Absolutely. We understand that some students have family or work commitments that prevent full-time attendance, and support the choice to progress through the program at a realistic pace.

10 credit hours, or 3 courses, as long as the courses taken are approximate to the corresponding UWF course and performance in the course is satisfactory. Students must provide previous course syllabi to support the case for transfer.

No. We prefer live interaction with students and feel that some master’s level courses do not transfer easily to this format.

The School of Psychological and Behavioral Sciences has 13 full-time faculty and approximately 120 students in its master’s program. This estimates out to approximately 13 students per faculty member, however, not all students are in active status.

Different areas of campus close at different times. Our campus is in the middle of a 1600 acre nature preserve. While our campus is very safe and we have on-campus police who can escort you after hours, a blue light safety system and every other safety precaution available, you should always make smart choices such as walking with a friend or using the campus police escort service.

We cannot provide you with a listing of current or prospective students, however, our Graduate Recruitment and Retention assistant would be happy to assist by forwarding your information (with your approval) to these students to help you secure lodging. Just send an email to psych@uwf.edu.

The School of Psychological and Behavioral Sciences receives approximately 135 applications for all three specializations (Counseling, General and I/O). We accept those students who meet or exceed the admissions matrix requirements for our program. We average between 12 and 18 students per program a year.

Unlike some Ph.D. programs, UWF does not assign graduate students personal space. Students employed as graduate assistants or those working in a research lab may be provided access to space for the faculty member that they are assigned or conducting research with. A student lounge is open and available for all students on the first floor of our building.

The School of Psychological and Behavioral Sciences achieves approximately an 80% graduate rate. One obstacle that keep us from achieving a higher rating is caused by students who are accepted into doctoral programs or work settings prior to completion of their capstone projects.

Yes, you will start off meeting some of our second-year students at the incoming student orientation. You will take some classes together and will be involved in group projects. Many social activities are provided for all students and organized by SHRM.

Once you are accepted into the Master’s program, an advisor will be assigned after we receive written confirmation from you that you will enter the program. You will be notified via email and/or regular mail. You may contact the Coordinator for your concentration or the School Coordinator with questions if an advisor has not yet been assigned.

You can meet as often as you like and your advisor can be as involved as you want. We encourage every student to meet with their advisor at least once a semester, but ultimately it is up to the student to initiate as much contact as they need.

In order to understand which requirements have been met and which are yet to be met, pay attention to the red and green markings. A green marking indicates that the requirement(s) for that category has been met (“OK” on the left) or will be met once the term is complete (“IP” on the left). The red markings (“NO” on the left) indicate the requirements that still need to be met.

Within each category, a plus (“+”) sign on the left of a requirement indicates that the requirement has been met. A minus (“-”) sign indicates that the requirement has yet to be met. When deciding to choose courses, choose ones that will satisfy the latter requirements. Once a passing grade is provided for a required course, the status will change from minus to plus.

You may check on your current registration by using the MyUWF system. For example, your class schedule, exam times, previous grades, SASS audit and GPA can be reviewed here. You can also check your e-mail and update your directory information.

In your MyUWF account, search for “Registration”. Once there, select “Course Search”. This will bring up a pop-up window. In this window, enter course information (Course prefix/number, Instructor’s last name, Title, or Course reference number) at the top, then select a semester and click on the “search” button. If the course is available, it will be listed at the bottom. Click on the course title and this will provide you with information about that course. If a syllabus is available, an “S” will be indicated on the left column under “TechCd.” Click on the “S” to view syllabus.

Psi Chi and SHRM are active on our campus and graduate students are welcome to join or continue their involvement in these organizations. You can find more information about these organizations on the Organization section of the School of Psychological and Behavioral Sciences website.

Those who are fairly certain about applying to doctoral programs in Clinical, Counseling or Doctor of Psychology programs (Psy.D.) benefit from research experience and the conduct of a thesis, thus the Counseling Psychology Option (45 sh) may be best. Students who enjoy research and embrace the challenge of conducting their own project with faculty guidance are usually more attracted to this option. Keep in mind that thesis-option students also complete field placement (450 clinical hours across 2 semesters), although the number of hours required is much less compared to the Licensed Mental Health Counselor option (1000 field placement hours accrued over 3 semesters). The combination of clinical and research experience strenghthens one's application to competitive doctoral programs.

Students who wish to prepare for licensure on the Master's level as a mental health counselor in Florida and other states across the nation probably would be better served by choosing the Licensed Mental Health Counselor option. Our curriculum combines core psychological science courses with the coursework and extensive internship experience required by the State of Florida, which has one of the most challenging requirements for independent practice at the Master's level. Therefore, many of our graduates have had most or all coursework and supervised clinical experience necessary for licensure when they move to other states.

Students from our program who seek to continue their training at the doctoral level have successfully gained admission to doctoral programs around the country. The coursework required for the Counseling Psychology (thesis) Option has been designed to give our graduates the essential foundation for doctoral level training in clinical or counseling psychology. While still emphasizing the applied aspects of clinical/counseling psychology, this option has a stronger research focus and requires completion of a research based thesis as well as field placement. Active involvement and demonstration of competence in research is essential for admission into a doctoral program and is supported by completion of the thesis.

No. You will receive a Master's Degree from the University, not a license which only states can issue. Training programs such as ours, whether they be on the masters or doctoral level, are best considered as Pre-Licensure programs. Regardless of which state you seek licensure in, you will need additional supervised clinical experience (1500 hours in the state of Florida). Having a license to practice independently as a counselor provides more employment options, including private practice, but graduates from the Counseling Psychology (thesis) option also obtain jobs in the counseling field or in other settings (e.g., research; government; military) that utilize applied psychological training.

Yes, no problem. However, be sure to discuss this with your advisor and the program coordinator. Program completion time is usually increased if you switch from the thesis (Counseling Psychology) option to the Pre-Licensure option which requires more coursework.

Usually about 20 – 35% of our MA students wish to go on to the doctoral level. As far as the program knows, only one student in 10 years did not get into a doctoral program after graduating from UWF, and this was likely due to the limited number of applications that were submitted.

This is completely up to the Ph.D. program. Recent grads at Central Michigan, Colorado State and Central Florida told us that their programs accepted 30 hours from our master’s program.

There is no place in our program for students to be competitive. We have too many group projects, so we strongly encourage a cooperative culture. Students tend to make close friends with their cohorts, which is also strongly encouraged. Different classes do different things: some hold weekly happy hours, some form bowling teams and other find other activities to bring them together.

The School of Psychological and Behavioral Sciences does not include study abroad as part of its core curriculum, however, a student can choose to do an international internship.

The better students take responsibility for their learning. They show initiative and creativity. We encourage students to worry more about learning and less about what grade they will receive as grades don’t get you jobs, knowledge does. Successful students do their prep work for class, participate in discussions, and accept feedback. We will teach you the knowledge and skills you need for the next level (doctoral program or work setting).

With the exception of one or more elective courses, graduate and undergraduate students do not attend the same class. Graduate classes are typically smaller, seminar style, whereas undergraduate classes are typically more lecture format.

Each student should work with their faculty advisor to choose a schedule that is right for them. Some classes are fixed because of when they are offered, but other will offer you a choice. A sample schedule is mailed out to all incoming students for the fall semester.