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MS in Psychological Research
This program was updated from an MA in General Psychology to an MS in Psychological Research in Fall 2024.
Students in the Psychological Research program can create individual programs in conjunction with the faculty to prepare for doctoral programs and careers in a variety of specialized fields such as:
- Clinical (Clinically-oriented students in this program will train in clinical research, but will not receive formal clinical skills training or earn licensure).
- Cognitive
- Community
- Cultural
- Developmental
- Educational
- Evolutionary
- Experimental
- Neuroscience
- Quantitative
- Social Psychology
Students also take graduate courses in research methods, analysis of variance, multiple regression analysis, multivariate analysis, and psychological measurement.
Psychological Research Program Catalog Information
Psychological Research M.S.
Psychological Research M.S. students regularly participate in supervisory and experiential coursework beginning in their first semester and continue each semester after that. These students involve themselves in research projects, either as members of research teams or individually under the supervision of a faculty member.
Upon completion, they present their work at a variety of research conferences including the Sacramento Valley Psychological Association's Student Research Conference, Western Psychological Association Research Conference, and other local, regional, and national meetings.
Students may also have the opportunity to acquire experience as Teaching Associates (paid instructors of record) or as Instructional Student Assistants (paid) in our undergraduate lower division and lab courses.
Admission Requirements & Application Instructions
Psychological Research Faculty
Applicants will be asked to select and rank three faculty from the list below in their application. Please review our application materials to determine which faculty will be taking applicants for Fall 2025.
| Name | Subdiscipline | Contact Information | Accepting applications for Fall 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Itzel Aceves Azuara, Ph.D. (UC Santa Cruz) | Cultural Psychology | itzel.aceves-azuara@csus.edu | Yes |
| Phillip Akutsu, Ph.D. (UCLA) | Clinical Psychology | akutsup@csus.edu | Yes |
| Lisa Bohon, Ph.D. (UC Riverside) | Social/Evolutionary Psychology | bohonlm@csus.edu | Yes |
| Jeff Calton, Ph.D. (University of Missouri) | Behavioral Neuroscience | calton@csus.edu | No |
| Melikşah Demir, Ph.D. (Wayne State University) | Developmental Psychology and Happiness | demir@csus.edu | Yes |
| Erin Ellison, Ph.D. (UC Santa Cruz) | Community Psychology | ellison@csus.edu | Yes |
| Sharon Flicker, Ph.D. (University of New Mexico) | Clinical Psychology | flicker@csus.edu | Yes |
| Sharon Furtak-Nguyen, Ph.D. (Yale University) | Behavioral Neuroscience | furtak@csus.edu | No |
| Paulette Garcia Peraza, Ph.D. (UC Santa Cruz) | Cultural Psychology | garciaperaza@csus.edu | No |
| David Giguere, Ph.D. (Florida Atlantic University) | Developmental Psychology | giguere@csus.edu | Yes |
| Lisa Harrison, Ph.D. (University of Nebraska) | Social Psychology | laharrison@csus.edu | No |
| Greg Kim-Ju, Ph.D. (Boston College) | Cultural and Community Psychology | kimju@csus.edu | Yes |
| Casey Knifsend, Ph.D. (UCLA) | Developmental and Community Psychology | casey.knifsend@csus.edu | Yes |
| Alexandra Morrison, Ph.D. (Temple University) | Cognitive Psychology - Attention and Working Memory | alexandra.morrison@csus.edu | Yes |
| Jianjian (J.J.) Qin, Ph.D. (UC Davis) | Cognitive Psychology - Eyewitness Memory and Memory Errors | qinj@csus.edu | Yes |
| Zach Schudson, Ph.D. (University of Michigan) | Social Psychology | schudson@csus.edu | Yes |
| Kehan Shen, Ph.D. (University of Kansas) | Counseling Psychology | k.shen@csus.edu | Yes |
| Emily Wickelgren, Ph.D. (Indiana University) | Cognitive Psychology - Sensation and Perception | wickelgr@csus.edu | No |
| Brittany Young, Ph.D. (UC Santa Cruz) | Developmental and Multicultural Psychology | b.young@csus.edu | Yes |