A minimum of 120 credit hours is required for a Bachelor of Science, followed by 42 credits for the Master of Science in Applied Behavior Analysis.

Mount St. Mary’s University 5-year dual degree program provides a five-year pathway to earning a Bachelor of Science in Psychology and a Master of Science in Applied Behavior Analysis preparing you to create socially significant improvement in individuals’ lives. Further, through coursework, supervised fieldwork, and a capstone research project, graduates are prepared for numerous professional paths including direct clinical care, school-based intervention, and/or doctoral studies.

There are two phases to the Dual Degree program:

Phase I:  Students pursing the dual degree pathway will enroll at the MSMU Emmitsburg (main) campus to pursue their BS degree in psychology.  Completion of the BS degree requires a minimum of 120 credits and fulfilling the requirements of the both the core curriculum and major. Students may seek acceptance into the dual degree program starting freshman year until end of Junior year Fall semester. Students begin phase II by transitioning into the MS program during year four.

Phase II:  During year four, students will complete major requirements for the BS and begin course work in the Master’s program.  Students on the main campus attend graduate classes, held on our Frederick campus, in person, however accommodations are possible if attending class in person is a barrier to attendence.   Full-time graduate course work begins in the summer between years four and five with all graduate course work offered either in person at our Frederick campus or via web conferencing.

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Application Process:

Students interested in pursuing the 5-year dual degree will indicate their interest to their academic advisor and contact the chair of the Psychology Department - slezak@msmary.edu. 

Eligible students will generally have a 3.0 or higher overall GPA and C+ or higher in Research Methods and Statistics, Introduction to ABA and Experimental Learning. Students should apply to graduate school by the end of their Junior year, at the latest, but may begin applying as soon as they have completed PSYCH 220.

To apply, visit https://msmary.edu/graduate-applications.html