The University of Oregon will launch its first online psychology master’s degree in winter term. The exclusively online program will reduce barriers preventing students from pursuing a quality graduate education and form a bridge between ongoing academic research and professionals working on the frontlines of their communities.
Due to the coronavirus pandemic, many UO students are familiar with the nature of remote courses. However, Anne Mannering, the program’s director and lecturer, said the online master’s program will be unique.
“It’s the very first program that UO is doing completely online from scratch,” Mannering said. “I think one of the goals of UO Online is to really expand these opportunities.”
The master’s degree includes a combination of courses focused on topics like the neuroscience of trauma, according to the program website. Students will also have the opportunity to connect with faculty mentors and researchers.
“Our program includes a carefully considered curriculum that was all designed to be online from the very beginning,” Elliot Berkman, an associate psychology professor and associate managing director of the Center of Translational Neuroscience, said. “I think what we’re finding in our program is that when you’re given the chance to really do this from the beginning, there’s actually a lot of advantages.”
Because the program is completely online, it will allow working professionals to access a graduate education without uprooting their lives, Mannering said. The program will also be asynchronous, adding more flexibility for students, Mannering said.
“The best kind of education is when you approximate the real work that you’re going to be doing,” Berkman said. “And being able to have folks implement what we’re trying to train them to do in a real context is really valuable.”
The program runs for six terms. During that time, students will complete a capstone research project. Mannering said students will be able to tailor their research to the work they are already doing in their communities.
“One of the strengths of this program is that you’re going to apply what you’re learning immediately,” Mannering said. “It gives them a more real world connection between the research process and the practice that they’re doing,” she said of students.
While the master’s degree is expected to launch amid a global pandemic, Berkman said the online program will always be timely.
“It’s about meeting the needs of people that are underrepresented, that are often in racial or ethnic minority groups or are living below the poverty line,” he said. “There are always people that deserve more attention and don’t get it, and that’s only been exacerbated by the pandemic.”
Through the online program, Berkman hopes students will walk away with the skills and knowledge to better serve communities in need.
“The people who do serve those communities are always overworked, under-resourced or they are from those communities themselves,” he said. “And so this is a great program where we can try and give them some of the tools.”
