Psychology

Dr. Brian J. O’Leary, Head
(423) 425-4283 or email at boleary@utc.edu

Dr. Christopher Cunningham, Industrial-Organizational Psychology Program Director
(423) 425-4264 or email at Chris-Cunningham@utc.edu

Dr. Jill Shelton, Research Masters Program Coordinator
(423) 425-5246 or email at Jill-Shelton@utc.edu

The Department of Psychology at The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga offers a Master of Science degree in psychology with concentrations in the fields of Industrial-Organizational and Research psychology.

The goal of these programs is to develop in our students the critical thinking skills and discipline-specific knowledge necessary to their careers in applied areas. A full-time student in the Industrial-Organizational concentration will normally take four semesters of academic work, including a practicum in the summer between the first and second year, and may complete a thesis or take comprehensive exams. A student in the research concentration will normally take four semesters of academic work and will complete a master’s thesis.

Students in both programs are required to adhere to the American Psychological Association guidelines for ethical conduct, test utilization, and research procedures. Failure to adhere to appropriate ethical codes may result in disciplinary action, including dismissal from the program.

Admission

Applicants who wish to be admitted to the degree program in psychology must meet all general requirements for admission to the UTC Graduate School. Additionally, departmental application materials must be submitted. All forms are obtained from and must be submitted to the Graduate School office. Forms are available on the website .

The admission process occurs in two steps. First, the program coordinator reviews all application materials and provides acceptance recommendations to the Graduate School. Next, an official acceptance to the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga is made by the Dean of the Graduate School based on 1) the recommendation of the program coordinator, and 2) compliance with the minimum requirements of the Graduate School.

For the Industrial-Organizational concentration, the recommendation for program admission is based on the following: 1) a formula score based on overall undergraduate GPA, 2) a statement of purpose, and 3) letters of reference. Considerable weight is given to the formula score.

For the Research concentration, admission recommendations are based on the formula score and reference letters, as well as prior research experiences and the potential match between the applicant and a faculty mentor. Applicants should detail their research experiences and interests in their personal statements. Prior research experiences and research interests are given considerable weight in admission recommendations.

Program of Study

Students must submit a Program of Study during the first semester of graduate coursework. The Program of Study consist of all core courses and any electives and establishes the courses the student must take for partial fulfillment of the degree requirements. The Program of Study form must include all core courses and electives, if known at the time, the student will take. The Program of Study form is located at www.utc.edu/graduate-school/student-resources/forms.php .

Admission to Candidacy

Students will typically file for candidacy in the semester prior to their anticipated graduation and should list all courses not listed on the Program of Study and any changes in coursework. To be eligible for admission to candidacy, a student must have earned a minimum 3.0 GPA on all courses taken up to that point and a 3.0 institutional cumulative GPA in all graduate coursework to be eligible for degree conferral. The appropriate form may be obtained from the Graduate School Web site at . Students should consult with the appropriate program coordinator for specific information regarding other departmental requirements for admission to candidacy. General requirements are stated in “Academic Policies for Graduate Students ” under ” Admission to Candidacy”.

Comprehensive Examinations

Comprehensive examinations are required of all students in the Industrial-Organizational concentration who do not choose to complete a thesis. Please consult with the program coordinator for specific requirements. General requirements are stated in “Academic Policies for Graduate Students ” under “Comprehensive Examinations”.

Thesis

Completion of a master’s thesis option is mandatory in the Research concentration and optional in the I-O concentration.