The accelerated path for the BS-MS program in Psychological Science is an opportunity for exceptional UNF undergraduate students in psychology to combine program requirements for their Bachelors and Master’s programs into a period of five (5) years, rather than six (6) or more years in a non-accelerated track.
The Master of Science degree earned from the accelerated program consists of a broad based, research-oriented program intended to equip students with the critical skills and knowledge necessary for continued occupational and educational advancement in the field of psychology. The accelerated path will allow students to work in the same research laboratory for 3-4 years, which will serve students in both skill development research products.
The program consists of course work designed around a core curriculum of statistics, research design, substantive areas of psychology and a research based thesis. Students completing the program are qualified to: go on to further graduate work at universities offering a PhD in Psychology and other related areas to find employment in jobs requiring masters level expertise in applied psychology; and/or to work as evaluation research specialists in government or community agencies. Students with an M.S. in Psychology may also be competitive for further graduate study in other fields, such as law and medicine. Note that the goal of the accelerated Master’s Degree in Psychological Science is not designed to provide clinical training or licensure in clinical practice. Students seeking to work as a licensed therapist should pursue that goal through the Master of Science in Clinical Mental Health Counseling in the Brooks College of Health.
Students must earn a 3.2 GPA in Research Methods, advanced experimental courses, and all other Psychology courses to qualify for admission to the Master’s degree in Psychology. Calculate your GPA here.
Students are required to identify a thesis mentor among the faculty in the Department of Psychology who is willing to supervise the student through the accelerated program.
Students may complete the accelerated track through the Honors in the Major Program, but are not required to do so.
GRE scores are not required for admission to the accelerated program.
Students should apply for the accelerated track in the Fall of their junior year (see link here for information regarding the application process). Students interested in the BS/MS accelerated program need to apply for the accelerated track in the Spring the year before they are scheduled to graduate, with the graduate course sequence (including thesis coursework) beginning in the Fall of their final semester in their bachelors. Students need to design their undergraduate coursework so they can graduate in December and can use 10 major elective credits in their last semester on graduate courses in the MSPS program.
Prerequisites for applying to the BS/MS accelerated program include:
- SOP 3004 Social Psychology
- EXP 3604 Cognitive Psychology
- DEP 3054 Lifespan Developmental Psychology
- PSB 3002 Behavioral Neuroscience
- PSY 3911 Supervised Research
- Two advanced experimental psychology courses (e.g., EXP 3680C Experimental Cognitive Psychology, SOP 3214C Experimental Social Psychology).
