4+1 Program

Psychological Sciences 4+1 BA/MA Program

Program Overview

This five-year B.A.+M.A. program draws on two existing degree programs:  the B.A. in Psychology and the M.A. in Psychology (Psychological Science track).  A 4+1 program will provide an efficient path for highly qualified undergraduate students to complete both a B.A. and an M.A. degree in five academic years instead of the six normally required while completing the same number of graduate courses.  The program allows for 12 credits of graduate coursework to be applied toward both the B.A. and M.A. degrees. 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 Requirements

The following are the minimum requirements for undergraduate students to be admitted to the 5-year B.A.+M.A. in Psychological Science program:

• Ordinarily, the applicant will have completed 90 credits prior to admission in the program (which includes having completed the following courses: PSY 217, PSY 317, and PSY 312 or their equivalent)¹
• Declared psychology major at CSU (PSY, PSYLR or PSYLK); and
• 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.

A student who is applying must submit the following materials during the spring semester of their third undergraduate year (by Feburary 10; review of applications will begin as early as Febuary 11; applications will be accepted until all program spots are filled or until April 30, whichever occurs first). These materials can be submitted--via email--directly to the program director (letters of recommendation can be directly submitted to the program director via email from the recommenders).

• Personal statement detailing qualifications for the program and identifying one or more potential research/thesis supervisors;
• Two letters of recommendation from individuals familiar with his or her academic abilities;
• Undergraduate transcript(s)²

¹Ordinarily, a student should apply having earned at least 75 credits; ordinarily, admission will be contingent on a student having earned at least 90 credits prior to the start of the fourth undergraduate year.

²An applicant who has completed all undergraduate work at CSU need not submit transcripts formally.

Degree Completion Requirements

For a student in the 4+1 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 12 credits of graduate courses may count toward both the B.A. degree and the M.A. degree. Of these, two courses are required:

PSY 511 - Univariate Statistics and Experimental Methodology and

PSY 597 - Advanced Data Analysis with Computer Applications.³

The M.A. degree is awarded after the student has completed at least 24 additional graduate-level credits and has completed all of the requirements of the M.A. program in Psychological Science.⁴

During the fourth undergraduate year, following admission to the 4+1 program, a student, in addition to completing PSY 511 and PSY 597, must complete a third graduate-level psychology course, plus at least one 1-credit section of PSY 509. The graduate-level course may topically duplicate an undergraduate course taken to satisfy a core requirement if the graduate-level course is to be counted as an elective toward the undergraduate degree. A student must earn a grade of B or better in each graduate-level course in order to be admitted to the M.A. Program and the Graduate College.