Requirements, Admissions & Careers

Requirements for the Master's Program in General Psychology

A student in the Masters Program in General Psychology has two choices for completing the degree:

1. Involves more coursework
2. Involves a research-intensive thesis experience

With either choice the program includes two mandatory courses:

V0100: Advanced Experimental Psychology I
Credits: 4
Hours: 2 lect., 4 lab hr./wk.

V0500: Statistical Methods in Psychology I
Credits: 3
Hours: 2 rec., 2 lab. hr./wk.

The student also must take one course from the following areas:

- Cognition
- Sleep
- Seuroscience
- Psychometrics
- Psycholinguistics
- Psychopharmocology

Or else achieve a score in at least the 65th percentile on the advanced psychology section of the Graduate Record Examination.

If the student chooses to complete the program without a thesis, he or she must complete 40 credits (including the two mandatory courses). If a student chooses to complete the program with a thesis, 31 credits are required. In either case, the student must maintain a minimum Grade Point Average of 3.0.

Students choosing the thesis option are required to enroll in B9900 for which they receive 3 credits with no grade until they complete their thesis. Most students will also enroll for B9800 for at least one semester prior to B9900 while they develop their thesis plans and complete the proposal.

Requirements for the Master's Program in Mental Health Counseling

Applicants must have an undergraduate degree from an accredited institution of higher learning. An undergraduate major in psychology is preferred; however, students with another major who have completed the five (5) required prerequisite courses in psychology will be considered. Specifically, all applicants should have successfully completed Introduction to Psychology, Developmental Psychology, Abnormal Psychology, Psychological Statistics and Experimental Psychology/Psychology Research Methods or their equivalents.

In general, we expect applicants to have an overall GPA of at least 3.2 and a GPA in psychology of at least 3.5. Moreover, we expect students to earn at least a B in their Psychological Statistics and Experimental Psychology classes. At least one letter of reference should be from a past instructor; ideally, a past psychology instructor for a course with clear relevance to counseling.

In addition to the prerequisite coursework, applicants should also have had some type of hands-on experience working with others in a helping capacity, either through paid work or by volunteering. At least one letter of reference should be from someone familiar with the applicant’s work in this capacity (e.g., a trainer or supervisor for one’s relevant applied experience).
 

Complete applications require the following:
  • The CCNY Graduate Admissions Application Form.
  • Personal Statement. The personal statement should be no more than one single-spaced page/two double-spaced pages describing why one is interested in the field of Mental Health Counseling and any formative educational and/or applied experience to-date.
  • Two letters of recommendation. At least one letter should be academic (i.e., from a past instructor). If relevant to one’s experience, then another letter should be from someone who is familiar with the applicant’s training, extant skills, and aptitude for the counseling profession.
  • Academic transcripts from all post-secondary institutions attended. Unofficial transcripts can be submitted with the initial application, but official transcripts must be submitted if and when one is admitted into the program.
  • Current Resume/Curriculum Vitae.
  • Test scores such as GRE & TOEFL. The GRE is NOT required for admission, however, if the GRE was taken then test scores should be submitted in the associated section of the application form.

    Depending upon the country-of-origin, prospective international students are required to complete the TOEFL to demonstrate proficiency with the English language. For the list of countries exempt from this requirement, see question #26 of the FAQs on the program website. See also the CCNY Graduate Studies page for International Applicants: International Applicants | The City College of New York (cuny.edu).

The Mental Health Counseling program requires the following minimum TOEFL/IELTS scores: 550 (PBT), 79-80 (IBT) or 6.5.

Application Deadline: February 1st.
Applications completed by January 1st receive a decision by March 15th.

To learn more about the MA in Mental Health Counseling Program, please visit the MHC program website.

To learn more about Graduate Studies at CCNY and apply for admission to the Mental Health Counseling Program, please visit the CCNY Graduate Studies Admissions website.

Admission Info for the MA in General Psychology Program

Students may enter the program with an undergraduate major either in Psychology or in another field. Acceptance is based on assessment of the student's overall record and promise. The Graduate Record Examination is required; however, admission is based on flexible criteria. Special attention is given to the student's performance in the undergraduate courses of statistics and experimental psychology (or research methods). Students who have earned less than a B in either of these courses, or who have not taken them, are advised to contact the Director of the Masters Program in General Psychology, Dr. Vivien Tartter at %76ta%72%74ter@ccny.cu %6ey.edu" rel="nofollow"> vtartter@ccny.cuny.edu before applying.

For information on how to apply, please visit the City College Admissions website, or read the FAQ section below for further inquiries.

Prospective students should note that it is not necessary to obtain a Masters degree before applying to a Ph.D. program, but is a way to improve your credentials if your psychology background, undergraduate transcript, or direction for graduate study needs buttressing. Students who do move to Ph.D. programs sometimes can transfer credits, but often cannot. Students may apply from the Masters in General Psychology to the Masters in Mental Health Counseling program. If accepted, the courses taken in the General program will transfer as elective credits.


Deadline

Spring  -   November 15th


Fall       -   April 15th


Application process

Please visit the CCNY’s Graduate Admissions official website to learn more about the application process.


Applications typically require the following:


- The complete application form
- Application Fee
- Personal statement
- Two letters of recommendation (at least one letter should be academic)
- Resume/CV
- Transcripts from all post-secondary institutions attended
- Test scores such as GRE & TOEFL

Careers

The American Psychological Association’s booklet, Psychology: Careers for the Twenty-first Century, reports that most professionals with a terminal master’s degree handle research and data collection and analysis in universities, government and private companies. Others find jobs in health, industry and education, the primary work settings for psychology professionals with master’s degrees.

Government and industry positions in personnel and in mental health are often filled by persons with master’s degrees in psychology. Workers with their Master’s degree usually work under the supervision of a doctoral level psychologist, especially in clinical, counseling, school and testing and measurement psychology.

Over the past forty years our program has had a national and international reputation for providing outstanding training in psychology. Other institutions’ graduate programs have come to rely on the fact that students who achieve in our program can do so in theirs because we maintain high standards.

The faculty members are full-time professors. Most are also faculty in one of the ten City University of New York doctoral programs. The faculty members are all experienced teachers, researchers and/or clinicians; some are community consultants and evaluation researchers.

Masters students can become involved in activities on the City College campus such as peer counseling, teaching-assisting, drug-and-alcohol counseling, and research in many areas of psychology.

Last Updated: 07/29/2021 12:33