Accelerated Bachelor’s to Master’s in Psychology
The accelerated bachelor’s to master’s (ABM) in psychology at South provides exceptional undergraduate students the opportunity to earn a bachelor’s and master’s degree at an accelerated pace in psychology. While still an undergraduate, ABM students may count up to 12 credit hours of graduate course work towards their graduate degree. ABM students typically complete the master’s degree within one academic year after completing the undergraduate degree.
Psychology majors are encouraged to apply for the ABM program in psychology. This program is designed to allow the student to complete the bachelor’s degree in psychology and the master’s degree in Psychology (Behavior and Brain Sciences program only) in five years.
See Graduate School Bulletin for rules for all Accelerated Bachelor’s to Master’s Programs.
Admission will be a competitive process. The minimum standards are:
- Have completed at least 90 credit hours
- Have completed at least 30 credit hours at USA
- Must have at least a 3.3 GPA (Cumulative and Psychology)
- Requires 2 letters of recommendation
- Must have a verifiable score on either the ACT, SAT, or GRE
Admission will be based on characteristics of the applicant and research match to the Psychology faculty.
Once admitted into the ABM program, students must maintain at least a 3.0 GPA and remain in good standing to progress into the graduate program.
Questions? Click here to contact the Department of Psychology.
ABM students may begin taking graduate courses after completing at least 90 hours of undergraduate credit.
Typically, during their senior undergraduate year, students will take 6 graduate credits per semester for 2 semesters (12 hours) while they are also taking undergraduate courses. Of these 12 graduate hours, 6 hours can count toward both degrees (Bachelor’s and Master’s) if the courses are completed with grades of at least B. Courses with a grade of C can count toward the undergraduate degree but not the graduate degree. Courses with a grade below C cannot count toward the undergraduate or graduate degree.
Upon completing the undergraduate degree, students will apply to the Master’s Psychology (Behavior and Brain Sciences) program. ABM students who are in good standing will be accepted into the Psychology (Behavior and Brain Sciences) Master’s program.
Completion of the Master of Science (Behavior and Brain Sciences) requires successful completion of all requirements, including at least 36 graduate credit hours. Graduate credit taken while an undergraduate that is completed with at least the grade of B will be transferred into the Master’s program upon acceptance into the program and will apply toward the 36 hours required for the Master of Science degree.
A student who withdraws or is dismissed from the ABM program may not count graduate coursework towards both degrees. Graduate courses for which an undergraduate student did not earn an “A” or “B” grade, may not be counted towards the graduate degree.
An ABM student must be a full time student and must complete all degree requirements for the master’s within three semesters of the semester in which they were admitted to the Graduate School. An exception for a fourth semester may be granted where an additional semester is required for final revisions to and submission of a defended thesis. Exceptions to the ABM policy are at the discretion of the Dean of the Graduate School.
