Offered by: College of Letters, Arts, and Social Sciences, Psychology and Sociology Department
The purpose of the Master of Science Program in Psychology is to provide students with coursework and the foundation in pre-degree supervised practice in marriage and family therapy (MFT). The program will prepare students for eventual MFT licensure. This, in turn, will prepare them for a variety of counseling jobs, from counselor positions in industrial programs to marriage and family therapy in clinic settings and private practice.
www.class.cpp.edu/bhs/
David T. Horner, Chair
Jeffery S. Mio, Director, Graduate Program
Admission to the Program
An applicant for admission to this program must hold a bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university and satisfy university and departmental requirements for graduate study. A minimum requirement for admission is a baccalaureate degree in psychology with at least 24 semester or 36 quarter units in upper division psychology. Students with a baccalaureate degree in other fields, but who have strong psychology backgrounds, will also be considered. Applicants should have successfully completed upper division undergraduate psychology courses such as statistics, experimental, history and systems, abnormal, personality, and psychological testing, and either an upper or lower division course in physiological psychology. Any deficiencies must be made up before the student receives unconditional graduate standing.
Applicants should have an undergraduate minimum grade point average of 3.0 (B) or better in both psychology courses and in their overall GPA. The minimum GPA cutoff may vary somewhat from year to year, depending on the applicant pool.
Applicants will also be required to submit three letters of recommendation, at least one being from a professor familiar with the applicant’s ability to perform academically at the graduate level, a biographical sketch (2-4 pages), and a statement of purpose. Finalists will be expected to come to campus for an interview with members of the department’s Graduate Admissions Committee. These sources of information will be used in evaluating each candidate with respect to character, emotional maturity, and general aptitude for the counseling profession.
Requirements
A minimum of 90 quarter units (two years) is required for the Master of Science degree in Psychology. Coursework will satisfy course requirements for California MFT licensure. Full-time attendance with admission in a fall quarter will allow a student to complete the program in two years. All courses designated as “First Year Courses” must be completed before practica can be started. Practica only begin in summer quarters and last the entire academic year.
A minimum GPA of 3.0 must be maintained in graduate studies. It is expected that courses will be passed with a minimum grade of 3.00 (B). Grades of less than B- will result in certain consequences: one grade of less than B- will result in automatic probationary status for the student; two grades of less than B- will result in students being subject to disqualification from the program.
Admission to the program does not admit a student to candidacy for the degree. Advancement to Candidacy is granted, upon the recommendation of the psychology faculty, when the student has completed all preparatory coursework prior to the comprehensive examination. In addition, the Graduation Writing Test (GWT) must be passed prior to Advancement to Candidacy. A total limit of 13 transfer and/or Extended University units petitioned for graduate credit may be included on a master’s contract if they are within the 7-year time limit.
The candidate must be enrolled in the university during the quarter of graduation.
