Master of Arts in General Psychology

The master of arts in general psychology (MAGP) is a broad based, research-oriented program intended to equip students with the critical skills and knowledge necessary for educational and occupational advancement in the field of psychology. The program consists of course work designed around a core curriculum of statistics, research design, substantive areas of psychology and a research based thesis. Depending upon the particular sequence of courses and research experiences selected, students completing the program are qualified to:
(1) go on to further graduate work at universities offering a Ph.D. in psychology;
(2) find employment in jobs requiring masters level expertise in applied psychology; and/or
(3) work as human factors and evaluation research specialists in government, community agencies and industry.

Program:
The MAGP program consists of 39 credit hours of course work, including a minimum of three hours of supervised research and six thesis hours. Most students complete the program in two academic years.

Admission:
Applications for admission in the Fall of the upcoming academic year are considered between March 1 and June 1. The student’s completed application folder must be available to the Director of the MAGP program on or before June 1 and include all of the following: transcripts, resume or vita, Graduate Record Exam (GRE) scores, and letters of recommendation. All application materials should be sent directly to the UNF Graduate School , NOT to the Psychology Department.
In addition to the basic university requirements for graduate admission, the following specific requirements are necessary for admission consideration to the MAGP program:
1. The student must have a bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution and have earned a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher for the last 60 semester hours of course work.

2. The student must have completed at least 12 semester hours in psychology from an approved institution, including one course each in (a) statistics or research methods and (b) experimental psychology (typically a 4 hour lab course), and two courses from the following list: personality, psychobiology, lifespan development, social, or cognition. The student must have maintained a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher across these courses. Acceptable equivalents will be considered if requested in writing by the applicant. Course requirements may be satisfied by earning a satisfactory score on the appropriate College Level Exam Program (CLEP) test or on the appropriate advanced placement program test.

3. Scores on the verbal and quantitative components of the GRE must be submitted as part of the application procedure. Normally, the student will have earned minimum scores of either 450 on the verbal or 550 on the quantitative component. Additionally, the verbal score may not fall below 400 or the quantitative score below 500. The specialty component is not required.

4. A resume (vita) no more than two pages in length should be provided that includes the following information:
(a) reasons for seeking admission to the MAGP program,
(b) professional and career objectives,
(c) publications/ presentations/posters (referenced appropriately), and
(d) any additional research, work, or volunteer experiences related to psychology and/or the student’s career goals.

5. Two letters of recommendation must be submitted from faculty and/or employers who can speak to the suitability of the applicant for graduate study and the profession of psychology. These letters should typed on letterhead paper, if possible.

6. Although not required, the student may request a personal interview – either by phone or in person – prior to final admission. Students who are not selected for admission to the program may request a review of their qualifications from the Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences. Requests for review must be made in writing, contain additional information beyond that already submitted, and be made prior to the beginning of the term for which the student is applying.

Interested students should begin the application process by contacting the UNF Graduate School at 904 620-1360 and requesting that an information package on the MAGP program be sent to them. Any follow-up questions can be directed to the Psychology office at (904)620-2807 or to the program coordinator at rrussac@unf.edu.

Typical course of study:

Residence Requirements:
A minimum of twenty-four (24) hours must be taken in residence. All credit applicable to the degree taken at the university is considered resident study. Any student having once been admitted to the program and then wishing to take credit elsewhere to be applied to the degree program at UNF must have prior written approval from the Program Coordinator. Students may apply no more than nine (9) semester hours from other institutions and up to ten (10) semester hours of post-bac credit toward their MAGP degree.

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