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2018-2019 Academic Catalog | B.A. (Psychology) to M.A. (Counseling) Program

B.A. in Psychology to M.A. in Counseling

 

Overview

The School of Education (EDU) and the College of Arts and Sciences (CAS) together offer the opportunity for a select number of undergraduate psychology students to move from a B.A. in Psychology to an M.A. in Counseling. During their senior year in CAS, students will complete their Psychology courses while also beginning their Counseling coursework. This program is especially ideal for a Trinity undergraduate Psychology student who plans to work part- or full-time after her CAS graduation while pursuing her Master’s degree.

CAS Psychology majors interested in the B.A. to M.A. program should first talk to their CAS academic advisor and then complete a Pre-Application Screening Form in the fall of their junior year. Once it is determined that the student is a good match for the B.A. to M.A. program, the student will complete the formal admissions application process. Students may apply to complete either the M.A. in Clinical Mental Health Counseling or the M.A. in School Counseling (with or without the Counseling Urban Populations specialization).

Selection Criteria

  • Students must have a minimum of a 3.5 grade point average.
  • Students must complete a Pre-Application Screening Form.
  • Students must complete the admissions application, including a personal statement that shows evidence of interest in and commitment to a career either as a School Counselor or as a Licensed Professional Counselor (or both).
  • Students must have recommendations from two (2) full-time CAS Psychology faculty who can attest to the student’s intellectual, interpersonal, and emotional maturity.

Timeline

Specific dates will be set for the following deadlines each year:

  • Early December, Junior Year: Student submits Pre-Application Screening Form
  • End of January, Junior Year: Selected student submits official M.A. in Counseling admissions application
  • Early- to Mid-March, Junior Year: EDU mails admissions decisions
  • Mid-March, Junior Year: Registration opens for both PSYC (CAS) and COUN (EDU) courses
  • Senior Year: Student takes both PSYC and COUN courses
  • Post-CAS Graduation: Student completes COUN courses

Students with questions about the program or application process should contact their academic advisor and/or a full-time faculty member in the psychology program.

Senior Year Requirements

Graduate Student Orientation

All accepted students attend a mandatory New Student Orientation in EDU, the date of which is communicated in the acceptance letter. Students will meet administrators, faculty and staff in the School of Education. Essential information on important dates, policies and procedures is shared, including the importance of professional dispositions in a graduate professional program. Students will also have an opportunity to interact with fellow colleagues in their programs.

EDCC 601: Tools for Graduate School Seminar

Students must enroll in the Orientation: Tools for Graduate School seminar (EDCC 601) during the fall term of their senior year in CAS. This seminar provides students with the essential skills and resources needed to succeed in graduate school. Students must also take the Writing Assessment when they meet with their new Counseling advisor to discuss registration. Students who do not demonstrate minimal standards to qualify for graduate writing must enroll in the mandatory EDCC 511 (Introduction to Professional Writing).

Advising

Each incoming B.A. to M.A. student will be assigned to a Counseling program faculty advisor from the time she begins the program. The Counseling advisor will communicate with the undergraduate Psychology advisor throughout the student’s senior year in CAS to monitor how the student is managing the dual enrollment in undergraduate and graduate studies.

Program of Study

The description below provides an illustration of the student’s final year in CAS after having been admitted into the B.A. in Psychology to M.A. in Counseling Program as well as after the student’s graduation from CAS.

Fall Term, Senior Year in CAS

  • Psychology Courses: 16-17 credits
  • EDCC 510
  • EDCC 601

Spring Term, Senior Year in CAS

  • Psychology Courses: 16-17 credits
  • EDCC 540 or EDCC 511 (if required)

After CAS Graduation

Students have the option to continue their Counseling coursework either during the summer term that immediately follows their CAS graduation or in the following fall semester. At this point, the student continues her studies as indicated in the Catalog pages for the student's program:

In general, students need another 3 years of study to complete the M.A. program of their choice.


Trinity reserves the right to change, without prior notice, any policy or procedure, tuition or fee, curricular requirements, or any other information found on this web site or in its printed materials.

Questions may be directed to the Office of Academic Affairs at academicaffairs@trinitydc.edu.

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