Psychology, M.A.

The Master of Arts program in Psychology offered by West Georgia is accredited by the Council for Humanistic and Transpersonal Psychologies.

Applicants for graduate study in psychology are required to have an interview as part of the admission process. Considering the humanistic orientation of this program, the potential for self-awareness, exploratory research, and some knowledge of the humanistic tradition in psychology is given considerable weight in selection of applicants and program planning.

Also, to be admitted as a Regular student for admission to the MA program, we require a minimum GPA of 2.5 and GRE of 400 on each: Quantitative and Verbal under the old scoring system, which translates into 140 quantitative, and 146 on the verbal under the new scoring system.

There are two required gateway courses in the Master’s Program. All students are required to take PSYC 6000 - Foundations of Humanistic Psychology , and PSYC 6010 - Human Growth and Potential . The Foundations course will explore and examine the conceptual bases of contemporary humanistic psychology, while Human Growth and Potential will emphasize personal growth and awareness in an experiential context. Besides these two courses, students can choose classes consistent with their interests and plans. For example, some students may select courses to fulfill the basic requirements for becoming licensed as counselors, while others may be interested in further graduate study.

There are two options to complete requirements toward graduation. Under Option I, students must complete a minimum of 33 hours of course work plus an acceptable original thesis. Thesis will result in a minimum of 3 additional hours for a total of at least 36 credit hours. Up to 9 hours of course work can be taken in graduate courses in departments other than psychology without special permission. Under Option II, students must complete a total of 45 hours of course work. Up to 12 hours can be taken in graduate courses in departments other than psychology without special permission.

Under both options, students must pass an oral comprehensive exam based on course work and individual research or projects developed over the student’s course of study.

This requirement is fulfilled under Option I through the student’s oral defense of his or her thesis. Under Option II, a student must submit a written document as directed by his or her committee.

Thesis Proposal

The nature of the dissertation proposal will reflect the type of thesis undertaken by the student as approved by the thesis Chair.

Thesis Defense

Following approval of the masters thesis by the thesis committee, the student will give an oral presentation followed by a question-and-answer period led by the student’s advisor. The thesis defense is open to the public.

Students who are interested in fulfilling the basic requirements for licensure as counselors should understand that there is an additional interview for the clinical practicum that occurs after you have been accepted in the MA program. In addition, some courses pertinent to licensure may require permission of instructor.