The graduate program in psychology at Georgia Regents University provides intensive master’s degree level education and training, with most students selecting an applied track which emphasizes clinical and counseling psychology. The program can also provide preparation for further graduate education or, for a limited number of students, the opportunity to pursue specific interests in experimental psychology.
Unlike some other graduate programs at the university, the M.S. program in psychology is designed as a full-time, day-time and year-round program. Most students complete their degree requirements in two years or less, earning credits in advanced foundation courses (e.g., learning, social, personality, statistics), applied course work (e.g., psychometry, counseling/ therapy, psychopathology) and supervised internship experience in treatment facilities or research laboratories. The department operates a psychometric and clinical training facility, and an animal and human research laboratory. Internship opportunities are available at many local agencies including a Veterans Administration Medical Center, a regional state psychiatric hospital, the Medical College of Georgia, a regional state school and hospital for the developmentally disabled, a regional state training center for juvenile offenders, and the Dwight David Eisenhower Army Medical Center at Fort Gordon.
The Department and its faculty members maintain active relationships with the discipline’s various governing and professional bodies, such as the American Psychological Association (APA), American Psychological Society (APS), Council of Graduate Departments of Psychology (COGDOP), Council of Applied Master’s Programs in Psychology (CAMPP), and North American Association of Master’s in Psychology (NAMP).
Admission Procedures and Requirements
Persons interested in taking graduate courses in psychology should be processed by the Department of Psychology, not the Georgia Regents University Office of Admissions. The formal deadline for submitting applications to the M.S. program is set by the institution. However, the limited number of positions for each fall entering class often results in the program filling sooner than that deadline. It is therefore recommended that applications for admission be made at least five months prior to the anticipated admission date. Admission to the program in semesters other than fall is possible if openings exist, but is rarely permitted given the sequencing of some courses. A final decision regarding acceptance into the graduate program can be made only upon receipt of official GRE scores, official transcripts, letters of reference, and a personal statement of educational and professional goals. Under exceptional circumstances students may be granted permission to enroll in certain courses in a post-baccalaureate status while the application is being processed.
Inquiries are encouraged especially from members of minority groups and older persons, from human service personnel employed by local community agencies, and from persons possessing otherwise adequate credentials but who may have a deficit in a single credential such as quantitative GRE scores or freshman grade point average, or who may lack specific undergraduate preparation in psychology. In such cases, the department may use other appropriate information in the admission decision, and may require satisfactory remediation of any academic deficits prior to full acceptance.
The minimum admission requirements are:
- Completed requirements for the bachelor’s degree in a regionally accredited college/university.
- A grade point average equivalent to 3.0 on a 4.0 scale
- A score of 400 on each of the verbal and quantitative portions of the Graduate Record Examination (GRE). The GRE Writing score must be 3.5 or higher, and one of the remaining scores must reach 450 or better.
- Satisfactory letters of recommendation (at least two from academic sources) and transcripts.
- A 150-200 word statement regarding personal and professional goals with respect to graduate study at Georgia Regents University.
- For students whose native language is other than English, the examination scores of the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL). An oral expression and comprehension evaluation may also be required.
- For foreign students, a financial aid form provided by the Office of Admissions.
Successful applicants for regular graduate status will, at a minimum, have satisfactorily completed undergraduate courses in general psychology, abnormal psychology, quantitative methods for the social or behavioral sciences, and experimental psychology. Courses in learning, physiological psychology, and tests and measurement are strongly recommended and may serve as prerequisites for certain graduate courses.
After all required application information has been received, the Psychology Graduate Admissions Committee will make an admission decision, subject to approval by the Department Chair; and the Director of Graduate Studies in Psychology will inform the applicant of this decision.
Applicants who have acceptable credentials but who are deficient in one area, such as Verbal GRE Scores or grade point average, may be offered provisional admission. Provisional graduate students must petition for regular graduate status after satisfactory completion of at least six and not more than nine hours of admissible graduate work.
Financial Aid and Graduate Assistantships
Students are expected to arrange their own means of paying tuition and other fees. Persons requiring financial assistance should first contact the Office of Financial Aid to inquire about funding alternatives, including the Work Study Program and low-interest loans. The department offers a limited number of graduate assistantships which reduce tuition and provide a monthly income in return for services to the university. These are assigned on a competitive basis each semester from among those students applying or recommended by the faculty. The award of an assistantship one semester is not a guarantee of future awards, and the university and department reserve the right to modify the number and conditions of awards as necessary. Graduate assistants are required to carry an academic load of at least nine semester hours with no more than three hours of internship.
Degree Requirements
The Master of Science in Psychology offers three tracks: The clinical/counseling track, the general experimental track and the applied experimental track. Students who seek to pursue the doctoral degree are advised to complete the general experimental track. Those individuals who wish to work in more applied settings after graduation, such as a medical research environment, technical college, or community agencies are advised to choose the applied experimental track.
General Experimental Track
The general experimental track requires the satisfactory completion of a minimum of 47 semester hours of graduate work including Professional Issues in Psychology (PSYC 6190 ) and Ethical Issues in Psychology (PSYC 6191 ), Research Methods I and II (PSYC 6121 and PSYC 6122 ), Research Methods Lab I and Research Methods Lab II (PSYC 6921 and PSYC 6922 ), six semester hours of Research Practicum (PSYC 6930 and PSYC 6931 ), and six semester hours of Thesis Research (PSYC 6990 ). Beyond this, an individualized plan of study, as approved by the student’s academic advisor, is used to establish specific course requirements. Students will be given formal permission by the faculty to pursue a thesis or internship at the end of the spring of their first year of graduate studies. The faculty will review the student’s professional goals, academic performance and professional and ethical behavior to determine whether the student will be in the thesis or internship track. For this track, at least 38 of 47 total hours required must be earned in the major field; and no more than six of the 45 total hours may be earned in PSYC 6990 .
Applied Experimental Track
The applied experimental track requires the satisfactory completion of a minimum of 47 semester hours of graduate work including Professional Issues in Psychology (PSYC 6190 ) and Ethical Issues in Psychology (PSYC 6191 ), Research Methods I and II (PSYC 6121 and PSYC 6122 ), Research Methods Lab I and Research Methods Lab II (PSYC 6921 and PSYC 6922 ), six semester hours of Research Practicum (PSYC 6930 and PSYC 6931 ), Cognitive Assessment (PSYC 6126 ), and six semester hours of Internship (PSYC 6940 , PSYC 6970 and/or PSYC 6980 ). Beyond this, an individualized plan of study, as approved by the student’s academic advisor, is used to establish specific course requirements. Students will be given formal permission by the faculty to pursue a thesis or internship at the end of the spring semester of their first year of graduate studies. The faculty will review the student’s professional goals, academic performance, and professional and ethical behavior to determine whether the student will be in the thesis or internship track. For this track, at least 38 of the 47 total hours required must be earned in the major field; and no more than six of the 47 total hours may be earned in PSYC 6940 , PSYC 6970 , and/or PSYC 6980 .
Clinical/Counseling Track
The clinical/counseling track offers a thesis or a non-thesis (internship) option. The plan of study, as approved by the student’s Academic Advisor, is used to determine whether the student will be in the thesis or internship track. The non-thesis option requires the satisfactory completion of a minimum of 53 semester hours of graduate courses as detailed below. Students who pursue the non-thesis option will need to complete at least 8 hours of PSYC 6960 Clinical Internship. All clinical/counseling students are strongly encouraged to carefully study the license requirements in the states where they may be employed in the future. For this track, at least 50 of the total hours required must be earned in the major field; and no more than 8 of the 53 hours may be earned in PSYC 6940 , PSYC 6960 , PSYC 6970 , PSYC 6980 , and/or PSYC 6990 .
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