MAPSS-Psychology

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

MAPSS-Psychology students take courses listed or cross-listed with the Department of Psychology, but they are not limited to that department. Students often find courses of interest in Comparative Human Development, the Crown School of Social Work, and elsewhere on campus.

MAPSS-Psychology students will have the opportunity to apply for participation in lab research relevant to their interests and write an MA thesis directed to a psychology readership that contributes to the discipline’s literatures.

Students who secure lab placements work with faculty in the Psychology Department or closely related parts of the University such as Comparative Human Development. Some begin that lab work the summer prior to matriculating into MAPSS.

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 applying for STEM OPT are advised to complete a minimum of 4 graduate courses listed or cross-listed with the Department of Psychology and to participate in lab research relevant to their interests.

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.