Psychometrics (MS), Program Information

Program Faculty

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Department Chair
Jocelyn Turner-Musa, Ph.D.
Professor

Program Director
Joceyln Turner-Musa and Michael Nettles

Email:  jocelyn.turnermusa@morgan.edu,   michael.nettles@morgan.edu
 

Program Coordinator

Joy Grant

Jenkins Behavioral and Social Sciences Center, Room 426

Email:  joy.grant@morgan.edu
 

 

Program Faculty

Justin Bonny, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor

 

Damon Bryant, PhD.

Assistant Professor

 

R. Trent Haines, Ph.D.

Associate Professor

 

Michael T. Nettles, Ph.D.

Professor, Endowed Chair of Predictive Analytics and Psychometrics

 

General Requirements

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Candidates for the M.S. degree in Psychometrics must complete a minimum of thirty (30) credit hours and submit an acceptably written thesis.

Program Description

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The Masters of Science in Psychometrics is designed to provide training for individuals within the educational, psychological, and mathematics communities (e.g. teachers, administrators, staff members, and policy makers) to assist them in effectively addressing issues related to the implementation of testing, assessment, and evaluations.  One of the cornerstones of the program is training and preparing students in statistics and data analyses. Psychological themes involving learning, cognitive development, human development, resilience and student achievement gaps, literacy, school violence and prevention, and psychological and mental health are also considered.  

Program Requirements

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M.S. Non-Thesis Option (30 credit hours):

• 6 credit hours from the Foundational or Core Courses
• 6 credit hours from Measurement and Assessment
• 6 credit hours from Statistics
• 6 credit hours from Electives
• 6 credit hours Capstone

M.S. Thesis Option (30 credit hours):

• 6 credit hours from the Foundational or Core Courses
• 6 credit hours from Measurement and Assessment
• 6 credit hours from Statistics
• 9 credit hours from Electives
• 3 credit hours Thesis

M.S. Applicants Wishing to Matriculate into the Doctoral Program in Psychometrics

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Students who initially applied to the M.S. program and successfully complete the M.S., may, with the approval of the department chair and program coordinator, enroll in the doctoral program by completing the following:

1. Online application for the doctoral program (new GRE scores and letters of recommendation are not required).
2. Brief personal statement regarding continuation of graduate studies.
3. Request to the Registrar to submit the student’s official M.S. transcript to the School of Graduate Studies.

Program Objectives

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The Master’s program in Psychometrics is designed to develop scholars who possess statistical and analytical capabilities and acquire the quantitative and methodological skills (e.g., measurement theory, statistical analysis, research design, and evaluation) needed to construct valid measurements and assessments of what and how individuals learn.  A secondary objective of the program is to develop a new cadre of practitioners who have the analytical skills and cultural competence to effectively develop innovative interventions that address issues within the discipline itself as well as inform policies that influence minority or special populations (e.g. African Americans) and those within urban environments. 

General Requirements

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Candidates for the M.S. degree in Psychometrics must complete a minimum of thirty (30) credit hours and submit an acceptably written capstone project or thesis.

Students who are accepted into the Master’s program will enter under the Non-Thesis Option.  At the end of the first 18 credits of coursework, students may apply to switch their plan of study to the Thesis Option. 

Students have the option of retaking a course in which they earned a “C” grade.  Students may not have in excess of 20% of grades (i.e., 6 credits) in C grades.

Admission

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To be eligible for admission to the Master’s Program in Psychometrics, an applicant must: 

• Have earned a bachelor’s degree from a regionally accredited college or university, preferably in psychology, mathematics, test and measurements, or any related area.  

• Possess an undergraduate cumulative grade point average G.P.A. of 3.0 or better to be considered for unconditional admission. Students who possess a cumulative undergraduate G.P.A. of between a 2.5 and less than 3.0 may be considered for conditional admission. Post-bachelor’s undergraduate credits will not be used to enhance G.P.A. requirements for admission to graduate study.  

• Have satisfactorily completed certain minimum prerequisite coursework in general or educational psychology, statistics, research design and methodology.  

• Submit an application for admission together with copies of transcripts from all graduate and undergraduate institutions attended.  

• Submit three academic letters of recommendation.  

• Submit a three-page typed essay regarding the candidate’s personal academic and professional plans and the reasons for selecting Morgan State University and the Graduate Program in Psychometrics.  

• Submit a writing sample or original research paper from your major. 

• Students for whom instruction has not been in English must submit results of the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL).

 

Meeting the minimum eligibility requirements and submitting all the required documents does not guarantee that an offer of admission will be made to the applicant.  The decision of the Program Admissions Committee involves a review and analysis of all the elements of the application as well as the availability of positions in the program.  The committee then recommends to the Dean of the School of Graduate Studies that an offer of admission should be made based on that review.

Candidacy

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Non-Thesis Students achieve candidacy by completing all required coursework except PSYM 796 Capstone II.  Candidates should enroll in PSYM 796 Capstone II during their final semester of study. If they wish to maintain full-time student status during their final semester, candidates may register concurrently in PSYM 793 Pre-Master’s Candidacy or additional graduate courses.  

Thesis Students achieve candidacy by successfully defending their Thesis Proposal.  After they complete the first 27 credits of study, thesis students should enroll in PSYM 797 each semester until they successfully defend the Thesis. 

Thesis Completion

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Psychometrics master’s students who opt to complete a Thesis are guided by a Thesis Advisor and an Advisory Committee. The Master’s Thesis Advisory Committee approves the thesis proposal, the written thesis, and the final oral examination. Members of the advisory committee must approve these matters in a formal meeting.  At least 50% and not more than 80% of committee members must be internal committee members. That is, they must be full-time, tenured, or tenure-track professors in the Department of Psychology at Morgan State University. The remaining member(s) must be external to the department.

The student must present a written proposal to the Advisory Committee for approval before beginning the thesis research. A proposal meeting will be held at least one term prior to the thesis defense.  The thesis must be defended by the student at a final oral examination with the Advisory Committee. 

Additional Requirements

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Additional requirements and guidance can be found in the Graduate Program in Psychometrics Student Handbook.

Program Course Requirements Non-Thesis Option

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MS Psychometrics 30 Credits

Program Course Requirements Thesis Option

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MS Pscyhometrics 30 credits

Suggested Curriculum Sequence

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• Psychometrics (MS), Curriculum Sequence