
Psychology, Anthropology and Sociology (PAS) Building on Waterloo's South Campus, across from Laurel Creek.
Deepen your understanding of children’s cognitive and communicative development with the Master of Applied Science in Psychology (Developmental and Communication Science) program.
This program is designed to provide intensive and applied research experience for serious students who have already built a strong background in developmental psychology or a related field but are either unsure about or not seeking to pursue further research at the PhD level*.
Completed over one-year on a full-time basis, you can choose between the coursework or the master’s research paper study option, with additional options to complete a community practicum or a research lab internship to gain hands-on experience.
This degree will help give you a stronger foundation in early childhood education, teaching, speech-language pathology or any career where a more intensive background of the methodologies are required, like social work, policy work, journalism and marketing.
*If you’re interested in pursuing an MA or PhD, please apply directly to the MA or PhD program.
Program overview
Department/School: Psychology
Faculty: Faculty of Arts
Admit term(s): Fall (September - December)
Delivery mode: On-campus
Program type: Internship, Master's, Research
Length of program: 12 months
Registration option(s): Full-time
Study option(s): Coursework, Master's Research Paper
Application deadlines
- December 1 (for admission in September of the following year)
Note: all relevant documents pertaining to your application must be uploaded by December 1. See the Department of Psychology - Application procedures page for detailed information.
Key contacts
Emily Jäkel
gradpsyc@uwaterloo.ca
Admission limitations
Due to funding restrictions, the Faculty of Arts is currently limiting the number of international students we can admit. Please contact the department's Associate Chair, Graduate Studies prior to applying to discuss your interest in this program.

The cognition of bilinguals is relatively unknown. There is a lot to be learned from studying various aspects of speech and language.
Supervisors
- Review finding a supervisor resources.
Admission requirements
- Applications for admission are open to individuals who will have completed an honours bachelor's degree in Psychology or related, approved equivalent (e.g., Linguistics, Computer Science) by the time of entrance to the program.
- A 80% overall standing in the last two years, or equivalent, in a four-year honours bachelor's degree or equivalent.
- Applicants whose ultimate goal is a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) should apply directly to the PhD program.
- Students accepted to the MASc in Psychology - Developmental and Communication Science program cannot automatically transfer to the PhD program in any of the divisions of the Psychology Department; they must reapply on the same basis as other PhD applicants and in competition with each other. Graduate Record Examination results are required when applying to the PhD program.
Degree requirements
- Review the degree requirements on the Graduate Studies Academic Calendar, including the courses that you can anticipate taking as part of completing the degree.
- Check out Waterloo's institutional thesis repository - UWspace to see recent submissions from the Department of Psychology graduate students.
Application materials
- Personal statement (Letter)
- A statement of maximum 2,000 words describing your goals for graduate study and a professional career, relevant research experience, academic work in your area of specialization, and other relevant educational and life experiences, uploaded as a supporting document in the online application. Review the details on the Department of Psychology page.
- Program-specific questions (PSQ)
- These are questions specific to the program you’re applying to. They can be viewed once you’ve started an application and are completed through a form in the online application.
- Transcript(s)
- References
- Three academic references are required.
- Proof of English language proficiency, if applicable
- TOEFL 90 (writing 25, speaking 25), IELTS 7.0 (writing 6.5, speaking 6.5).
Tuition and fees
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Visit the graduate program tuition page on the Finance website to determine the tuition and incidental fees per term for your program.
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Review living costs and housing.
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Review the funding graduate school resources for graduate students.