MAPSS-Psychology

Students admitted for the MAPSS-Psychology concentration will receive an additional letter along with their formal offer of admission. 

MAPSS-Psychology is a highly selective track in which students take 9 graduate courses and complete a thesis or a capstone. Students take courses in the Department of Psychology, but they often find courses of interest in departments and programs elsewhere at the University, such as Comparative Human Development and the Crown School of Social Work.

Like all MAPSS students, Psychology concentrators take the core course Perspectives in Social Science Analysis and complete at least one methods requirement. They are supported throughout their MAPSS year by a preceptor who is an instructional professor with demonstrated excellence in teaching, mentoring, and scholarship. 

MAPSS-Psychology students may pursue opportunities for potential placement in lab research relevant to their interests. Students who secure lab placements work with faculty in the Psychology Department or closely related parts of the University such as Comparative Human Development. Students with lab placements are expected to complete a thesis. 

We recommend that students planning to apply to PhD programs after MAPSS gain some lab experience as part of their training, and completing a lab placement and corresponding MA thesis is one great way to do this. 

MAPSS-Psychology focuses on psychological research; we cannot offer experience specific to clinical psychology. If your interests are clinical and you wish to gain research training, skills, and experience to make yourself an outstanding candidate for clinical programs, then our program is right for you. However, the University of Chicago's Department of Psychology does not have a clinical area; thus MAPSS-Psychology cannot provide any clinical research experience, clinical coursework, or clinical training of any kind.

International students on F-1 or J-1 student visas who complete the Master of Arts Program in the Social Sciences (MAPSS) with this concentration may be eligible for employment benefits associated with their respective visa type. The MAPSS–Psychology Concentration is listed as a STEM designated degree by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security for the purposes of the STEM OPT extension allowing eligible students to apply. However, approval for STEM OPT is at the discretion of U.S. Citizenship & Immigration Services. To learn more, visit our Office of International Affairs website. International students applying for STEM OPT are advised to complete a minimum of 4 graduate courses listed or cross listed with the Department of Psychology. Capstone students are advised to take a minimum of two psychology research methods courses relevant to their interests.