The Master of Arts in Political Psychology at Stony Brook University
Do you want to learn how politics is connected to psychology?
Come to our innovative MA program that specializes in political psychology!
Housed in the Department of Political Science, our program allows you to earn a valuable master’s degree from one of the most respected public universities in the nation in only one calendar year (30 credit hours).
You’ll learn:
- What drives political polarization.
- How moral values shape politics.
- Why liberals and conservatives hold different political opinions.
- How to design research and how to use statistics to analyze data.
What makes us special?
The Department of Political Science at Stony Brook is known for our internationally recognized faculty who specialize in political psychology. Our MA in Political Psychology builds on this excellence.
In our MA program, you will train closely with researchers devoted to politics and psychology. Your professors have a mix of doctoral degrees, some from political science and some from psychology. They have published research articles in the top journals of political science and psychology. They have written books and edited handbooks on political psychology. And they give talks throughout the world on these topics. Among them are Professor Leonie Huddy, a past president of the International Society for Political Psychology, Professor Gallya Lahav, who was recently a visiting researcher at the Immigration Policy Lab at Stanford University, and Associate Professor Andrew Delton, our MA program director and currently the Editor for papers on political psychology at a major psychology journal.
Who is our program for?
Our program is for anyone who is intellectually curious about politics and psychology and who wants to expand their research skills.
Alumni from our program usually pursue one of two tracks after graduation.
- Working at political campaigns, government agencies, media outlets, polling firms, non-profits, and similar organizations. Many of these jobs require understanding data collection and analysis. The combination of content classes and methods training we provide will serve you well for these. Our program equips you to go out and make a difference.
- Going on to get a PhD. Our MA helps students prepare for doctoral programs in political science, psychology,
and related fields. Students from our MA have gone on to PhD programs at Columbia
University, the University of Maryland, the University of Pittsburgh, Florida State
University, as well as our own PhD program here at Stony Brook.
What are the benefits of our program?
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- Our program is in-person, enabling close collaboration between students and faculty mentors.
- You will learn about theories at the crossroads of psychology and political science and how these can help us understand politics and public opinion.
- Most courses are taught by our full-time research faculty – see our faculty and courses here!
- Our class sizes are small, allowing you to get to know your professors.
- We offer a diverse line-up of classes, including courses on emotions and politics, moral politics, public opinion, and the intersection of politics with behavioral economics.
- You will be trained in state-of-the-art statistics programs and research methods.
How long does the program take?
Our full-time program takes only ONE calendar year.
We want to get you onto the next phase of your life as quickly as possible. Thus, we keep the program brief but rigorous.
The program is full-time and in-person during the academic fall and spring semesters and involves a capstone project during the summer.
For students planning to go on to doctoral studies, we recommend doing a master’s thesis as the capstone. For all other students, we recommend doing an internship as the capstone.
On our program page, you can find more information about our faculty and classes, and see an example of the curriculum.
What does the program cost?
Tuition and fees at Stony Brook, set by the State University of New York, are considerably below those of comparable programs on Long Island and throughout the greater New York metropolitan area. Please visit the Student Financial Services pagefor a current listing of tuition and fees.
To apply for need-based aid, including student loans, students should complete and submit the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). Financial aid may be available for those who qualify.