MSP Expectations and Tips for Success

While there are many similarities across all levels of higher education, students in graduate programs should expect to be held to a higher standard than they were in their undergraduate programs. To help you prepare for this transition and better understand what is expected at MSP, your faculty and staff have put together a list of tips and tricks to help you know what to expect and how to prepare to be a student at MSP.

Approach to Graduate Level Education

• MSP has a developmental approach to education. The goal of the master’s and doctoral programs is that you will develop as you move through the degree. Get excited for all the things you’ll learn about yourself, others, and psychology! 
  • The master’s program at MSP is an experiential program to reinforce new and continuing psychological concepts. 
• Part of being a graduate student is bringing your own ideas and thoughts into the classroom and your assignments. There will be less regurgitating facts and more of ‘what do you think about this?’ activities and assignments.
  • We want you to form your own opinions and conclusions about source material, not just understand or regurgitate the opinions of others.
• Active participation (asking questions, sharing observations or experiences) in class is one of the best ways to learn. Graduate-level education is often an interaction with other students and the professor. 
  • The strongest students work to be open and participatory in classroom activities and discussions when possible.
• You get out of graduate school what you put into it! An MA or PsyD degree is certainly an important credential, but these programs also provide essential training in how to encounter differences with sensitivity, listen thoughtfully, build relationships, and problem-solve empathically. Try not to get so hung up on assignments and grades that you fail to prioritize these foundational skills. 

Professional Expectations

Many aspects of the graduate school experience mimic that of the professional world. After graduation, the hope is you will be a mental health professional of some kind. Part of the training you will receive at MSP is how to be a professional in the field.

• This includes expectations of being on time (to show you’ll be on time with clients), professional use of email (to show you’ll be professional as you network with other psychologists in the future), and personal behavior (to show how you will respond to clients).
  •  For example, in many classes, you will be expected to disengage from your personal devices (phone, laptop, etc.) during classes and presentations in the same way you will be expected to disengage from these devices during sessions with clients. 
• Different professors, just like different supervisors and bosses, have different expectations. Part of being a strong student is getting good at reading your syllabi, asking questions, and listening to your professor to understand what their expectations are.
  • For example, one professor may be very passionate about training you in APA style and may deduct a lot of points for APA errors, while another professor may be passionate about something else, so you won’t receive the same training and points deductions in their class.
    • Each professor is working to strengthen you in different ways to become a holistic student. It is helpful to embrace and appreciate these different classroom approaches. 
• Students are expected to prepare themselves for classes and meetings to the best of their ability. This means completing readings and tasks, as well as, taking time to think of questions that they might have and taking notes. 
• When you receive feedback on an assignment, the assumption is you will read the feedback and implement corrections or suggestions in future assignments. You may have more points taken off in future assignments if you don’t incorporate your instructor’s feedback. 
• While some professors (supervisors, bosses, etc) have a more casual approach to communication, best practice is to always use a formal greeting and ending in your professional emails. “Hey” is not a sufficient starter for a professional email. 
• Graduate school is very demanding, and time management is extremely important. Being on time for classes and meetings is critical.
  • This is especially stressed in the doctoral program as you prepare for the internship process and balance the demands of the dissertation process. 
• The Unwritten Rules of Professional Etiquette is a great resource for those who want more guidance.

Writing

•  Since this is a graduate program, the expectation is that you have post-bachelor’s writing skills. This means your spelling and grammar are strong (make sure to spell-check before submitting a paper!), your writing flows, and your thoughts are well articulated.
  • As you complete your first few assignments, we encourage you to check in with the MSP Academic Writing Tutor Andrew Kaleita ([email protected]) to review your work to see if you are writing at the level you need to be for a graduate degree.
  • Your professors are also a great resource and can give you writing tips. 
• At MSP, we use APA style for assignments. If you are not familiar with APA style, we recommend:
  1. Getting a copy of the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association 7th ed. (everyone should have one):
  2. Before your first paper is due, schedule an appointment with the MSP Academic Writing Tutor
  3. For tricky APA styling questions, you can also ask the library team ([email protected]) and your professors for help.
• Approach APA Style as a full-featured set of tools for communicating as a practitioner-scholar rather than just a random set of grammar rules.
  • Familiarize yourself with the APA Publication Manual 
    • Punctuation (pp. 154-161 in Chapter 6);
    • How and when to cite your source (Chapter 8);
    • Extensive guidance on scholarly writing (Chapter 4);
    • How to structure and format a paper (Chapter 2);
    • How to acknowledge identities in a sensitive way (Chapter 5).
• Keep a running document during your time in the program of APA formatting issues to double-check before submitting a paper. When you receive a paper back with comments or points off for APA style, add those errors to your list to check future assignments. This way, you won’t get points off in the future for mistakes you’ve already made
  • For example, if you never remember to add a page number in the footer, make a note to double-check that you’ve added one before submission.
• When writing papers at the graduate level, it is important that you read and cite original sources, not just secondary sources. Check in with the library if you are not familiar with the differences between the two.
• Scholarly papers as part of course assignments require appropriate use of in-text citations, not just a reference list. Please make sure you check specific assignment instructions carefully, and work with the library or the  Academic Writing Tutor if you are uncertain how to cite sources correctly in your papers.

Technical Skills

• While a background in psychology is not required for admission to MSP, it is expected that you will have some base-level knowledge from your prerequisite coursework. 
  •  The APA Dictionary of Psychology is a great resource when you come across terms you do not know.
  • Familiarize yourself with MSP’s Terms and Acronyms You Should Know
• Familiarize yourself with Microsoft applications as you begin to work on written assignments, particularly Word. If you plan on one day writing a dissertation, Google Docs is simply not up to the task of designing tables, formatting a reference list, and constructing a table of contents. PsyD students are required to submit their dissertation in Microsoft Word. Dive into using Word early in your program, so you have a sophisticated tool at the ready for your academic work. Students receive a free subscription to Microsoft Office 365, check with IT if you need more information on how to access it.