Experimental Psychology Master’s Program (MA in Psychology)

The experimental psychology master’s program includes research methods such as quantitative analysis and thesis-driven inquiry. In addition, students learn critical skills for developing their own psychological experiments, including how to formulate hypotheses, analyze data, and synthesize findings for publication. Students in the MA program are required to take both Experimental Research Methods in Psychology and Quantitative Research Methods in Psychology: Advanced Concepts as part of their degree plan.

Learning best practices for designing experiments and analyzing data is crucial for ensuring that psychology professionals understand how to produce valid scientific data. According to a study published by the National Institutes of Health, “To improve scientific research, we also need to understand the mechanisms that maintain bad practices in individual humans,” which means it’s essential to train experimental psychologists to remain aware of the potential for bias in both their experiments and the resulting data.  

Yes, graduates of the MA in Experimental Psychology program can apply to doctoral programs in psychology. A PhD in experimental psychology is not necessarily required but could be, depending on the career path students take. According to the American Psychological Association (APA), some people who earn a master’s in experimental psychology “choose to work in a lab or on other research teams after earning their master’s degrees. After a few years of first-hand experience, many return to school to earn doctoral degrees.”

Most doctoral program admission requirements do not include a master's degree. However, for students who did not study psychology as undergraduates or who are unsure of their career paths, earning a master’s degree can be an excellent step toward a future career in experimental psychology without the expense and time commitments of a PhD program.  

Yes, students in the MA in Experimental Psychology program must complete a thesis. To enroll in the three-credit thesis supervision course, students must first complete 18 to 30 credits in the psychology department and request department approval.  

According to an article in the NACADA Journal, a master's thesis “plays a key role in three dimensions of graduate education: quality evaluations of programs, student mastery of a recognizably valuable set of learning outcomes, and as a facilitator in resolving certain developmental issues” for the students. The same article goes on to note that completing a thesis in the context of a master’s degree helps students gain confidence in their time management skills and develop interpersonal skills for “close, sustained, and critical collegial interaction with a mentor.” By requiring a thesis project, the Iona MA program gives its graduates an opportunity to get the most out of a master’s program and prepare them for their future professional roles.  

Graduate students in the psychology department are eligible to assist faculty with research and develop their own experiments. All research conducted within the purview of the master’s program is subject to faculty oversight and institutional review. Part of learning to develop research projects, such as in the course of completing a thesis, is learning about identifying funding sources and applying for funding. Students may find themselves assisting with research projects across many different psychology subfields, including cognitive psychology, addictive behaviors, and behavioral neuroscience.  

Graduates of the MA in Psychology (Experimental Psychology) go on to pursue a range of different career paths in research academia and industry. Students who choose to pursue academia go on to pursue doctoral degrees and careers at prestigious institutions across the country, including the University of Colorado, the University of Massachusetts at Boston, and Yale.  

Graduates from the MA in Experimental Psychology program have gone on to assume roles as psychological consultants, clinical research coordinators, experimental researchers, and more. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the demand for psychologists is expected to grow by 6% between 2024 and 2034, which is faster than the average for all professions, but this data also includes clinical psychologists who have doctoral degrees.