Combined BA and MA in Psychology

American University offers students the opportunity to earn both undergraduate and graduate degrees through its accelerated bachelor's/master's programs. Undergraduate students may complete up to 12 credits for the graduate degree that may be applied to the requirements for both degree programs. The department that oversees the graduate program the student enters will determine if the courses the undergraduate student completes will satisfy master's degree requirements. 

This program enables qualified students to earn, in a continuous plan of study, both the BA and MA in Psychology.

Requirements

  • Students should apply for the program no later than the first semester of the senior year and no earlier than the first semester of the junior year. Students must have a minimum 3.00 grade point average in psychology and statistics courses and must have completed at least half of the credit hours required for the BA in Psychology, including STAT-202 Basic Statistics, before applying to the program. Students must submit a completed graduate application form, Graduate Record Examination (GRE) scores for the General examination (Verbal, Quantitative, and Analytic), two letters of recommendation, and copies of all college transcripts.
  • All requirements for the BA degree in Psychology or related fields.
  • Undergraduate students may apply up to 12 credit hours of approved graduate-level course work to satisfy the requirements for both degrees.
  • All requirements for the MA in Psychology, including a minimum of 18 credit hours completed in residence in graduate status after the undergraduate degree has been awarded. Students must finish the master's degree requirements within three years from the date of first enrollment in the master's program.

For more information on the BA/MA program requirements, please contact Dr. Zehra Peynircioglu, the MA program director, at peynir@american.edu.