Combined B.A. in Psychology/M.A. in Counseling (All Specializations)
Highly qualified current undergraduate psychology majors at Caldwell University may take advantage of the opportunity to pursue their M.A. in Counseling in an accelerated manner through the combined degree program. The structured B.A./M.A. program combines the existing undergraduate B.A. in Psychology with the graduate M.A. in Counseling. It is designed to facilitate the ongoing academic accomplishments of students who have established a record of excellence at the undergraduate level. This program is available for all three counseling tracks: Clinical Mental Health Counseling Specialization, School Counseling Specialization, and Art Therapy Specialization.
Acceptance into the program will allow up to 12 counseling credits to be “double-counted.” That is, credits will count towards both the B.A. in Psychology and later, the M.A. in Counseling. The student pays undergraduate tuition for graduate courses taken prior to completing the bachelor’s degree, which is awarded upon completion of the bachelor’s requirements. The credits to be double-counted will be designated as “applicable to the graduate degree” only after the student receives the bachelor’s degree and matriculates into the M.A. in Counseling program. That designation will be canceled if the student withdraws from graduate study before completing the master’s program. In that case, Caldwell University will only count the credits towards the student’s undergraduate degree.
Admissions Requirements
Applicants must have completed at least 60 undergraduate credits before they may be admitted into the combined program. Students may apply in the semester prior to the semester during which they intend to begin the program. Undergraduate psychology majors and art/psychology double-majors with an art therapy concentration must have taken at least three of the master’s program undergraduate prerequisite courses in psychology prior to being accepted into the combined program. Required undergraduate psychology courses, some of which are prerequisites to entering the master’s programs, may not be substituted.
For those undergraduate students with a psychology major who wish to pursue the Clinical Mental Health Counseling Specialization, completed courses should include PS 208 Psychological Statistics, PS 402 Experimental Psychology, and PS 309 Psychopathology, as well as two courses from the following: PS 150/207 General Psychology, PS 232 Psychology of Personality and a course in human development. Students who wish to pursue the School Counseling Specialization should have completed PS 208 Psychological Statistics and PS 402 Experimental Psychology, and one of the following: child/adolescent development or another course in human development (or their equivalents, if the student has transferred to Caldwell University).
Students in the double major in psychology and art who wish to pursue the art therapy specialization should have completed PS 150/207 General Psychology, PS 208 Psychological Statistics, PS 232 Psychology of Personality and either PS 309 Psychopathology OR a course in human development (PS 211, PS 216) as well as AR 111 Drawing, AR 113 2D Design and AR 118 3D Design (or their equivalent if the student has transferred to Caldwell University).
Applicants must have a grade point average of at least 3.3 and must maintain that GPA throughout the bachelor’s part of the program. Grades below B in required graduate-level courses will necessitate that the student retake that course. If a grade below a B is earned in an elective graduate-level course, the student may either re-take the course or take another graduate-level course in substitution. Students are permitted to take one graduate course per semester while still an undergraduate. Under special circumstances, a student may be permitted to take two graduate courses, but only with the approval of the Graduate Program Coordinator, Department Chair, and Director of Graduate Studies.
Applicants must submit two letters of recommendation from undergraduate psychology and/or art faculty (forms are provided with the application). Students must submit a graduate application form and submit as a writing sample a graded paper, preferably from an art or psychology course, written according to APA format.
Program Requirements
Undergraduate courses may be substituted with graduate courses as follow s:
Substitutions for all Combined B.A. in Psychology/ M.A. in Counseling tracks:
Students may fulfill program requirements or elective requirements with advisement from the list below. Note that the undergraduate courses which are prerequisites to the graduate program may not be substituted:
| Waive or In Place of (Undergraduate) | Substitute (Graduate) |
| PS 304 Biopsychology | CPS 535 Biopsychology(Not for School Counseling) |
| PS 318 Cross-Cultural Counseling | CPS 653 Multicultural Counseling |
| PS 330 Psychology of Addiction | CPS 637 Substance Abuse Counseling |
| PS 410 Special Topics | CPS 699 Seminar in Special Topics OR |
| CPS 621 Crisis Interventions in Counseling |
Additional substitutions for Combined B.A. in Psychology/M.A. in Counseling with the Clinical Mental Health Counseling Specialization track:
| Waive or In Place of (Undergraduate) | Substitute (Graduate) |
| PS 201 Human Growth & Development | CPS 667 Lifespan Development |
| PS 319 Psychological Testing | CPS 578 Assessment Methods in Counseling |
Additional substitutions for Combined B.A. in psychology/M.A. in Counseling with the Art Therapy Specialization track:
| Waive or In Place of (Undergraduate) | Substitute (Graduate) |
| PS 201 Human Growth & Development | CPS 667 Lifespan Development |
| PS 310 Career Counseling | CPS 633 Career Counseling |
| PS 319 Psychological Testing | CPS 578 Assessment Methods in Counseling |
| AT 310 Art Therapy Methods | CAT 507 Art Therapy Methods in Counseling |
| AT 320 Art Therapy in Practice | CAT 501 History & Development of Art Therapy |
Note: Students in this program may also take one additional CAT Graduate course as an elective with advisement
Additional substitutions for Combined B.A. in psychology/M.A. in Counseling with the School Counseling Specialization track:
| Waive or In Place of (Undergraduate) | Substitute (Graduate) |
| PS 310 Career Counseling | CPS 505 College and Career Counseling for School Counselors |
| PS 313 Counseling Psychology | CPS 500 Introduction to School Counseling |
| PS 201 Human Growth and Development | CPS 667 Lifespan Development |