The combined Bachelor's + Master's degree program allows students to complete 12 graduate credit hours while still undergraduates. These 12 graduate credit hours will count toward both the undergraduate and graduate programs.
The department of psychology offers BA+MS in Community Psychology. Students interested in this program should meet with the MS in Community Psychology BA-MS program director, preferably during their second year. Applications for admission into the combined program are accepted during the junior year.
This program has been developed in response to needs expressed by community groups and organizations for assistance in addressing the needs of their most vulnerable members. The program prepares students to work at the master's level in the field of Community Psychology in a variety of community, government, and consulting work settings. Students will learn how a community-based social justice perspective recognizes inequalities and promotes the exercise of greater power (i.e., access to resources and decision-making) for communities that have been marginalized, and creates ties to advocacy work with oppressed populations. The program leads to an applied, terminal MS degree and is not designed as an intermediate step toward a doctoral degree. Students interested in pursuing a PhD should speak with their academic advisor about the best way to prepare for a doctoral program.
The combined program requires the completion of 48 courses (192 quarter hours). Included is a community fieldwork experience.
The undergraduate component of the program includes:
| Course | Title | Quarter Hours |
|---|---|---|
| All Liberal Studies or Honors Program Requirements - approximately 21 courses (84 hours) | ||
| Psychology Core courses 5 courses (20 hours) | ||
| PSY 105 | INTRODUCTORY PSYCHOLOGY I | 4 |
| PSY 106 | INTRODUCTORY PSYCHOLOGY II | 4 |
| PSY 240 | STATISTICS I | 4 |
| PSY 241 | RESEARCH METHODS I | 4 |
| PSY 242 | RESEARCH METHODS II | 4 |
| Community Psychology core courses - 4 courses (16 hours, PSY 359 taken twice) | ||
| PSY 354 | COMMUNITY PSYCHOLOGY | 4 |
| PSY 356 | PRINCIPLES OF FIELD RESEARCH AND ACTION | 4 |
| PSY 359 | FIELD WORK IN COMMUNITY RESEARCH AND ACTION | 4 |
| PSY 359 | FIELD WORK IN COMMUNITY RESEARCH AND ACTION | 4 |
| Major Level Psych Elective | 4 | |
| Quantitative Courses - 3 courses (12 hours) | ||
| PSY 410 | ADVANCED STATISTICS I | 4 |
| PSY 411 | ADVANCED STATISTICS II | 4 |
| PSY 421 | APPLIED RESEARCH DESIGN | 4 |
| Open electives to reach a total of 192 credits - approximately 14 courses (56 hours) | ||
Students should apply to the program during their junior year, by May 1st. Students should have a grade point average of 3.20 or higher. Admissions decisions will be made by the faculty administering the program.
The application process will require prospective students to submit the following information:
- Summary of Psychology Courses taken
- A list of community psychology-related volunteer or employment activities
- One letter of recommendation from a faculty member in the Psychology Department
- A brief description of future career plans
Admitted students will take the three graduate courses during their senior year. A maximum of three courses as 12 credit hours will count toward both the BA degree and the MS degree. No other others may count more than once.
Students will need to apply for degree conferral of the BA degree before fully matriculating into the MS degree. After completing the BA degree, an additional nine courses (36 credit hours) are required to complete the MS degree. The MS includes 48 credit hours (12 courses plus Field Work). A maximum of three courses from the BA will count toward the MS (PSY 410, PSY 411, PSY 420). The remaining courses for the graduate program are as follows:
| Course | Title | Quarter Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Select one class each from two of the seminars listed: | 8 | |
| Developmental Seminar | ||
| COGNITIVE DEVELOPMENT | ||
| EMOTIONAL DEVELOPMENT | ||
| SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT | ||
| Social Seminar | ||
| SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY OF THE SELF | ||
| SPECIAL SEMINAR IN PSYCHOLOGICAL SCIENCE | ||
| PREJUDICE AND INTERGROUP RELATIONS | ||
| SOCIAL COGNITION | ||
| Community Core - 5 courses (16 hours) | ||
| PSY 492 | PRINCIPLES OF CONSULTATION | 4 |
| PSY 493 | ADVANCED COMMUNITY PSYCHOLOGY | 4 |
| PSY 520 | PRINCIPLES OF HUMAN DIVERSITY | 4 |
| PSY 569 | SEMINAR IN PROGRAM EVALUATION | 4 |
| PSY 585 | FIELDWORK IN COMMUNITY SETTINGS | 0 |
| Graduate Psychology Electives - 3 courses | 12 | |