Psychology

Faculty:

Chair: C. Jacobson; Professors: P. Greene, P. Oswald, K. Zaromatidis; Professor Emerita: P. Jirik-Babb; Associate Professors: B. Cesario, O. Huk, C. Jacobson, K. Kim, J. Theodore; Assistant Professors: N. Naqvi, B. Ring, S. Wong-Goodrich; Clinical Lecturer: M. Skelly

The MA in Psychology, with specializations in General-Experimental and Industrial-Organization domains,has been designed for persons who are considering a career in psychology, are already employed in the field, or see themselves en route to doctoral study in psychology. The program provides a balance of theoretical, methodological and practical expertise, as well as extensive training in written and oral expression. The program is designed to provide pertinent new experiences, to enhance knowledge in substantive areas, and to facilitate maximum development of essential professional competencies and attitudes.

The department also offers the MA in School Psychology. The School Psychology program is accredited by the National Association for School Psychology (NASP), and is designed to prepare students to apply for New York State certification as School Psychologists.

The ground floor level of Doorley Hall houses the Department of Psychology. A behavioral testing laboratory is available to faculty and student researchers (under faculty supervision) for the study of human behavior and cognition, including learning and memory, perception, social cognition, decision-making, language, personality, and more. A computer laboratory with a projector system and 15 computer workstations is also available to faculty and students for course- and research-related projects, including data analyses and experimentation. Each computer is equipped with statistical software for data analysis procedures. Psychology graduate students have access to a testing library within the Department that contains a wide variety of current cognitive, achievement, social-emotional, personality, and vocational assessment measures. Students are able to borrow these materials in order to gain practice in the administration and scoring of the measures under faculty supervision throughout their course of study. Students also have access to the online scoring for many of these assessment instruments.

Goals

M.A. in Psychology

The graduate programs in psychology have the following student learning goals.

Knowledge base in psychology: MA students should demonstrate fundamental knowledge and comprehension of the major concepts, theoretical perspectives, historical trends, and empirical findings to discuss how psychological principles apply to psychological development and behavioral problems.

Scientific inquiry and critical thinking: The skills in this domain involve the further development of scientific reasoning and problem solving, including effective research methods. Emphasis is given to scientific inquiry as part of a systematic and comprehensive process of effective decision making and problem solving with individuals, groups, and organizations.

Ethical, social, and legal responsibility in a diverse world: The skills in this domain involve the further development of ethically and socially responsible behaviors for professional and personal settings in a landscape that involves increasing diversity, including diversity of: age/developmental status, disabilities, ethnicity, gender, gender identity, language, national origin, race, religion, culture, sexual orientation, social economic status.

Communication: MA students should demonstrate competence in written, oral, and interpersonal communication skills, and communication via the use of technology.

Professional development: The emphasis in this goal is on the application of psychology-specific content and skills, effective self-reflection, project-management and consultation skills, teamwork skills, and career preparation.

M.A. in School Psychology

Goal I: The competent school psychology candidate is knowledgeable about research and program evaluation and successfully uses information technology to make data-based decisions that meet general accountability standards. (NASP Standards 2 & 8.1)

Goal II: The competent school psychology candidate is knowledgeable about the development and assessment of cognitive skills, social skills, and mental health, and possesses the skills necessary to design, implement and evaluate interventions for academic functioning and mental health at the individual, group, and school-wide level. (NASP Standards 4.1, 4.2, & 5.1)

Goal III: The competent school psychology candidate has the knowledge and skills needed to work with diverse individuals and families. (NASP Standards 6 & 7)

Goal IV: The competent school psychology candidate demonstrates knowledge of behavioral and mental health models of collaboration and consultation, as well as crisis prevention and intervention. He/she is able to use these models to collaborate effectively with others in planning and decision-making processes at the individual, group, and system levels. (NASP Standards 3, 5.2, & 6)

Goal V: The competent school psychology candidate is knowledgeable about the history and foundations of the profession and ethical, professional, and legal standards. (NASP Standard 8.2)

Goal VI: The competent school psychology candidate is an effective communicator. (NASP Standards 3 & 8.2)

For the MA in School Psychology, the following are Additional Graduation Requirements:

Dignity for All Students Act Workshop (No credit).

Workshop in Child Abuse Identification (No credit).

SAVE Workshop (No credit).

Praxis II Exam (No Credit)

Notes: Courses taken as part of an undergraduate degree cannot be credited toward the School Psychology or Mental Health Counseling degree requirements. Permanent School Psychologist Certification requires two years of experience in a pupil personnel service position.

Admission

Conditional Status

Students that have not satisfactorily completed prerequisite courses or who do not meet the minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0 may be accepted conditionally. Decisions regarding restrictions/conditions are made on an individual basis after careful review of application materials.

Matriculated Status

See “Academic Information - Matriculated ” in this catalog for requirements to be met, in addition to the following:

A BA or BS in psychology.
Completion of experimental research methods in psychology and quantitative research methods in psychology.

If the student has not earned a BA or BS in psychology, alternatively, a student may demonstrate proficiency in psychology as evidenced by completion of nine credits of undergraduate work in psychology, including experimental research methods in psychology, quantitative research methods (statistics) in psychology, and one other upper level psychology course. These courses are available at Iona.

Academic Standing

Students are required to earn no grade less than “B” in their graduate courses and to maintain a 3.0 cumulative grade point average. If a student receives a course grade lower then “B” (i.e., B- or lower), the student must discuss this grade with his/her advisor. A student who earns more than two course grades of less than “B” may be placed on probation. As part of the probation, students may be required to repeat the courses chosen by the advisor. The number of courses repeated will determined by the number of below “B” grades the student has earned and by the advisor. If the student’s cumulative GPA falls below 3.0, they may be dismissed from the program. Students have a right to appeal any decisions made (please refer to the Iona University graduate bulletin for said procedures).

Graduation Requirements

Completion of the required credits for each program, including the appropriate distribution of credits.
A minimum GPA of 3.0.
All requirements must be completed within five years from the date of admission.

Programs

Master of Arts

Certificate