Master of Science in Psychology - Social and Cultural Psychology

Our program uses an apprenticeship model for graduate training and aims to train skilled and independent researchers who will make significant contributions to the discipline of psychology. Our program encourages early, significant, and sustained involvement in research through apprenticeship-style training, mentored by a group of vigorous world-class faculty members. Our graduate alumni have successful positions in universities and colleges, branches of government, and industry.The Department of Psychology at the University of Alberta is committed to an equitable, diverse, and inclusive environment. We welcome applications from all qualified persons. We encourage women; First Nations, Métis, and Inuit persons; members of visible minority groups; persons with disabilities; persons of any sexual orientation or gender identity and expression; and all those who may contribute to the further diversification of our Psychology program.The Self in Culture - psychologists are increasingly concerned with how human conduct is embodied in social and cultural patterns. The sociocultural context is evident in the historical and ethnic sources of a person's identity, the conversations that frame self-perception, the situations that foster psychological defense, and the imaginative experiences (e.g., art, dreams) that alter one's sense of self.Methodological Diversity - within sociocultural psychology, the phenomenon of interest rather than general epistemic imperatives-guides methodological choices. Research involves a diverse array of methods, including social psychological experimentation, surveys and interviews, discourse and conversation analysis, and phenomenological and hermeneutic studies.History & Theory - psychologists' conceptions of human conduct reflect the historical contexts from which they emerge. So, an appreciation of contemporary approaches to research in sociocultural psychology requires consideration of its theoretical, philosophical, and historical bases.