Combined B.A. in Psychology/ M.A. in Counseling (Available in All Specializations)
Highly qualified 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.S./M.A. program combines the existing B.S. in Psychology or the double major B.A. in Psychology and Art (Art Therapy Concentration) with the M.A. in Counseling. It is designed for students who have established a record of excellence at the undergraduate level. This program is available for all three counseling specializations: Clinical Mental Health Counseling Specialization, School Counseling Specialization, and Clinical Mental Health Counseling Art Therapy Specialization. Acceptance into the program will allow up to 12 graduate credits to be “double-counted.” That is, credits will count towards both the B.S. in Psychology or the double major in Psychology and Art (Art Therapy Concentration) and later, the M.A. in Counseling. The student pays undergraduate tuition for graduate courses taken prior to completing the bachelor’s degree. The credits will be double-counted and designated as “applicable to the graduate degree” only after the student receives the bachelor’s degree, matriculates into and completes 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 which case, Caldwell University will only count the credits towards the student’s undergraduate degree.
ADMISSION REQUIREMENTS
- 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 B is earned in an elective graduate-level course, the student may either retake the course or take another graduate-level course in substitution. Students are permitted to take only one graduate course per semester while still an undergraduate. Under special circumstances, a student my be permitted to take two graduate courses, but only with the approval of the Graduate Program Coordinator.
- Applicants must have completed at least 60 undergraduate credits before they may be admitted to the B.S./M.A. program
- Two letters of recommendation from undergraduate faculty in psychology and/or art (forms provided)
- Submission of an APA style paper
- Personal or group interview with program coordinator
- Completed graduate application form
- Students may apply in the semester prior to the one during which they intend to begin the program
- Required courses in the undergraduate psychology major, some of which are prerequisites to entering the master’s programs, may not be substituted