Applied Psychology

Overview

The Master of Arts program in Applied Psychology offers three tracks of courses providing a foundation for work in:

• Human services in community agencies and services
• Professional work in personnel and industrial organizations
• Further graduate study in psychology

The program enhances understanding of adaptive and maladaptive behavior in children, youth, adults and organizations; and the influence of individual and cultural characteristics on individual, group and organization functionality. Fairfield's location in a region with many mental health organizations, rehabilitation services, and corporate organizations provides a wide range of opportunities for fieldwork.

Courses of Study

Human Services Psychology Track (M.A., 39 credits):

• Psychology of Personality
• Psychopathology and Classification I & II
• Developmental Psychology I: Theory and Application in Professional Practice OR Lifespan Human Development
• Effective Interviewing
• Multicultural Issues in Counseling
• Educational and Psychological Testing
• Introduction to Marriage and Family Therapy
• History and Systems in Psychology
• Fieldwork in Applied Psychology
• Seminar in Psychology
• Two advisor-approved elective courses (Six credits)
• Pass the Master's Comprehensive Examination 

Industrial/Organizational/Personnel Psychology Track (M.A., 39 credits):

• Introduction to Industrial/Organizational Psychology
• Designing Development and Training Programs
• Organizational Development
• Group Work: Theories and Practice
• Behavioral Statistics
• Psychology of Personality
• Effective Interviewing
• Educational and Psychological Testing
• Seminar in Applied and Industrial/Organizational Psychology OR Seminar in Psychology
• Field Work in Applied Psychology
• Research in Psychology
• Program Evaluation
• One advisor-approved elective course (Three credits)
• Pass the Master's Comprehensive Examination 

Foundations of Advanced Psychology Track (M.A., 36 credits)

• Multicultural Issues in Counseling
• Behavioral Statistics
• Psychology of Personality
• Psychopathology and Classification I & II
• Developmental Psychology I: Theory and Application in Professional Practice
• History and Systems in Psychology
• Program Evaluation
• Educational and Psychological Testing
• Research in Psychology
• Seminar in Psychology
• One advisor-approved elective course (three credits)
• Pass the Master’s Comprehensive Examination 

Fieldwork and Research

For the fieldwork course required in the Industrial/Organizational/Personnel track, faculty in the program has established working relationships with community and corporate organizations which can provide opportunities for students to apply their theories and knowledge in actual work settings.

Career Opportunities

Graduates of the program are employed widely in

• human resources organizations
• rehabilitation facilities
• mental health clinics
• corporate personnel and training departments
• industrial organizations

Faculty Quote

"Collaboration is the essence of what we do in our professions. We encourage our students to view themselves as partners with each other and with the classroom teacher. Our goal is to graduate professionals who are resourceful and can make a real impact not just on children, but also on their families, whatever setting they work in. We want them to be creative, critical, independent thinkers. We want them to be a credit to the field." Daniel Geller, Ph.D. / Professor and Chair, Psychology and Special Education Department

Student Professional Organization for Applied Psychology Students

APAGS, the American Psychological Association for Graduate Students and Psi Chi, the National Honor Society in Psychology. (Contact information)