MS.PSYC - Psychology - MSc (Thesis)

The Psychology MSc* graduate program at Trent is a two-year program leading to the degree of Master of Science. This research-intensive program has three distinct streams of study: Health Psychology, Developmental Psychology, and Cognition/Perception/Neuroscience. The Psychology graduate program provides a natural stepping-stone for students interested in pursuing further doctoral (PhD) studies as well as provides a strong foundation in research, methodology, and the application of human behaviour for students interested in pursuing careers in health, science, and/or communication-related fields.

The Behavioural and Cognitive Neuroscience stream is intended for candidates who wish to focus primarily on basic research and theoretical issues related to the analysis of neurobiological and psychological processes that govern behaviour in humans or non-human species, and include topics of investigations involving the connection between action and perception, language comprehension, visual cognition, focused attention, neural mechanisms of memory formation and learning, the ethics of cognitive enhancement, and the molecular/cellular foundations of stress biology and neuropsychiatric disorders.

The Developmental Psychology stream is concerned with training candidates in the theoretical and research foundations involved with the study of psychological change across the lifespan and includes areas of research such as the acquisition of cognition, language, social cognition, atypical development, attachment relationships, community and family dynamics, culture and development, and identity formation and sexuality.

The Social, Health, and Personality Psychology stream is concerned with psychological, social and behavioural factors that impact overall health and well-being, and include areas of focus in emotional intelligence, community and family dynamics, attachment relationships, human sexuality, self-regulation, personality, psychopathology and mental health, determinants of health within LGBTQ+ communities, and promoting stress coping/resilience.

*Students can petition for the degree of Master of Arts (MA).