| Degree: | Master of Arts (M.A.) |
| Specializations: | Counseling Counseling (LMHC) General Psychology Industrial/Organizational |
| Certificate: | Health Psychology |
| Department: | School of Psychological and Behavioral Sciences Building 41, Room 250 (850) 474-2363 http://uwf.edu/spbs/ |
| College: | Arts and Sciences |
The M.A. in Psychology provides students with the study of human behavior. Graduate training in Psychology entails in-depth exploration and understanding of the core foundations of the biological bases of behavior, the social bases of behavior, the acquired bases of behavior, and the individual bases of behavior. As a scientific discipline, the study of psychology also requires competence in research methodology, statistics, and critical thinking. Psychology is an applied discipline, with applications in clinical health and mental health settings, business settings, and educational settings. Students completing a master’s degree in Psychology will be prepared to pursue a wide range of careers at the master’s level or to pursue advanced training at the doctoral level. There are several areas of concentration in the master’s program: General, Counseling-Thesis Option, Counseling-Licensed Mental Health Counselor, and Industrial-Organizational. Students seeking to complete the M.A. degree in Psychology must meet the general University requirements, the School of Psychological and Behavioral Sciences graduate core requirements, and the specialized requirements of the student’s chosen area of concentration. The student also has the option of fulfilling requirements for a certificate in Health Psychology in addition to the requirements for the master’s degree.
Applications for admission for summer and fall semesters are due on the preceding February 1. This application is for the School of Psychological and Behavioral Sciences only, and supersedes all other published deadlines. Files completed after the published deadline may not be reviewed in time to enroll in the desired semester.
In addition to the University graduate admission requirements described in the Admissions section of the catalog, the school bases decisions for regular admission on a holistic review of credentials in which the following criteria are used to assess the potential success of each applicant:
Applicants can assume that their files are incomplete until they receive a notice from the School of Psychological and Behavioral Sciences indicating that files are complete.
The following are the minimum admission requirements:
The department may be petitioned to apply up to 12 sh earned at UWF as a non-degree student toward the M.A. degree, if the student is later admitted into the graduate program. See the Non-Degree Seeking Status policy.
In addition to general University requirements, students seeking the M.A. in Psychology must meet the requirements listed below.
Graduate students should develop their degree plans with their advisors during the first semester of graduate work. All students must complete University requirements and a planned degree program (36 sh for Applied Experimental Psychology Specialization, 42 sh for Industrial-Organizational Psychology Specialization, 45 sh for the Counseling-Thesis Option Psychology Specialization; 60 sh for the Counseling-Licensed Mental Health Counselor Specialization) with at least a 3.0 GPA and with these stipulations:
All graduate students must receive a B- or higher in all graduate coursework.
With the advisor’s approval, a student may apply a maximum of 6 sh of graduate work taken at another University toward the degree. With the approval of the school director, a maximum of 10 sh of transfer credit may be accepted toward the degree.
All master’s work must have been taken within six years preceding completion of the degree requirements or the student may be required to demonstrate currency, e.g., to pass an examination covering the expired course work.
Students must complete one course in each area as identified by their specialization.
| Biological Bases of Behavior Core-choose one of the following: | 3 | |
| Advanced Sensation and Perception | ||
| Cognitive Neuroscience | ||
| Social Bases of Behavior Core-Choose one of the following: | 3 | |
| Multicultural Counseling | ||
| Advanced Social Psychology | ||
| Advanced Organizational Psychology | ||
| Acquired Bases of Behavior Core-Choose one of the following: | 3 | |
| Advanced Behavior Modification | ||
| Advanced Cognitive Psychology | ||
| Individual Bases of Behavior Core-Choose one of the following: | 3 | |
| Developmental Psychology | ||
| Theories of Individual Counseling | ||
| Total Hours | 12 | |
Toward the end of graduate work, the student must have an integrative experience consisting of 6 sh of one of the following courses:
| PSY 6917 | Supervised Research | 1-6 |
| PSY 6948 | Internship * | 1-6 |
| PSY 6971 | Thesis | 1-6 |
| * | PCO 6948 Internship in Counseling for counseling students |
For each semester that the student is working on the supervised research, thesis, or internship, the student must register for at least 1 sh of thesis or internship credit. A maximum of 6 sh of supervised research, thesis, or internship credit may be counted toward the total sh degree requirement. Students doing an internship are required to submit a portfolio and paper as described in the Psychology Graduate Student Handbook. Upon completion of the thesis or internship, the student must present an oral defense to a master’s committee of at least two psychology faculty members.
The Supervised Research integrative experience is the Terminal Research Project (TeRP). This can be accomplished by students completing 6 sh of PSY 6917 Supervised Research. This option allows students to design and complete an independent empirical study under the supervision of a two member faculty supervisory committee with the committee head being a tenure track faculty member from the School of Psychological and Behavioral Sciences. The terminal experience for students who choose this option will consist of three elements:
The Applied Experimental Specialization is designed for those students who wish to do graduate work with a focus on research and its application in areas of psychology such as biological psychology, cognitive neuroscience, cognitive psychology, developmental psychology, experimental psychology, health psychology, or human factors psychology. Graduates from the Applied Experimental Specialization are expected to matriculate into doctoral programs at major universities or find employment in community college teaching, research centers, public agencies, or industry.
The 36 sh curriculum provides coverage of the basic content areas of psychology (e.g., biological, cognitive, developmental, social), the research tools of psychology (e.g., research design, statistics), and in the student’s field of interest through electives, independent study, supervised research, and the thesis or terminal research project. Examples of areas of possible student specialization include behavior modification, biological psychology, cognitive neuroscience, developmental psychology, health psychology, human factors, sensation and perception, social psychology, and family science.
| DEP 5055 | Developmental Psychology | 3 |
| EXP 6506 | Advanced Cognitive Psychology | 3 |
| EXP 5208 | Advanced Sensation and Perception | 3 |
| PSB 5035 | Cognitive Neuroscience | 3 |
| SOP 6069 | Advanced Social Psychology | 3 |
| EXP 6085 | Seminar in Applied Psychological Sciences | 3.0 |
Recommended Electives (6 sh)
| EXP 5256 | Human Factors Psychology | 3.0 |
| STA 5206 | Analysis of Variance | 3.0 |
The Counseling Psychology Thesis Option concentration is a 45 semester hour graduate program designed primarily to prepare individuals for admission to a doctoral program in Clinical or Counseling Psychology. This degree option focuses on establishing the essential graduate foundation in counseling psychology to support and enhance doctoral training. This option requires completion of specialty courses and a total of 450 hours (6 sh) of practicum/internship field placement in the area of counseling psychology and a research-based thesis. Students must complete the core school requirements, take PCO 6216 Theories of Individual Counseling to meet the Individual Bases of Behavior portion of the core, and complete the following:
| CLP 5166 | Psychopathology | 3 |
| PCO 6204 | Pre-Practicum: Techniques of Counseling and Psychotherapy | 3 |
| PCO 6206C | Ethical and Professional Issues in Counseling | 3 |
| PCO 6246 | Theories of Group Counseling | 3 |
| Graduate Elective Course | 3 | |
| Total Hours | 15 | |
Students are strongly advised to take PCO6315 Assessment in Counseling to fulfill the elective in the program. Other options must be discussed with their advisor.
| PCO 6946 | Practicum in Counseling | 3 |
| PCO 6948 | Internship in Counseling | 1-6 |
| PSY 6971 | Thesis | 1-6 |
| Total Hours | 5-15 | |
The Licensed Mental Health Counselor option is a 60 sh program with requirements comparable to the requirements established by the Florida state board for licensure as a Mental Health Counselor. Attainment of the degree does not entail conferral of the license, which is governed by the state licensing board. This degree option focuses on meeting current licensure requirements, preparing the graduate for a career as a licensed mental health counselor, and requires completion of specialty coursework and a total of 1000 hours (9 sh) of practicum/internship field placement in a mental health setting. Upon graduation from the licensure option, the individual should be in a position to qualify to register with the state licensing board as an intern and to obtain the two year post-degree supervised experience required by the board for licensure. Students must complete the core school requirements, take PCO 6216 Theories of Individual Counseling to meet the Individual Bases of Behavior portion of the core, and complete the following:
| PCO 6315 | Assessment in Counseling | 3.0 |
| CLP 5166 | Psychopathology | 3 |
| PCO 6246 | Theories of Group Counseling | 3 |
| PCO 6206C | Ethical and Professional Issues in Counseling | 3 |
| PCO 6204 | Pre-Practicum: Techniques of Counseling and Psychotherapy | 3 |
| Total Hours | 15 | |
| PCO 6946 | Practicum in Counseling | 3 |
| PCO 6948 | Internship in Counseling | 1-6 |
| Total Hours | 4-9 | |
| DEP 5055 | Developmental Psychology | 3.0 |
| SOP 6776 | Human Sexuality and Sex Therapy | 3.0 |
| SDS 6345 | Educational and Vocational Guidance | 3.0 |
| PCO 6312 | Substance Abuse Counseling | 3.0 |
| CYP 6005 | Community Psychology | 3.0 |
The 42 sh Industrial-Organizational (I/O) concentration combines traditional personnel psychology (selection, performance appraisal, test construction and validation, fair employment practices, and legal issues) with the more interpersonal emphasis of organizational psychology (motivation, job satisfaction, leadership, interpersonal communication, organizational diagnosis, and change). Students select electives that will help them gain proficiency in areas of emphasis such as Personnel Psychology, Human Factors, or Organizational Development. The curriculum meets the needs of students who plan to be employed at the master’s level in organizational settings as well as those who wish to pursue a doctoral program in a related field at another University.
| INP 5087 | Ethics in I/O Psychology | 1 |
| INP 6216 | Personnel Selection and Appraisal | 3 |
| SOP 5609 | Current Issues in Industrial-Organizational Psychology | 1 |
| SOP 6668 | Organizational Change and Development | 3 |
| Choose one of the following: | 3 | |
| Management and Organizational Behavior | ||
| Advanced Organizational Psychology | ||
| Total Hours | 11 | |
Students must complete at least 10 semester hours of elective courses relevant to I/O and chosen in consultation with the advisor. Recommended electives include:
| INP 5131 | Legal Issues in Industrial/Organizational Psychology | 3 |
| INP 6255 | Methods in Personnel Psychology | 2 |
| INP 6325 | Training and Development | 3 |
| INP 6944 | Practicum in Industrial Psychology | 1-3 |
| SOP 6069 | Advanced Social Psychology | 3 |
Additional statistics, or courses in Organizational Development (OD) offered in collaboration with the Management Department.
Department: Psychology
Method of Instruction: Classroom
Semester Hours (in addition to degree requirements): 12
Health is broadly conceptualized as physical, psychological, emotional, social, and spiritual well-being. The health psychology certificate at UWF recognizes the interacting roles of body, mind, and spirit in health. The curriculum of the health psychology certificate balances Eastern and Western approaches to health, with an emphasis on the contributions of the field of psychology.
| EAB 5738 | Behavioral Medicine | 3 |
| PSY 5016+L | Conjunctive Psychology (+Lab) | 3 |
| CLP 4314 | Health Psychology | 3 |
| One of the following: | 3 | |
| Theoretical Foundations of Health Care Ethics | ||
| Substance Abuse Counseling | ||
| Sport and Exercise Psychology | ||
| Buddhist Psychology (+Lab) | ||
| Community Psychology | ||
| Supervised Research | ||
| Human Factors Psychology | ||
| Total Hours | 12 | |
