 5107 or PSYC 5208 or PSYC 5804 or PSYC 5900 or PSYC 5901
• 0.5 credit in PSYC 5904 Community Mental Health and Well-Being Practicum {This practicum serves as the capstone for the Concentration. It provides students an opportunity for experiential learning that can be applied to their future career in mental health and well-being}
• 0.0 credit in PSYC 5905  Applied Community Mental Health and Well-Being
• 2.5 credits – Thesis – which must be defended at an oral examination
• PSYC 5906 (Pro-Seminar in Psychology) is a required non-credit course (recommended to complete during the first two terms of your program)

* Students must receive a minimum grade of A- in PSYC 5410, PSYC 5411, and PSYC 5209 or its approved replacement in order to complete the concentration.

Upon completion of PSYC 5905 with a SAT grade, students must request an in-program change to the Concentration. Students who fulfill the requirements for the Concentration in Mental Health and Well-Being may request the designation appear on their transcript up until the second last term in their MA program. 

Prospectus

All master’s students must successfully defend a prospectus before proceeding to the defense of their thesis.  A completed Prospectus Examination Approval Form must be approved by the Graduate Chair at least two weeks prior to the exam date.  Copies of the prospectus must be provided to the committee members as well as the Graduate Administrator at least two weeks prior to the exam date. You will find the Prospectus Examination Approval and Procedures form on the Forms section of the website.

Thesis

Students must successfully defend their thesis at an oral exam.  A completed Master’s Thesis Examination Approval Form must be approved by the Graduate Chair at least three weeks prior to the exam date.  You will find the Master’s Thesis Examination Approval and Procedures form on the Forms section of the website.

Academic Standing

Master’s students who fail to achieve a weighted GPA of B- (7.0) after 2 terms of study, or to maintain it subsequently, will be required to withdraw from the program.

Continuous Thesis Registration

Once a student has registered in the thesis (PSYC 5909) requirement they must maintain continuous registration.

Regulations for PSYC 590X

Approval for topics for PSYC 590x courses must be obtained from the Graduate Chair prior to working on these courses. Students register in PSYC 590x only in the term that they will submit their paper.

Time Limits

Full-time: 6 terms – 2 years from initial registration
Part-time: 18 terms – 6 years from initial registration

Apply to Graduate

You must apply to graduate online at Carleton Central by:

• April 1st for Spring Convocation (June)
• August 31st for Fall Convocation (November)
• November 30th for Winter Convocation (February)

Ph.D. in Psychology

3.0 credits coursework and a Ph.D. thesis are required to qualify for the degree:

• 1.0 credit in PSYC 5410 and PSYC 5411
• 0.5 credit in Elective Statistics courses: PSYC 5001, PSYC 5401, PSYC 5407, PSYC 5412, PSYC 5413, PSYC 5414, PSYC 5415, PSYC 5416, PSYC 5417 or PSYC 5801
• 0.5 credit in professional development courses: PSYC 5000, PSYC 5002, PSYC 5003, PSYC 5004, PSYC 5802, PSYC 6104, PSYC 6114 or PSYC 6903
• 1.0 credit in graduate level PSYC courses, excluding professional development courses and excluding the elective statistics courses
• 0.0 credits – Thesis – which must be defended at an oral examination
• PSYC 6906 and PSYC 6907 (Pro-Seminar in Psychology I & II) are required non-credit courses; recommended to complete during the first 2 years of your program)

Equivalencies will be determined on a case-by-case basis through application to the graduate committee.

For details on which courses are being offered in the current academic year, click here.

Ph.D. in Psychology with Concentration in Quantitative Methodology

Students admitted to the Ph.D. in Psychology may decide to pursue a Concentration in Quantitative Methodology by completing 2.5 credits in graduate quantitative methods courses within their program. The quantitative methods courses include PSYC 5410, PSYC 5411, PSYC 6410 and an additional 1.0 credit from the Electives Statistics courses

3.0 credits coursework and a Ph.D. thesis are required to qualify for the degree:

• 1.0 credit in PSYC 5410 * and PSYC 5411 *
• 1.0 credit in Elective Statistics courses*: PSYC 5001, PSYC 5401, PSYC 5407, PSYC 5412, PSYC 5413, PSYC 5414, PSYC 5415, PSYC 5416, PSYC 5417 or PSYC 5801
• 0.5 credit in professional development courses: PSYC 5000, PSYC 5002, PSYC 5003, PSYC 5004, PSYC 5802, PSYC 6104, PSYC 6114 or PSYC 6903
• 0.5 credit in PSYC 6410*
• 0.0 credits – Thesis – which must be defended at an oral examination
• PSYC 6906 and PSYC 6907 (Pro-Seminar in Psychology I & II) are required non-credit courses; recommended to complete during the first 2 years of your program)

* Students must receive at least an A grade in each of the courses included in the Concentration. 

Registration in PSYC 6410 will occur after the 2.0 statistics credits have been completed and after a proposed research project has been approved by the Department.

Upon completion of the Concentration’s requirements, the student will request an in-program change from a Ph.D. in Psychology to a Ph.D. in Psychology with a Concentration in Quantitative Methodology.

Prospectus

Doctoral students are required to successfully defend a prospectus by the end of the 7th term of study for full-time students or 10th term of study for part-time students. A completed Prospectus Examination Approval Form must be approved by the Graduate Chair at least two weeks prior to the date of the examination. Copies of the prospectus must be submitted to all committee members, as well as the Graduate Administrator at least two weeks prior to the examination date. You will find the Prospectus Examination Approval and Procedures form on the Forms section of the website.

Thesis

Doctoral students are required to successfully defend a thesis at an oral examination. A completed Doctoral Thesis Examination Approval Form needs to be approved by the Departmental Chair at least six weeks prior to the examination date. Please read the procedures attached to the Approval Form very carefully. You will find the Doctoral Thesis Examination Approval and Procedures form on the Forms section of the website.

Academic Standing

Doctoral students who fail to achieve a weighted GPA of A- (10) after 2 terms of study or to maintain it subsequently, will be required to withdraw from the program.

Continuous Thesis Registration

Students must maintain continuous registration in the thesis (PSYC 6909) after initial registration.

Regulations for PSYC 690x

Approval for topics for PSYC 690x courses must be obtained from the Graduate Chair. Students register in PSYC 690x only in the term that they will submit their paper.

Time Limits

• Full-time: 18 terms – 6 years from initial registration
• Part-time (only available in cases of exceptional merit): 27 terms – 9 years from initial registration

Our current doctoral program has been very successful in guiding students to a timely completion of the degree requirements and we will make every effort to enable students to complete within four years.  We do recognize that in some cases students will require additional time and the existing funding formula for doctoral students guarantees five years of TA funding.

Apply to Graduate

You must apply to graduate online at Carleton Central by:

• April 1st for Spring Convocation (June)
• August 31st for Fall Convocation (November)
• November 30th for Winter Convocation (February)

Note: please refer to your admission term to find your program requirements and regulations

2024 – 2025

2023 – 2024

2022 – 2023

2021 – 2022

2020 – 2021

2019 – 2020

2018 – 2019

2017 – 2018

2016 – 2017

2015 – 2016

2014 – 2015

2013 – 2014

PSYC 5011 – Social Psychology 1

PSYC 5012 – Organizational Psychology 1

PSYC 5015 – Methods in Social and Personality Psychology

PSYC 5020 – Applications of Psychology to Policing and the Courts

PSYC 5021 – Forensic Assessment

PSYC 5022 – Adult Offenders

PSYC 5024 – Juvenile Delinquency

PSYC 5027 – Sex Offenders

PSYC 5028 – Police Psychology

PSYC 5029– Cold Case Investigations

PSYC 5104 – Psychology of Women

PSYC 5107 – Psychology of Family Violence

PSYC 5208 – Advances in Positive Psychology

PSYC 5209 – Topics in Health Psychology

PSYC 5300 – Perceptual Processes

PSYC 5301 – Psychophysics

PSYC 5500 – Developmental Psychology Methodology

PSYC 5503 – Advanced Topics in Developmental Psychology: Social and Emotional Development

PSYC 5504 – Advanced topics in Developmental Psychology Cognitive Development

PSYC 5505 – Theories of Developmental Psychology

PSYC 5601 – Topics Personality Psychology

PSYC 5700 – Advanced topics in Cognition 1

PSYC 5703 – Cognition 1

PSYC 5800 – Special Topics in Psychology

PSYC 5804 – Special Topics in Health Psychology

PSYC 5900 – Directed Studies

PSYC 5901 – Independent Research

PSYC 6101 – Social Psychology II

PSYC 6102 – Organizational Psychology II

PSYC 6105 – Psychological Aspects of Computer Use

PSYC 6106 – Social Aspects of Computer Use

PSYC 6700 – Advanced Topics in Cognition

PSYC 6704 – Advanced Topics in Cognitive Psychology

PSYC 6800 – Special Topics in Psychology

PSYC 6900 – Directed Studies

PSYC 6901 – Independent Research

PSYC 5001 – Qualitative Research Methods (beginning Fall 2023)

PSYC 5401 – Multivariate Techniques

PSYC 5407 – Scale Development and Psychometrics

PSYC 5411 –  Extension of the General Linear Model

PSYC 5412 – Topics in Advanced Statistics and Methods

PSYC 5413 – Workshops in Advanced Statistics and Methods

PSYC 5414 – Structural Equation Modelling

PSYC 5415 – Multilevel Modeling

PSYC 5416 – Advanced Survey Methods

PSYC 5417 – Categorical Data Analysis

PSYC 5801 – Special topics – Advance stats

PSYC 6410 – Capstone Research Project in Quantitative Methods [Required for Concentration in Quantitative Methodology]

PSYC 5002 – Ethics

PSYC 5003 – Open Science

PSYC 5004 – Knowledge Translation

PSYC 5802 – Special topics – Professional Development

PSYC 5903 – Practicum in Psychology

PSYC 5904 – Community Mental Health and Well-Being Practicum [Required for Concentration in Mental Health and Well-being]

PSYC 5905 – Applied Community Mental Health and Well-Being [Required for Concentration in Mental Health and Well-being]

PSYC 5002 – Ethics

PSYC 5003 – Open Science

PSYC 5004 – Knowledge Translation

PSYC 5802 – Special topics – Professional Development

PSYC 6104 – Seminar in University Teaching

PSYC 6114 – Teaching Practicum

PSYC 6903 – Practicum in Psychology

PSYC 5410  – Required for M.A. and Ph.D.

PSYC 5411 – Required for Ph.D.