All successful businesses and organizations need two things: loyal employees and loyal customers. The USC online Master of Science in Applied Psychology’s unique blend of consumer and organizational psychology gives you a professional edge to solve problems in contemporary organizations.
The program curriculum is at the intersection of psychology theory, research and practice in organizational settings. The USC online MS in Applied Psychology (MAPP) curriculum blends both Organizational Psychology and Consumer Psychology, both of which are central to the crucial missions of managing a workforce and marketing services in the global marketplace.
The diversity in our program assures you will be challenged by your peers as well as by your instructors. The faculty of active practitioners are senior-level executives in their area of expertise who understand the science and practice of applied psychology.
Additionally, students in the program have come from many areas of the United States and diverse industries. In small classes, you will be working in groups, discussing your ideas and conducting professional-level projects. The program is project-based and real-world focused so you can immediately transfer what you learn in the online classroom to challenging workplace scenarios.
Earn your online Master of Science in Applied Psychology. Request information today.
MAPP Career Options
The online Master of Science in Applied Psychology program is designed to propel students into applied fields where they can combine psychology and business interests.
Students typically enter fields of consumer insights, market research, talent acquisition and development, people operations, human resources, diversity and inclusion, organizational development and training, user experience (UX) research, customer experience (CX) research, advertising and more, pursuing their interests in a wide variety of industries and organizations.
These are some examples of the roles that MAPP graduates have pursued:
- Research analyst (consumer or employee insights)
- User experience (UX) researcher
- Organization development consultant
- People operations manager
- Project manager
- Social media manager
- Director of culture
- Advancement and development director
- Talent development manager
- Consumer insights consultant
- Diversity and inclusion director
- People analytics researcher
Experiential Learning Requirement
MAPP students are required to complete an internship/professional development opportunity over the course of one semester in a role suited to the student’s professional aspirations. The internship experience and concurrent course enable students to apply concepts studied in prior MAPP coursework.
Internships may be in any industry and must differ from current job duties. During the internship opportunity, students will learn real-world skills through on-the-job training and mentoring in their chosen area of interest (e.g. market research, marketing, recruiting, human resources, social media, organizational consulting, advertising, etc.).
In course meetings, students will evaluate, reflect and extend their internship learning through journals, presentations and structured experiences. To fulfill the internship requirement for this program, students must log 240 hours of work time.