Program Overview

Program Coordinator Elizabeth Hirshorn, (845) 257-2372, hirshore@newpaltz.edu
Program ID 210A
Credits 121 UG + 23 GR
Program Length The MS can be completed in one additional year of study if enrolled full-time, but students must complete the degree within 5 years.
Modality In-person
Full-time/Part-time Full-time or Part-Time
Transfer Credits 6
Capstone Thesis

Program Description

Our five-year program offers a fast track to the BA in Psychology and MS in Psychological Science degrees. Designed with the same courses and number of credits students on the traditional track take but in half the time.

Join a select group

The five-year program is designed to draw together a community of students who are passionate about learning, prepared for an advanced curriculum, and seeking to work alongside peers who are similarly engaged. Students must maintain a 3.3 (3.5 preferred) GPA in undergraduate Psychology courses to qualify.

Get ahead & save

Students enrolled in the five-year program complete 16 graduate-level credits in Psychology during their senior year. The majority of these credits* are offered at the undergraduate tuition rate and fulfill both undergraduate and graduate program requirements.

A range of applications

The curriculum covers four broad content areas – social, cognitive, developmental, and applied psychology – to provide a comprehensive launching pad for students who plan to advance to doctoral study or work in difference-making careers in government, education, community service, or the private sector.

A focus on research

The MS in Psychological Science is a skill-based degree with a strong emphasis on time spent in the lab and in the field. Its mission is to help students develop proficiency in quantitative and qualitative research methods, and provide the resources and mentorship needed to create meaningful new knowledge.

World-Class Facilities

The Psychological Science program operates in the newly-renovated Wooster Hall, featuring modern learning spaces and active labs equipped with powerful technological tools. The building also houses the Department of Psychology faculty offices, individual and group study areas filled with natural light, and Element 93, the most popular café on campus.

Apply to a SUNY New Paltz graduate programAdmission Requirements

How does it work?

BEGIN by taking Introductory Psychology as a first-year student.

COMPLETE Psychological Statistics and Research Methods with a grade of B or better and complete two additional Psychology courses. (Note: Courses may be in progress for a conditional acceptance.)

APPLY for early admission to the graduate program as a junior majoring in Psychology:

  • With a 3.3 (3.5 preferred) GPA in Psychology courses and overall
  • Contact information for three references, at least two of which must be from a New Paltz Psychology faculty member.
  • Successful completion of the Psychology course listed above.
  • Personal statement explaining interest in the five-year program.

EARN your Bachelor of Arts degree in four years, while taking courses to prepare for your accelerated graduate program.

COMPLETE the Master of Science in Psychological Science program in just one final year

Apply your junior year to start taking graduate courses in your fourth (senior) year:

4th- Senior Year (28 Credits)
FALL
1st Graduate Content Area Course3
1st Graduate Statistics Course3
1st Graduate Methods Course3
1st Graduate Practicum1
UG Elective3
SPRING
1st Graduate Contemporary Research3
2nd Graduate Content Area Course3
Three UG Electives9
Graduate- 5th Year (23 Credits)
FALL
3rd Psychology Content Course3
Graduate Statistics3
Graduate Methods3
2nd Practicum1
Thesis3
SPRING
4th Psychology Content Area3
2nd Contemporary Research3
3rd Practicum1
Thesis 3
Academic Standing Requirements for Bachelor's/Master's Students

A cumulative GPA of less than 3.0 in graduate-level courses taken in the undergraduate portion of a 4+1 program precludes the student’s good standing.  Students with GPA of 2.75 to 2.99 strongly advised to reconsider continuing into GR program.  Students below 2.75 may not continue and will be de-matriculated from GR program.