Psychology, Master of Science
The capstone project is a key feature of the master’s in psychology program, as students will engage in practical research with the opportunity to earn authorship on a presentation of their findings. Students may present at a conference, produce an article for a professional journal, or share their work at Johns Hopkins’ annual research symposium, helping students stand out to PhD mentors.
Additional program highlights include:
- World-class institution: Conduct research in state-of-the-art facilities with support from renowned faculty and leaders in the field.
- Insightful seminars: Explore current issues and innovations in psychology through interactive discussions and presentations.
- Personalized mentorship: Benefit from one-on-one guidance from faculty at the forefront of psychology research.
- Tradition of excellence: Johns Hopkins offers one of the 20 best psychology graduate programs in the nation, according to U.S. News & World Report.
Program Requirements
The Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences emphasizes training and experience in the research methods essential to the development of new knowledge in the various sub-fields of psychology, such as biopsychology, cognitive psychology, and statistical methods. Alongside the coursework, you will complete scientific research within faculty-led laboratories to build specialized competencies in one of the following areas:
- Cognition
- Cognitive neuroscience
- Behavioral neuroscience
- Vision (philosophy and psychology)
- Computational approaches
- Cognitive development of infants and children
In addition to general university requirements, the Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences has the following regulations:
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Required Courses 1 | ||
| AS.200.613 | Fundamentals of Biopsychology | 3 |
| AS.200.617 | Fundamentals of Cognitive Psychology | 3 |
| AS.200.654 | Psychological & Brain Sciences Core Topics A | 2 |
| AS.200.657 | Advanced Statistical Methods | 3 |
| AS.200.658 | Advanced Research Design and Analysis | 3 |
| AS.200.661 | Topics in Psychological & Brain Sciences | 1 |
| AS.200.680 | Psychological & Brain Sciences Seminar (This course will be repeated.) | 1 |
| AS.200.662 | Psychological and Brain Sciences: Career Development | 1 |
| AS.200.810 | Research In Psychology (This course will be repeated.) | 2 |
| AS.200.830 | Research Seminar in Psychological & Brain Sciences (urse will be repeated.) | 2 |
| AS.200.848 | Current Advances in Psychological and Brain Sciences (This course will be taken every semester, as its content varies based on the invited speakers.) | 1 |
| AS.200.849 | Teaching Practicum | 2 |
- 1
OTHER: Consult with advisor on registering for additional relevant offerings as appropriate i.e. Lab Meetings, Journal Clubs, Seminars, etc
Learning Outcomes
It is our goal that every successful graduate of the Master’s program will leave the program with published work, be it a journal paper, a conference poster, or a conference talk. For a conference talk or poster there are two routes (submitting to and presenting at a recognized regional/ national/ international conference, or presenting in the “Advances in Mind and Brain” conference held each year at Johns Hopkins). These publication routes are not mutually exclusive, i.e., a very successful Master’s student might have presentations at conferences as well as a submitted manuscript to list on their CV.