General Psychology, M.A.

Required credits (33)

General Psychology is a 33-credit-hour program that provides

• a strong foundation for students who intend to continue their graduate work in any area of psychology,
• solid training for students who wish to obtain a master’s degree and apply their acquired skills and knowledge in various work settings, and
• an opportunity for non-psychologist professionals who wish to become more knowledgeable about the application of psychology to their professional interests.

The program is designed to provide well-rounded master’s-level training. It accomplishes this with a core of five courses providing a strong foundation in the methods and content of psychology.

In addition to these core courses, the program allows students to develop their training in one or more subspecialties that they might envision as a professional goal. It accomplishes this by providing the opportunity to take four additional courses from the field of psychology that best match individual educational and professional interests. Some students have taken this opportunity to “test the waters” of many different subspecialties, while others have chosen to specialize in one or more specific areas, such as biopsychology, industrial-organizational psychology, health psychology, and quantitative methods. The program believes this combination of a strong foundation and flexible electives best prepares students to continue on for doctoral work in any specialty area of psychology.

Finally, students in the General Psychology program may choose between the thesis track option and the applied track option. The thesis track involves conducting an independent research project and should be seriously considered by students who intend to pursue doctoral work. The applied track involves supervised practical experience in an organization or agency and should be considered by those students who wish to incorporate more practical experience in their program.

Admission Requirements

A completed application for consideration for admission consists of

1. transcripts of all past educational experiences and documentation of the award of the bachelor’s degree from a regionally accredited institution of higher education;
2. an overall undergraduate grade average of B;
3. an undergraduate major or concentration in psychology*;
4. official scores for the General Aptitude (Verbal, Quantitative, Analytic) and Advanced (Psychology) portions of the Graduate Record Examination;
5. a personal statement of academic objectives and professional goals; and
6. three letters of reference, evaluating academic abilities and fieldwork experience.

*Applicants who do not meet specific academic requirements but who give evidence of outstanding practical experience or skills will be considered and may be required to ameliorate specific deficiencies (e.g., by taking certain background courses).

Transfer Credit

With the approval of the program director, students may transfer up to 6 credits of course work that are applicable to the program requirements.

Accelerated Master of Arts in General Psychology

The purpose of this program is to enable University of Hartford students to complete both a Bachelor of Arts and a Master of Arts in General Psychology in five years. This program is designed for exceptional undergraduate students who have demonstrated a commitment to academic excellence and who know in their junior year that they wish to pursue a master’s degree in general psychology.

In order to qualify for the program, a student must have an overall GPA of at least 3.0, based on a minimum of 70 credits, and have a GPA of at least 3.25 in the psychology major, based on a minimum of 18 credits. Students must apply by April 1 of their junior year. These students will complete the standard application for graduate study, including three letters of recommendation (two of which must come from the faculty in the University of Hartford Department of Psychology). The General Psychology Admissions Committee will review the applications. Students will be informed of the department’s decision by the end of the semester.

If given provisional acceptance to the Master of Arts program, students would become eligible to take 9 credits of course work, 3 credits of which could be applied toward both the B.A. in psychology and M.A. in general psychology.  These credits could be completed during the summer between the junior and senior years and/or during the regular semesters of the senior year.

When the student completes the B.A. in psychology and has received a grade of B or better in each of the 9 credits of graduate course work, the student will be accepted as a matriculated student in the Masters of Arts program. The student would then complete the remaining requirements for the completion of the M.A.  Interested students should contact the director of the General Psychology program in the Department of Psychology.