The master of science degree in prevention science provides a broad array of opportunities for students to develop enduring collaborations with research centers and faculty members in the College of Education toward the goal of learning scientific skills that serve our diverse communities.

This is a two-year, 65 credit master’s degree program primarily intended for students who have:

• completed a bachelor’s degree in a related discipline or have human development, psychology, education, biology, human physiology, nutrition or prevention science experience
• are interested in advanced statistics/methodology and research training beyond what is offered in the one-year MEd program.

Students applying to the MS will likely have more clearly defined academic goals and seek more in-depth scientific and methodological training in prevention science and program evaluation than students interested in the one-year MEd.

The two-year MS program also provides greater opportunities for students to develop long-term collaborations in research centers and with faculty members both within and outside the program, but does not require the commitment involved in completing the PhD.

PrevSci MS Handbook

Graduation Requirements — Total Credits: 65

Research Requirements

All students in the program are expected to demonstrate research competence through

• active participation in research projects
• communication of theory and empirical findings through professional presentations and publications
• completion of a minimum of 12 credits of PREV 601 (Research) 
• completion of 9 credits of PREV 607 (Seminar)

All students must complete a formal, empirical, publishable research paper as their final Master’s Project.

Master’s Project

The MS ends with a final project that is designed to provide an in-depth experience for students as they write a research paper on a topic of their choice.

Students work with their advisor to identify a project by the end of their first year in the program.

The project should include the analysis of data, and may range from a program evaluation to an empirical research project.

A student who has extensive experience with data collection/analysis/empirical research may write a critical scholarly literature review that is of publishable quality.

This project is expected to be:

• publishable quality, as evaluated by your advisor, and may be supervised by your advisor or another faculty member
• completed and approved by the advisor by the first week of the term of anticipated graduation (e.g., the first week of spring quarter for a spring graduation). Students will plan their timeline and completion of the project with their advisor.
• written in APA format

Prevention Science MS Degree Plan

First Year

Fall Term - 12 Credits Minimum + Additional Research

Winter Term - 11 Credits Minimum + Additional Research

• Individualized program plan completed and turned in to your advisor by the end of winter term. 

^{*One of the four electives taken must be a Research Methods Course of your choice to attain 15 total Research Methods credits.}

Spring Term - 8 Minimum Credits + Additional Research

• Complete Capstone Project spring term.

Second Year

• Complete master's research paper.

Fall Term - 7 Credits Minimum + Additional Research

^{*One of the four electives taken must be a Research Methods Course of your choice to attain 15 total Research Methods credits.}

Winter Term - 7 Credits Minimum + Additional Research

Spring Term - 8 Credits Minimum + Additional Research

^{*One of the four electives taken must be a Research Methods Course of your choice to attain 15 total Research Methods credits.}

Possible Electives

Students are required to take a minimum of 9 credits of electives in area of their choice related to prevention science (PREV).

Some elective options are listed in the program plan, however, additional electives are possible given a particular student’s interests (for example, seeking to pursue research positions, a subsequent PhD program in a specific field, or become a program evaluator).

The PhD program in prevention science at the UO and the PhD program in Public Health at Oregon State both have specific course requirements for admittance that can be fulfilled via the elective options while completing this MS in prevention science at UO.