Psychological Sciences Accelerated Master's Pathways BA/MA Program

Program Overview

This B.A.+M.A. program draws on two existing degree programs: the B.A. in Psychology and the M.A. in Psychology (Psychological Sciences track). The accelerated program provides an efficient path for highly qualified undergraduate students to complete both a B.A. and an M.A. degree while completing the same number of graduate courses.

Up to 9 credit hours of 500-level graduate coursework earned for the undergraduate degree with grades of A, A-, B+, or B may also be applied to the graduate degree, provided the student satisfies the required cumulative GPA for admission to the graduate program upon completion of the undergraduate degree. This is consistent with the university-wide Accelerated Master’s Pathways policy.

A main goal of the program is to provide graduates with solid preparation for employment or for a Ph.D. program in psychology or a related discipline. This program may be particularly suitable for psychology majors in the University Honors and Scholars programs.

Admission to the Program

The following are the minimum requirements for undergraduate students to be admitted to the B.A.+M.A. in Psychological Science program:

• Ordinarily, the applicant will have completed 60 credit hours prior to admission to the program, including PSY 217, PSY 317, and PSY 312, or their equivalents.
• The applicant must be a declared psychology major at CSU (PSY, PSYLR, or PSYLK).
• The applicant must have a cumulative grade point average of at least 3.0.
• Prior to applying, an interested applicant must consult with the Director of the Psychological Science Program or a faculty member who is actively associated with the Psychological Science Program.
• Program-specific application materials include a personal statement detailing qualifications for the program and identifying one or more potential research/thesis supervisors, as well as two letters of recommendation from individuals familiar with the applicant’s academic abilities. 

Apply to the Accelerated Master’s Pathway

Students should use Cleveland State University’s Accelerated Master’s Pathways website for the current application, deadlines, eligibility information, and application procedures. The Graduate Studies page currently lists junior eligibility as at least 60 completed undergraduate credits and a minimum 3.0 cumulative GPA, subject to any additional program-specific requirements.

Accelerated Master’s Pathways – Graduate Studies

Program Requirements

For a student in the accelerated program, the B.A. is awarded after completion of at least 120 credit hours and all General Education, University, College, and Major Field requirements.

Up to 9 credits of graduate courses may count toward both the B.A. degree and the M.A. degree. Those 9 credits are fulfilled through the following required coursework: PSY 511 - Univariate Statistics and Experimental Methodology; PSY 597 - Advanced Data Analysis with Computer Applications; and one credit of PSY 509 - Proseminar in Psychological Science.

The M.A. degree is awarded after the student has completed at least 27 additional graduate-level credits and has completed all requirements of the M.A. program in Psychological Science. A total of 36 graduate-level credits are required for the M.A. degree. 

During the fourth undergraduate year, following admission to the accelerated program, students complete PSY 511, PSY 597, a third graduate-level psychology course, and two 1-credit sections of PSY 509. Students must earn a grade of B or better in each graduate-level course to be admitted to the M.A. Program and the Graduate College. 

PSY 597 is cross-listed with and identical to PSY 611. PSY 509 is a 1-credit course taken each semester of both the undergraduate and graduate year.