Psychology, Master of Arts (M.A.)
Degree Requirements
The program comprises three tracks, each with a different capstone experience and a minimum of 31 masters course credits, and all leading to a Masters in General Psychology degree. One of the tracks is 31 credits and requires a thesis. One of the tracks provides students with the academic coursework approved by Albany’s OASAS enabling a CASAC (substance abuse counseling) certification upon completion also of 2000 hours in the field and passage of an exam. Both of the latter are independent and follow the Masters degree. Two undergraduate courses are required for admission to the CASAC track: an OASAS-approved upper-level treatment of substance abuse course, and an OASAS-approved Introduction Clinical & Counseling Psychology (at City College, PSY 36000 and PSY 38000). These two undergraduate courses are requirements for CASAC certification. The capstone for the CASAC track is a CASAC practicum. The last track is course intensive (40 credits) and has as capstone professional presentation or publication during the course of the program.
Required Courses
| PSY V0100 | Advanced Experimental Psychology I | 4 |
| PSY V0500 | Statistical Methods in Psychology I | 3 |
One course from the areas of cognition, sleep, neuroscience, psychometrics, psycholinguistics, biological psychology, or else achieve a score in at least the 65th percentile of the advanced psychology section of the Graduate Record Examination. (3 credits)
A student must maintain a minimum grade point average of 3.0.
Thesis Option: Students choosing the thesis option are required to enroll in PSY B9900 for which they receive 3 credits with no grade until they complete their thesis. Most students enroll in PSY B9900 for two semesters (6 credits total) to develop their thesis plans and complete the proposal. They are required to complete 31 credits for their degree. A maximum of 12 credits may be transferred from other graduate institutions.
Course Intensive Option: Students not completing a thesis must complete 40 graduate credits, including the 11 required credits and minimum 3.0 GPA listed above. The other degree requirements are identical as for the thesis students. Up to 16 graduate credits are eligible for transfer from other approved institutions. Students must satisfy a capstone requirement by documenting: 1) presentation of a poster or paper at a conference (including student conferences), 2) submitting a manuscript for publication, or 3) presenting a case at a professional rounds.
Course Intensive Option with CASAC: In addition to the prerequisite undergraduate courses PSY 36000 and 38000, and the general required courses PSY V0500 and V0100, students must complete: B9748 Prevention of Mental Health Disorders, V2000 (Developmental), V5100 (Group Counseling and Small Group Practices), V5700 (Biological Basis of Behavior), V6532 (Theories and Techniques of Counseling), V6593 (Family and Couples Counseling), V7000 (Drug and Alcohol Abuse), V7100 (Chemical Dependency) and, as capstone, V6600 (Practicum in CASAC counseling), and 6 elective credits,