Each program has been designed to meet student needs and to prepare students to meet their career goals. Students and advisers work closely together in every graduate program. Programs are designed to prepare students to begin working after the degree or to continue on to a doctoral program.

The Developmental Psychology program focuses on growth and development across the lifespan. It is designed for students with major interests in areas of social and emotional development, parent-child relationships, sex differences, development across cultures and ethnic minority groups, learning, cognition, and psycholinguistics. The program prepares students for academic, research, and applied careers in the field of child and developmental psychology.

Intermediate Statistics

Psychological Research Methods

History and Systems of Psychology

Developmental or Lifespan Psychology

The Social Psychology program at San Francisco State University prepares students for professional careers in research, teaching, and practical applications of social psychology at the Master of Arts level, while at the same time offering a foundation of education and experience appropriate for students who intend to proceed to doctoral study. The program is committed to academic excellence, to research and professional service in the public interest, and to expanding the diversity of backgrounds and perspectives in our discipline – the study of how individual thoughts, feelings, and actions influence and are influenced by other individuals, groups and institutions, and social contexts.

Intermediate Statistics

Research Methods

Social Psychology

The Psychological Research program is for students seeking to become broadly informed and productive research psychologists who will be prepared to enter doctoral programs or perform competently as research associates in diverse areas of psychology. This program offers the opportunity for course work and research in such areas as biofeedback, emotion, physiological psychology, clinical research, neuropsychology, psycholinguistics, and cognition. The program also prepares students for teaching in community college.

Intermediate Statistics

Research Methods

Experimental Psychology

The Industrial-Organizational program is designed to qualify students for professional careers in organizational behavior and human resource functions in business, industry, or government; or for doctoral programs in industrial/organizational psychology.

At least 15 units of upper –division psychology coursework, in addition to a course in Intermediate Psychological Statistics.

The Clinical Psychology program is intended to qualify students to provide mental health services in community mental health centers, schools, hospitals, private practice, managed care, and similar careers. The program emphasizes theoretical and applied training from a psychodynamic, family systems and community psychology perspective. The program provides the academic preparations and pre-master's supervised hours required for the State of California Marriage and Family Therapy (M.F.T.) license.

Theories of Personality

Abnormal Psychology

Any statistics coursework

Developmental Psychology

Introduction to Clinical Psychology

Cross Cultural Psychology

Community Psychology and/or Psychology of the Family

The School Psychology program prepares students to provide professional expertise in school settings for the purpose of promoting improvement in the quality of life for children, their families, and the community. By successfully completing the two-year School Psychology program and the one-year Pupil Personnel Services Credential Program in School Psychology, students are eligible for a State of California Pupil Personnel Services Credential (PPS) with an authorization in School Psychology.

Introduction to Psychology (does not have to upper division)

Introduction to Clinical Psychology

Theories of Personality

Abnormal Psychology

Developmental Psychology

Cross-Cultural Perspectives in Psychology

Learning Psychology

Any statistics and research methods coursework

We also offer a third year Pupil Personnel Services Credential Program which is administered through the School Psychology Graduate Program and offered through the College of Extended Learning. The PPS Credential Program is available to candidates who have completed the two-year SFSU School Psychology graduate program or a comparable graduate program in School Psychology.

See application and previous coursework evaluation form.