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Program Overview

The M.A. International Psychology program is designed for adults who are interested in starting to work in the international psychology field or individuals that are already working in the international field and would like to have an additional master’s degree that could potentially make a difference in their ability to participate in global mental health, international organizations and environmental fields. This program will bring a unique perspective of age-old global challenges in order to encourage the promotion of new solutions offering students the ability to apply a continuum of theoretical psychological concepts from Western to non-Western dimensions to further understand global practices and explore behaviors across cultures and diverse groups. Throughout the program students will learn and develop a personal paradigm to understand globalization, the principles of humanitarianism including the universality of human rights, and will be encouraged to develop a fundamental sense of belonging and interconnectedness, with the global community to advocate for social justice, social responsibility and the respect and dignity of all living-organisms and peoples adopting actions shaped by universal ethical principles.

The M.A. International psychology is a 36 credit hour program, consisting of core courses totaling 27 credits, (including a capstone project and field experience course) and 9 credits of concentration courses that will ensure graduates are well prepared to work as international psychologists and respond to the needs of current and future demands in the field. This degree program offers the opportunity to acquire and build knowledge and abilities through the completion of a comprehensive core of courses as well as to specialize in an area of interest selecting one of the following concentrations: Trauma and Group Conflict (TGC), Management and Leadership (ML) or Environmental Advocacy (EA).

Program Learning Outcomes

Upon successful completion of this program student will be able to:

1. evaluate major theories influencing the development of the international psychology and related fields supported by empirical findings including historical and current trends;
2. identify and accurately apply relevant Western, Non-Western and indigenous theories of psychopathology relative to a variety of current diagnostic systems (DSM and ICD) in diverse case studies;
3. identify and accurately apply relevant Western, Non-Western and indigenous theories of socio cultural development across the lifespan utilizing diverse case studies;
4. evaluate appropriate databases analyzing qualitative, quantitative and mixed-method methodologies and differences and similarities in international, cross cultural and multicultural research in the scientific literature;
5. evaluate peer reviewed articles including methodologies, data analysis, conclusions and recommendations for future studies synthesizing the strengths and limitations of research methods in relation to validity and reliability;
6. develop knowledge of descriptive statistics, data management, basic statistical procedures and data analysis software;
7. analyze the social construction of culture, gender, sexual orientation, ethnicity, religion/spirituality, social class, disability, language, race, and immigrant status;
8. evaluate systems of privilege and power, oppression and domination, international variance in perspectives, cultural competency, and socio-cultural identity construction;
9. demonstrate cultural intelligence skills, proactive identification of cultural issues when advocating, developing interventions, and making recommendations for potential solutions for cultures and diversity conflicts;
10. evaluate the process of political and economic globalization and its effects on access to mental health and psychological services particularly for underserved populations;
11. analyze universal human rights agendas and their application in humanitarian aid and advocacy work in order to effectively identify domestic and/or international humanitarian programs to provide assistance to humankind based on an acquired understanding that all life has value as well as societal and environmental impact;
12. design and evaluate effective ethical domestic/international programs and interventions in the global mental health field that are drawn from current empirical literature, research and relevant psychological theories;
13. design and evaluate ethical effective domestic/international programs and interventions in the organizational field that are drawn from current empirical literature, research and relevant psychological theories;
14. design and evaluate ethical effective domestic/international programs and interventions in the environmental field that are drawn from current empirical literature, research and relevant psychological theories;
15. demonstrate strong culturally-sensitive communication abilities that include self-awareness, self-regulation and empathic and effective speaking and listening skills to manage behaviors and perspectives that facilitate or impede their effectiveness in communicating with individuals, groups or systems;
16. compose professional quality written papers and reports that are clear, concise and precise, communicating their ideas in a grammatically correct structured and organized manner, congruent with APA format and style;
17. demonstrate an understanding of and a commitment to abide by the ethical principles endorsed by the Universal Declaration of Ethical Principles for Psychologists and the American Psychological Association;
18. apply actions that are informed by universal ethical principles, respect and care for the rights of all life and employ sound ethical decision-making approaches when faced with domestic or international ethical dilemmas.

Admission Requirements

Application to The Chicago School School of Professional Psychology’s M.A. International Psychology program is open to any person who has earned a bachelor degree from a regionally accredited institution and who meets other entrance requirements. Applicants will be judged on their overall ability to do graduate work. Factors that are considered in admission include GPA from undergraduate schools. Generally, an undergraduate GPA of a 3.0 or higher on a 4.0 scale is required for admission. Applicants must submit official transcripts from all schools where a degree was earned. It is recommended that transcripts are submitted from all schools where credit was received to enhance their applications. Additional factors that are considering in admission include the following:

• Application
• Application Fee ($50)
• Resume or Curriculum Vitae
• Work experience recommended
• Who page personal statement/essay answering the following:
  • How will your personal and professional accomplishments, academic background, and experience to date, contribute to your success in this Program?
  • How will the successful completion of this Program support your professional career goals?

Applicant Notification

The Chicago School of Professional Psychology reviews applications on a rolling basis. Once review begins, complete applications will be considered by the Admission Committee and applicants will be notified regarding the admission decision. The Chicago School of Professional Psychology does not share information or provide any feedback regarding admission decisions.

If a student is offered admission and in order to secure a place in the incoming class, a non-refundable tuition deposit of $250 will be required by the deposit deadline indicated in the offer of admission. The non-refundable deposit will be applied in full toward the student’s tuition upon enrollment.

Policies

The following policies are located under Academic Policies and Procedures : Academic Calendar, Admissions Requirements, Attendance, Satisfactory Academic Progress, Service Learning, and Transfer Credit/Course Waiver. Click the link above for detailed information.

Articulation Agreements

The Chicago School of Professional Psychology has established an agreement between the M.A. International Psychology and the B.A. Psychology programs to allow qualified students to enter early into the master’s program. This agreement allows qualified students to begin their master’s study while completing their bachelor’s degree. Click on this link  for details.

The Chicago School has also established an agreement between the M.A. International Psychology and the Ph.D. International Psychology programs to allow qualified students to enter early into the doctoral program. Click on the link  for details.

Academic Partnership

The Chicago School signed a Memorandum of Agreement with the Peace Corps to offer the Paul D. Coverdell Fellows Program to returned Peace Corps Volunteers applying to The Chicago School’s  M.A. in International Psychology. For information about the Coverdell Fellows Program, including program eligibility and student benefits, please visit the program webpage: http://www.thechicagoschool.edu/online/peace-corps-fellowship-program/

Philosophy

The M.A. International Psychology introduces the philosophy of psychology as a transformational field supporting the development of agents of change who are able to critically reflect about their identity, as cultural beings that promote social justice, and to identify and understand their impact on others. International psychology is a new paradigm that facilitates the integration of psychological theory, research and practice that is context and culture specific on an attempt to respond to of current global challenges such as trauma generated by poverty, migration, abuses inter-group conflicts, and matters pertaining to the process of globalization and environment change.

Ethics and Professional Behavior

Students are expected to engage in all graduate work, including but not limited to course work, field placement and scholarship, with a high degree of integrity and professionalism. It is essential that students approach professional working relationships, collegial relationships, and client/partner-contact with respect. Further, students are expected to adhere to the Universal Declaration of Ethical Principles for Psychologists and American Psychological Association’s (APA) Ethical Principles of Psychologists and Code of Conduct as well as the “evolving universal code of ethics” (Gauthier, 2005). Students who choose to seek employment in the field of psychology shall not work beyond their level of competence and shall not use titles governed by credentialing statutes and/or regulations unless authorized by the relevant jurisdictional authority. Students who fail to comply with ethical and professional behavior guidelines are subject to department remediation and/or referral to the Student Affairs Committee for disciplinary action and possible dismissal.

Licensure

The M.A. International Psychology is a non-licensure and non-clinical program.

Capstone Project and Field Experience

This program culminates in a capstone project and field experience that is a collaborative participatory action project with an identified local community service agency who engages in delivery of services supporting a social justice/human rights on an international or global scale. Agencies will specifically address underserved, marginalized and vulnerable populations. The project will take place across 3 courses to identify, develop and interact on a community service level offering an intervention strategy or policy development/recommendation specifically benefiting the agency. The supporting literature will be identified through international peer reviewed journals to support best practices and evidence-based strategies grounded in an existing theoretical or conceptual framework that is specific to the area of concentration.

Additionally, this capstone project and field experience forms the summative assessment of the program, and is designed to satisfy the requirements of the competencies of the M.A. International Psychology program for a culminating experience.

This sequence outlines the integration of the curriculum with the capstone project and field experience to facilitate the smooth navigation of the student through the program.

The M.A. International Psychology will culminate in a field experience course. Students will engage in one required, minimum nine-day international field experience in order to have a more complex understanding of socio-cultural, historical, political, economic issues affecting dynamic of people, organizations and environment. The goal is to facilitate the development of culturally sensitive abilities to interact and establish respectful and ethical relations with global populations, considering the impact of own culture on global cultures, and analyze cross-cultural theories and research to design interventions. Field experience project course will require the integration and synthesis of knowledge necessary to evaluate and evidence mastery competence in the field of international psychology.