Kentucky State University | Curriculum and Degree Requirements

Curriculum and Degree Requirements

Psychology and Law Concentration Curriculum (45 hours)

The 45-hour Interdisciplinary Behavioral Science concentration is designed to be research-oriented. Those who enroll in this concentration may opt to complete either a thesis or a professional paper option, although emphasis will be placed on the thesis option described below. The following curriculum reflects the thesis option.

Course Descriptions

Full course descriptions with information about prerequisites are available in the University Catalog, published on the website of the Registrar: https://www.kysu.edu/academics/registrar/index.php

Core Requirements (21 credits)	Credits	Brief Course Description
Psychology & Law	3	A review of the ways in which mental health issues interact with the law and the criminal justice system
Law & Social Science	3	This course will focus on the ways in which behavioral and social science information is being used in court.
Intermediate Statistics I & II*	6	An examination of intermediate statistical methods. Semester I will examine various forms of Analysis of Variance (ANOVA). Semester II will address various forms of Regression analyses.
Intermediate Research Methods I & II*	6	An examination of the array of research methods used in the behavioral sciences and helping professions.
Diversity & Law	3	Students will apply social psychological knowledge in the context of cultural sensitivity to the criminal and civil justice systems.
Electives (12 credits thesis option, 15 credits non-thesis option)
Theories of Offending & Corrections	3	Reviews the many approaches to the treatment and rehabilitation of offenders in the context of the various goals of offender dispositions.
Psychology of Criminal Behavior	3	An in-depth analysis of research on the psychological bases and dynamics of criminal, aggressive, and antisocial behavior.
Aggression & Violence	3	Critical evaluation and examination of violence and aggression, their origins and determinants, and their impact on the individual and society.
Assessment & Treatment of Offenders	3	Focuses on the major theories of criminal and aggressive behavior.
Addiction & Psychopharmacology	3*	Examines the types of abusable substances and the symptomology, etiology, and treatment of substance abuse.
Principles of Victimology	3	An intensive theoretical and clinical study of the victim, community attitudes toward victims, the interactions of the victim with the criminal justice system, and programs for psychological rehabilitation of the victim.
Seminar in Psychology and Law	3	This course will be designed to accommodate course offerings on new or emerging topic areas.
Other Electives (must be approved by program faculty)	3	As offered by other relevant disciplines or transferred from other institutions.
Thesis (9 hours thesis option, 6 hours non-thesis option)	1-9	The thesis will be an original, empirical research project. The student will work closely with an advisor, producing a work corresponding to the guidelines of the Publication Manual of the American Psychology Association. Students can register for this course in any of the semesters and continue till completion.
Comprehensive Exam (3 hours)	3	The M.A. comprehensive examinations will consist of Theory and Practical components, and a Comprehensive Learning Portfolio.

Thesis Option

The table below presents a proposed curriculum plan for the Thesis Option, outlining the sequence of courses. The curriculum plan assumes a 4-6 semester completion schedule for full-time students and a completion schedule of 6-8 semesters for part-time students. Please note that all schedules are subject to change and should only be used as a guide for program timelines.

Thesis Option Curriculum Plan

Fall Y1	Credits	Spring Y1	Credits
Psychology & Law	3	Law & Social Science	3
Intermediate Statistics I	3	Intermediate Statistics II	3
Research Methods I	3	Research Methods II	3	18
Summer Y1			9	9
Core or Electives	0-9
Fall Y2		Spring Y2
Psychology of Criminal Behavior	3	Aggression & Violence	3
Assessment & Treatment of Offenders	3	Thesis	3-6
Offending & Corrections	3			18
Summer Y2 (as needed)		Comprehensive Exam		3
				45

Students opting for the thesis plan should complete their master’s degree program requirements over 4-5 semesters. The concentration can be completed in 24 months if students adhere to the following schedule:

Complete at least 12 credits of coursework by the end of the second semester in the M.A. program and sign up for the remaining 18 credit hours (including 6 hours of thesis credit) during the third and fourth semesters in the M.A. program.
Form a thesis committee by the beginning of the third semester in the program and complete and obtain approval of the thesis proposal by the end of the third semester in the program.
Complete the thesis during the fourth semester, schedule an oral exam on the thesis, and obtain final thesis approval at the end of the fourth semester in the program.

Non-Thesis Option

The table below presents a proposed curriculum plan for the Non-Thesis Option, outlining the sequence of courses. The curriculum plan assumes a 4-6 semester completion schedule for full-time students and a completion schedule of 6-8 semesters for part-time students.

Non-Thesis Option Curriculum Plan

Fall Y1	Credits	Spring Y1	Credits	Total
Psychology & Law	3	Law & Social Science	3
Intermediate Statistics I	3	Intermediate Statistics II	3
Research Methods I	3	Research Methods II	3
	9		9	18
Summer Y1
Core or Electives	9			9
Fall Y2		Spring Y2
Offending & Corrections	3	Aggression & Violence	3
Psychology of Criminal Behavior	3	Ethics	3
Assessment & Treatment of Offenders	3	Comprehensive Exam	3
	9		9	18
Summer Y2 (as needed)
				45

Students opting for the non-thesis plan should also complete their program concentration requirements over a period of not more than two years and should adhere to the following schedule:

Complete at least 15 credits of coursework by the beginning of the third semester in the M.A. program and sign up for the remaining 18 credit hours of coursework during the third and fourth semesters in the program.
Schedule to take comprehensive exams at the end of the fourth semester in the program by signing up for 1 credit of comps during this fourth and final semester.
Students opting for the non-thesis plan must arrange to take the M.A. comprehensive examinations two months before their anticipated graduation date.

Graduate Certificate in Interdisciplinary Intelligence Studies Curriculum

Course Descriptions

Core Requirements (36 credits)	Credits	Brief Course Description
Intermediate Counterintelligence and Counterterrorism	3	Situationally contextualized information related to issues of counterintelligence and counterterrorism, with an in-depth focus on critical thinking and effective communication related to analyzing, preparing, and disseminating intelligence in an operational setting.
Intermediate Cyber-Security and Cyber-Politics	3	Contemporary issues in cybersecurity with an in-depth focus on critical thinking and effective communication related to addressed in terms of the political, ethical, and legal standards in the virtual community of cyberspace.
Intermediate Intelligence and National Security	3	US Security agencies and intelligence agencies shape national security policy.
Intermediate Persuasion and Radicalization	3	This course explores from a psychological and sociological perspective how individual actors become “radicalized.”
Intermediate Terrorism and Insurgency	3	This course examines the concepts of "terrorists" and "terrorism" in the context of contemporary events, and techniques of counterterrorism which can be used by national and global governments to combat non-state actors, with an in-depth focus on critical thinking and effective communication.
Intermediate Behavioral Profiling	3	This course will examine the methods and ethics of behavioral profiling with an in-depth focus on critical thinking and communication related to individual and group characteristics.
Special Topics in Interdisciplinary Intelligence Studies	3	This course will be designed to accommodate course offerings on new or emerging topic areas.

Comprehensive Examination Requirements

The M.A. comprehensive examinations will consist of several components:

Theory: Substantive and practical papers applying concepts from PSY 551 and PSY 552.
Methods: Substantive and practical papers applying concepts from PSY 505 and PSY 506.
Statistics: Substantive and practical papers applying concepts from PSY 503 and PSY 504.
Ethics: Substantive paper applying concepts from PSY 671/681 (Diversity and Law).
A comprehensive learning portfolio encompassing an evaluation of progress and the value-added aspects of the student’s training and education.

All components will encompass a wide range of topics and issues. Students must complete all components to earn a passing final grade on the comprehensive exam. Exams will be graded according to the following scale: High Pass/Pass/Fail. Students who do not complete a particular component may schedule to retake that component one more time. Students who fail to complete all components with a passing grade will be required to retake the entire exam.

All exams will be administered by the Program Coordinator, graded by the faculty member(s) submitting the question(s), and reviewed by the Program Coordinator and faculty member together for a decision about the final grade.