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Dec 06, 2025
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2025-2026 University Catalog
Social Psychology, MS
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About the Program
Graduate students in Psychological Sciences are expected to become qualified researchers and experts in their selected area of concentration and to acquire a broad and in-depth background of the field in general. The graduate program provides comprehensive training leading to the Ph.D. with one of the following six degree options: Clinical, Cognitive, Industrial-Organizational, Mathematical and Computational Psychology, Neuroscience and Behavior, and Social Psychology. Purdue has one of the world’s leading training programs in social psychology. Faculty in the program are world-renowned experts in the core areas of social psychology - including social cognition, social influence, prejudice and discrimination, group dynamics and interpersonal relationships. The social psychology graduate program emphasizes research as a central focus for learning. Students are encouraged to become involved in research at an early point in their training by participating in faculty research projects and/or by carrying out individual research projects under the guidance of faculty. Within the social psychology program, faculty also have research interests in several bridge topics, including diversity and inclusion, individual differences, maladaptive behavior and social relationships. Social psychology faculty who study diversity and inclusion focus on a broad range of topics, from ostracism to stereotyping and prejudice to gender issues and beyond. Faculty in the program who focus on individual differences study the rewards and challenges of close relationships, differences in person-thing orientation and self-presentation in interpersonal relationships. Maladaptive behavior research spans issues from interpersonal violence to discrimination. Finally, because social relationships play such an important role in social psychology, research in this topic explore a wide range of issues related to how individuals interact with each other and the social processes at play. Program Website Program Requirements
XX Credits RequiredRequired Courses (xx credits)
Statistics Courses (6 credits)
Select statistics courses from either the PSY list or the STAT list. Social Psychology Colloquium (xx credits)
Students are expected to present in the area colloquium series once per year. Typically, these presentations should be 12-20 minutes in length, allowing for 10 minutes of Q&A, although students may request permission from their major professor to give shorter (e.g. data blitz) or longer (e.g. job talk) presentations, no less than 5 or more than 50 minutes in length. In general, presentations should be based on the students’ first- or co-authored research, although in rare cases students may request permission from their major professor to give another type of talk (e.g. a teaching presentation in advance of a job interview). Social Psychology Courses (21 credits)
Students are required to take PSY 50600 and 50700 twice, including each once during their first year. Selectives (9 credits)
Choose at least three. Electives (9 credits)
The Department of Psychological Sciences requires three graduate courses outside the student’s major area. At least one of these courses must be a graduate course offered within the department. Two courses may be from outside of the Department (e.g. an Interdisciplinary Neuroscience course, a HDFS course, a Sociology course). Students will typically satisfy the requirement through other topic areas offered within the department. These courses must be approved by the student’s advisory committee. Thesis Research (xx credits)
GPA Requirements
Only courses for which “A” or “B” grades are earned are acceptable in fulfilling departmental requirements. Students are expected to repeat any required courses in which they receive a grade of “C+” or lower. Additional Information
First-year project: In consultation with the Major Professor, each first-year student should develop a new project based on new or existing data. This project can become the basis of a Master’s Thesis and/or publication. Students are expected to present the results of this research in the Social Area Colloquium during their first year. Graduate Programs Disclaimer
- The student is ultimately responsible for knowing and completing all degree requirements. Students should consult with their advisor/department for more information.
- Not all graduate programs may be actively recruiting students and course modality availability may vary.
- Please refer to the Explore Graduate Programs website for a list of currently available graduate programs.
- Transfer credit policy: Credits earned for graduate study at other universities (both domestic and international) may be applied toward an advanced degree. Only credit hours associated with graduate courses for which grades of B- or better were obtained will be eligible for transfer. Any additional conditions under which credit transfers may be made are determined by the various departments.
- Comparative information about Purdue University and other U.S. educational institutions is also available through the College Navigator tool, provided by the National Center for Education Statistics, and through the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard.
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