Purpose

The Master of Science in Psychology program is designed to provide students with the knowledge and skills necessary to use the principles and research of human behavior to solve real-world problems from a Christian worldview perspective. This notion provides for the discovery of the truth about human behavior through the use of the scientific method.

Program Learning Outcomes

The student will be able to:

• Analyze literature within the discipline of psychological science, including major concepts, theories, methodologies, and empirical findings.
• Critique and conduct social scientific research.
• Apply psychological research to practical problems of behavior and mental processes.
• Evaluate psychological research in the context of biblical thought.

General Psychology

• The student will be able to assess key principles and theories within a specialized area of Psychology.

Industrial/Organizational Psychology

• The student will be able to apply knowledge of psychology to understand human thinking and behavior in organizations.

Program Specific Admission Procedures

In addition to the General Admission Procedures outlined in this Catalog, applicants to the Master of Science in Psychology must have:

1. An earned baccalaureate degree or its equivalent from an institution accredited by an agency recognized by the U.S. Department of Education (e.g., SACSCOC, TRACS, ABHE, etc.);
2. An undergraduate cumulative GPA of at least 3.00 (on a 4.00 scale).
3. Official transcripts must be provided before admission. Mail official college transcripts (sealed, unopened copy).
4. Recommendations: Submit contact information for two recommendations. The recommendations should come from former college professors; however, recommendations from supervisors are acceptable from students who have been out of school for a substantial amount of time.
5. Graduate Record Examination (GRE): The applicant must have minimum scores of 151 on the Verbal portion, 152 on the Quantitative portion, and 3.5 on the analytic writing portion.

Applicants meeting all of the following requirements may be admitted on Academic Caution:

• An undergraduate cumulative GPA of 2.75 to 2.99 (on a 4.00 scale).
• Graduate Record Examination (GRE), with a GRE Verbal score of 149 to 150 and a GRE Quantitative score of 150 to 151.

Prerequisites Requirements

Students must complete 12 credit hours in undergraduate psychology which must include general psychology, statistics, research methods, and one additional psychology course. These courses must be completed prior to enrollment in any graduate PSYC course.

Transfer of Credit

Students may transfer up to 18 hours of coursework into the Psychology program. For a transferred course to replace a Liberty University course, the following requirements must be met:

1. The school at which the course was taken must be appropriately accredited.
2. The course credit must be at least three semester hours or five quarter hours.
3. The student must have earned a grade of B- or better in the course.
4. The course must overlap one of Liberty’s courses by at least 80%.

Courses related to psychology and counseling that meet all but the last criterion may be transferred in as elective courses. Course work must have been completed within the previous five 10 years. Transfer credits will not be accepted for the following courses: PSYC 520 Psychology and Christianity (3 c.h.) and PSYC 690 Master's Thesis (3 c.h.).

Credits from a prior degree on the same academic level earned through Liberty University are considered transfer credits. Liberty University course work that is more than 10 years old must be repeated.

Delivery Format: Residential Only

• Child/Adolescent Program Developer
• Community/Junior College Instructor
• Developmental Service Coordinator
• Evaluation and Assessment Manager
• Program Coordinator/Director
• Research and Data Analyst