Methodology proposal framework and key considerations

Psychology Master's Degree: Methodology

Degree Concentration: Master of Sciences in Interdisciplinary Studies with a concentration in Psychology

Degree Rationale: By establishing a base education in Psychology that is centered in interdisciplinary contexts, I anticipate creating a wide array of opportunities for participation in practice, research or instruction which can incorporate any number of scholastic subjects. For instance, though my attention will be on issues derived from the discipline of abnormal psychology, the courses which I intend to pursue will present me with a greater understanding of the correlation between psychological disorders and a host of other subjects themselves justifying a full course of study.

For instance, the relationship between psychology and morality is something which will be of great interest as I proceed in my studies, with the intercession of philosophy, sociology and law suggesting an inherent demand on the psychologist to think both within and without the parameters of the conventional practitioner. Or by directing a study according to the intercession between psychology and physiology, one might serve an important role in a medical team seeking to diagnose or treat one suffering within this cross-section. A subject such as religious theory, as it relates to psychology, can lend itself to the establishment of credentials concerning the correlation between spiritual and psychological dispositions, abnormalities or complexes.

Essentially, the interdisciplinary focus of my degree is based on the promise that such will open infinite doors for future occupational consideration. Indeed, if approached correctly, a course of study such as this ought to prepare one for the natural correlation between psychological treatment and criminal counseling, legal testimony, sociological research and a whole host of additional career paths. Thus, even as I might set my sights on a specific practice or approach, I will inherently improve my value to the profession and expand the prospective ways in which to drive my practice.

The interdisciplinary focus on opportunities which demonstrate the value of psychology in a broad array of fields should also arm me with the experience and confidence to take on any of the challenges that may emerge on my career path.

Degree Content

Guiding Committee: I intend to carry out the components of this degree at the main campus of Mountain State University in West Virginia. This context will allow my to work with a guidance committee constituted of some of Mountain's most highly regarded professors and research professionals.

I will be studying with the Lead Faculty member and Graduate Interdisciplinary Studies Coordinator of the Psychology Department, Dr. Robert Hayes. A Ph.D. in General Psychology, Dr. Hayes is a member of the APA, the Society for the Teaching of Psychology and the Society for the Psychology of Aesthetics, Creativity and the Arts. Since his addition to the staff in 2006, Hayes has worked as a program director and as a vessel through which the holistic implication of Mountain's core focus can be channeled. Indeed, the diversity of his resume in research, instruction and writing implies a many well-suited to serve my interdisciplinary focus.

Professor Dinah Rock will also be working on my committee. As Coordinator of Graduate Academic Services, she is in a unique position to provide me with the type of counsel that can help me to sequence my chosen course load and to integrate my research investigation into that which I am learning from said classes. As a published author and a research specialist, in addition to her role as a crucial liaison to student needs on the university campus, Rock will be a source of ongoing advice and insight.

Dean of Graduate Studies, Dr. Brian Holloway is the third member of my guidance committee and one whom I will rely heavily upon for consultation on my written and presentation skills. As the author of numerous volumes on technical and creative writing, as well as a longtime project coordinator for self-styled and interdisciplinary courses of study, Dr. Holloway will be a valuable source of critique as I compose and revise my research report.

Course Content: The courses I have selected for fulfillment of 25 hours of scholastic content reflect the interdisciplinary approach driving my degree studies. Courses have been strategically selected in order to simultaneously meet the conditions of my degree and retain an inherently diversified balance of subjects.

Advanced Developmental Psychology (GIDS 517) will provide me with a rigorous and direct overview of the field into which I am entering. Based upon the complex relationship between the body, the mind and human society as a whole, this course suitably reflects my intent to design a study that advances upon the notion of this relationship. The dynamic interaction of these aspects of the human condition are uniquely examined at Mountain, where a holistic interest is taken in the subject matter. The course in Advanced Developmental Psychology promises to be among the most universally applicable points of entry into the field.

Psychology of Psychopathology and Diagnosis (GIDS 518) offers students the opportunity to active a mounting knowledge of the ways that various factors and contexts interact to produce viable psychiatric diagnoses. Such is to say that where the practice of psychology and the diagnosis of patients concern the vast possibilities of initial dysfunction, there is a need for a core knowledge in the practitioner of the virtually limitless intersection between psyche and all other things. The MSU degree program website identifies this course as pertaining not only to the relationships within and surrounding the individual but, again in a holistic sense, presumes to extend the discussion to the nature of the relationship between this and such broad sociological patterns as concern gender, politics and culture, so name just a few discussion points. This is an excited premise for a discourse on abnormal psychopathology and the relationship between external and internal factors producing disorder in the subject. I anticipate that this will imply many of the core relationships that are of interest to the course of my degree program and to my career interests.

Psychology of Psychotherapy and Counseling (GIDS 519) is a crucial forum for development of the tools and knowledge to apply an education in psychology to a context in the real world. Learning by way of examination of the variety of styles, modes and philosophies which can direct counseling methodologies, this course should produce a greater body of knowledge on how to use that which I have learned to the benefit of others. Consideration of important contributors to the fields of counseling and examination of relevant issues such as diversity, ethicality and social justice suggest the nuance required to allow one to ultimately decide how to counsel based upon the specificities and needs pertaining to the condition of the individual subject.

Research in Physiological Psychology (GIDS 520) applies a direct focus to the biological bases for human psychology and for psychological abnormality. By learning with greater clarity about the relationship between genetics, nervous systems, neurology and experience, I anticipate that this course will produce a needed understanding of the basic physiology of the human psychological processes and deviation there from. This course is of great interest for its reflection of a subject which is still very much under constant change and development. Our collective understanding of some of these relationships is fairly new. Therefore, this course will take into considering research both historical and current in the field, suggestion a close parallel between that which is taking place in the research context and that which is being discussed in an educational context.

Research Methods (GIDS 563) is a basic primer in the ways that research and examination are to be approached within the field. The course will instruct on the step-by-step process of choosing research questions, determining suitable study subjects, creating viable methodologies for data gathering and data analysis and displaying findings in a rational and meaningful framework. Issues such as ethical integrity and the protection of internal validity will also be considered in this course.

Advanced Educational Psychology (521) is an elective which promotes the study of currently accepted methodologies in the learning and instruction strategies relating to the field. This is a highly recommended course of study for anybody with such an interest as mine in the ongoing pursuit of knowledge and findings within the field. As already noted here, there is a close connection between education and continuing research which suggests the need for practice and learning always to coincide. This course should provide me with the tools to channel this demand properly throughout my career.

Psychology of Spirituality and Religion (522) is a subject which I will eagerly anticipate. Another elective, this one is derived from the specific relationship between spiritual orientation and its correlation to initial psychology. Concerning less the evaluation of distinct religious traditions but more extensively considering the question of the causative psychological factors providing for the existence of religion, of religious belief systems, of theological dispositions and of moral inclinations related thereto. This promises to be among the more interesting applications of psychology in a course of study inherently directed by interdisciplinary points of consideration. The subject promises to approach issues of theology, sociology, ethicality and behavior with necessary interdependency.

Psychology: Professional Ethics and Legal Issues (523), though an elective, seems to be an absolutely indispensable channeling of study time. The examination of issues of ethical and legal centrality to the research or practice of psychology should arm future professionals with the underlying information and philosophical orientation needed to approach this complex field with sensitivity, objectivity and integrity.

Teaching Introduction to Psychology (GIDS 524) is an elective which should serve to further the knowledge and information obtained in Advanced Educational Psychology (GIDS 521), continuing to refine the ideas and theories instructed through my larger course of study into a set of tools for the demonstration of this knowledge. Here, I anticipate sharpening the skills which I already possess to serve in the instructional capacity on the interdisciplinary relevance of psychology.

Phase 1: This first phase of my degree program is devoted to gaining the knowledge and theoretical grounding for the extrapolation of ideas and practical applications to be developed here after. Thus, the core competencies relating to critical thinking will play an important role here as I familiarize myself with the basic philosophical and research-based premises which drive today's professional discourse. The refinement of communication and writing skills will also play an important role here, as I find ways not just to absorb but also to channel and apply the information and knowledge here provided.

Phase 2: The second phase of my degree study will be dedicated to building the skills and obtaining the knowledge to conduct research and evaluate findings in my chosen profession. With concern to the core competencies, I have selected a sequence of courses which will first orient the refinement of abilities concerning the proper construction of research design and which will ultimately provide the grounding necessary to pursue a sustained research process over time. This will incur the demand for the courses cited above which focus on the Research Methods and on the practical application of such methods.

Phase 3: The third phase of the degree program which I have constructed will begin to simultaneously integrate the communication methods referenced in Phase 1 and the research applications referenced in Phase 2. Namely, I anticipate that I will here have the opportunity to fully construct and execute a scientific inquiry into a subject of interdisciplinary interest. Utilizing the theoretical interests which have been emergent through the course of my study to this juncture, as well as tools sharpened through my exploration of research design and methodology, I will begin the execution of a full- scale research investigation at this juncture.