Our program offers a comprehensive overview of the major content areas of social psychology. In each class, you’ll be exposed to both classic and contemporary research and will complete assignments designed to build your research skills. All courses emphasize social justice, diversity, equity, and inclusion. Our students also develop their research skills by joining faculty research labs.
What You Will Learn
As a student in our program, you will gain experiences and training that will prepare you for employment in applied social psychology or to pursue doctoral training in this or a related field.
Among other learning outcomes, you’ll become knowledgeable in issues of:
- attitudes and persuasion
- social cognition
- prejudice and discrimination
- interpersonal relationships
- statistics and research methodology
In recent years, our students have been accepted to doctoral programs at Kent State University, New Mexico State University, Princeton University, Stanford University, University of Illinois, University of Kentucky, University of South Florida, and University of Wyoming. Students who chose to pursue employment have successfully found jobs that utilize the skills they developed in our program.
Why Ball State?
We are the only program in the nation within a counseling psychology department. This gives you the opportunity to examine and promote social psychological principles in health-related settings.
We also emphasize a multicultural approach, which strengthens your career preparation in the field of counseling psychology.
Our campus and community are diverse, and many of the students who pursue our masters in counseling are dedicated to social justice causes and fascinated with human behavior. Students in our programs aren’t afraid to tackle the tough issues, even when it’s challenging.
The courses we offer are designed to give you a great breadth of knowledge in both classic and contemporary social psychological research. You will also be trained in how to competently conduct rigorous social psychological studies of your own. Class sizes are small, which allows for more individualized interaction between faculty and students. In addition, there are many opportunities for gaining research experience both within our department and across other departments on campus.
A limited number of graduate assistantships are available at the university that provide assistants with a stipend while offsetting most of the graduate tuition. In addition, Ball State has some of the most competitive tuition and fees in the Midwest.
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Program Requirements
This program requires you to earn 30 credits from courses in social psychology, statistics, and research methods.
You can also choose electives that allow you to customize your plan of study to meet your own unique career goals and interests. For instance, some students take elective coursework in criminal justice, sociology, health, education, and/or advanced statistics. Students can also pursue a Certificate in Institutional Research.
You can also use your electives to pursue one of two options:
- thesis – Further develop your research. This is recommended for students planning to pursue doctoral degrees.
- internship – Gain real-world work experience. This is recommended if you plan to enter the workforce.
Credits
Total: 30
Courses
A few of the classes you will take may include:
- SOPS 615 – Social Cognition
- SOPS 625 – Psychology of Gender
- SOPS 635 – Social Psychology of Health
- SOPS 630 – Social Psychology of Prejudice and Discrimination
- SOPS 640 – Attitudes
For a complete list of all the courses and their descriptions, please see our Graduate Catalog.
View Catalog
What Can You Do with this Degree?
Program Booklet
To learn more about this program and its requirements please download our supplemental booklet.
Download Booklet (PDF)
An understanding of how people think, feel, and act toward one another is critical in a variety of applied social science careers. As a graduate of our program, you will be well positioned to enter doctoral programs in this and other related fields.
In addition, you will be prepared to seek jobs in a range of applied settings like:
Paying for Your Education
A graduate assistantship is an excellent opportunity to gain meaningful professional experience while helping cover the costs of your degree. Learn more.
Ready to Apply?
Are you interested in pursuing this degree? Then you will need to meet our admissions criteria and apply.
More Information
What is social psychology and clinical mental health counseling? If you would like to learn more about this program or about Ball State Graduate School in general, please complete our online form to request more information. Or, if you’d like to speak with someone in our department directly by phone or email, please contact us.