Outside of the Fast Track Master's Program in the Behavioral Neuroscience area, all students admitted to a departmental graduate program are required to earn a master?s degree based on a master?s thesis research project on route to a PhD; however, the expected terminal degree is the PhD, as is the case for most psychology departments across the United States. (Occasionally, students are awarded a terminal master?s degree based on their graduate performance.)

Upon completion of the master?s degree, students must successfully pass their respective program's comprehensive examination and all departmental requirements; before submitting a dissertation proposal. Because the department has five relatively autonomous graduate programs, please use the links on the left to learn more about your options for graduate studies at UMass.