Master of Applied Science (MASc) in Psychology - Developmental and Communication Science

The program information below was valid for the fall 2016 term (September 1, 2016 - December 31, 2016). This is the archived version; the most up-to-date program information is available through the current Graduate Studies Academic Calendar.

The Graduate Studies Academic Calendar is updated 3 times per year, at the start of each academic term (January 1, May 1, September 1). Graduate Studies Academic Calendars from previous terms can be found in the archives.

• Admit term(s) 
  • Fall
• Delivery mode 
  • On-campus
• Length of program 
  • One year
• Program type 
  • Master's
  • Research
• Registration option(s) 
  • Full-time
• Study option(s) 
  • Master's Research Paper

• Minimum requirements 
  • Applications for admission are open to individuals who will have completed an Honours Bachelor's degree in Psychology or related, approved equivalent (e.g., Linguistics, Computer Science) by the time of entrance to the program.
  • A 80% overall standing in the last two years, or equivalent, in a four-year Honours Bachelor's degree or equivalent.
  • Applicants whose ultimate goal is a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) should apply directly to the PhD program.
  • Students accepted to the MASc in Psychology - Developmental and Communication Science program cannot transfer to the PhD program in any of the divisions of the Psychology Department; they must reapply on the same basis as other PhD applicants and in competition with each other. Graduate Record Examination results are required when applying to the PhD program.
• Application materials 
  • Personal statement
  • Supplementary information form
  • Transcript(s)
• References 
  • Number of references:  3
  • Type of references: 

    academic

• English language proficiency (ELP) (if applicable)

Master's Research Paper option:

Graduate Academic Integrity Module (Graduate AIM)

Courses 

• Students must complete a total of 3.50 units of course credit.
• All courses for a numerical grade unless they are only offered CR/NCR. Of the courses, required courses are:
  • PSYCH 710 Current Issues in Developmental Psych Seminar (CR/NCR) (2 x 0.50 units = 1.00 unit)
  • 1 or, if available, 2 graduate level courses offered by the Developmental Division (such as PSYCH 680 Special Topics in Child Behaviour and Development). If only 1 course is available in the Developmental Division, the other course must be a course offered in the Psychology Department (2 x 0.50 units = 1.00 unit).
  • 1 statistics course offered by Psychology such as PSYCH 632 Multiple Regression (0.50 unit)
  • 2 elective courses (see further details below) (2 x 0.50 units = 1.00 units)
• Students are encouraged to take ownership of their program of study depending on their own interests and future goals. Students have the option of taking courses in other areas of Psychology and other departments on campus as their elective courses. Students should note that the majority of Clinical courses in Psychology are only open to students in the PhD program. Check the course catalogue for further information. Students are encouraged to consider cross-disciplinary courses if appropriate, and so such requests are generally approved.

Link(s) to courses: for information about these courses, please contact Graduate Studies and Postdoctoral Affairs

• Psychology (PSYCH) courses
• Arts (ARTS) courses

Academic Integrity Workshop

Graduate Studies Internship

• Students complete two types of internships (Research Lab Internship and Community Practicum) during the year of the program. There are two options for how to accomplish this and the decision should be based on a students’ discussion at the beginning of the program with their advisor and confirmation of the decision with the Department’s Administrative Co-ordinator, Graduate Studies. The difference between the two options is whether students complete 1-term or 3-terms of a Community Location Practicum. If 1-term is chosen, the remaining time is substituted with increased Research Lab Internship time and a larger, written MASc Research Project.
• Option 1:
  • This first option is likely to be of most interest to students seeking applied careers in areas such as speech-language pathology, early childhood education and teaching.
• A) Research Lab Internship (1.50 units - CR/NCR) with Research Project (1.00 unit)
  • Three-term research internship (Fall/Winter/Spring term program milestone requirement) in one of the research labs of one of the faculty members in the
    Developmental division or a faculty member affiliated with the program. This research internship consists of approximately 10 hours/week (completion of these hours is worth 1.50 units of credit - CR/NCR) from the beginning of the Fall term until the last day of lectures in the Spring term.
• B) Community Location Practicum (1.50 units - CR/NCR)
  • This three-term community practicum consists of one morning or afternoon (approximately 3.5 - 4 hours per week) and runs roughly from September to the end of June (0.50 course credits per Fall, Winter and Spring term). In the past, community locations have included the Early Childhood Education Centre (ECEC) at University of Waterloo, Westmount Public School and McLennan Speech and Language Services.
• All community placements require submission of a police check and Tuberculosis (TB) test. Students are encouraged to read the provided information to ensure that they do
  this far enough in advance in the summer so as not to delay the beginning of their internship.
• Option 2:
  • This second option is likely to be of most interest to students deciding on whether to pursue further doctoral (PhD) studies in an area related to child development.
• A) Research Lab Internship (1.50 units - CR/NCR) with additional Research Apprenticeship (1.00 course credits) and Research Project (1.0 unit)
  • This expanded research lab experience option includes:
    • Three-term research internship (Fall/Winter/Spring term program milestone requirement) in one of the research labs of one of the faculty members in the Developmental division or a faculty member affiliated with the program. This research internship consists of approximately 10 hours/week (completion of these hours is worth 1.50 units of credit - CR/NCR) from the beginning of the Fall term until the last day of lectures in the Spring term.
    • 1.00 course credits in a Research Apprenticeship obtained via a further 84 hours of work in the research lab in (i) to equate to the time otherwise completed within a community practicum (i.e., 3.5 hours x 24 weeks over 2 terms).
    • Due to the expanded nature of this internship, a more formal written Research Project is required with two readers.
• B) Community Location Practicum (0.50 course credits - CR/NCR)
  • This one-term community practicum consists of one morning or afternoon (approximately 3.5 - 4 hours per week) and runs roughly 12 weeks starting in September or January (0.50 course credits per Fall or Winter term). Completion in the Spring term is not permissible. All community placements require submission of a police check and Tuberculosis (TB) test. Students are encouraged to read the provided information to ensure they do this far enough in advance in the summer so as not to delay the beginning of their internship.

Master’s Research Paper

Other requirements 

• Seminars and Colloquia: students are expected to participate fully in other academic seminars and colloquia as department members (no credit).