Psychology and Counseling Programs
Medaille College offers a variety of degree programs for undergrads, graduate students and doctoral candidates with an interest in psychology or counseling. Its Bachelor of Arts program provides undergrads with the solid foundation that they need when they enroll in a graduate program. Students will take a minimum of 45 credits of psychology courses and can choose the types of electives they want to take. More than 20 different clubs and organizations provide students with opportunities outside of their courses too.
The college offers two different online programs for graduate students: a Master of Arts in Psychology and a Master of Arts in Clinical Mental Health Counseling. Its psychology program features seven-week classes and allows students to take up to four classes each session. They can finish the general psychology program or choose a concentration in sport psychology. It includes courses such as Cognitive Psychology, Biological Basis of Behavior, Developmental Psychology and Evolutionary Psychology. Those who choose the sport psychology concentration will also take Sport Counseling and Intervention and Coaching and Performance among other classes.
Students in the clinical mental health counseling program can finish their degrees in two years. They can take online classes only or take weekend classes on the university’s Buffalo campus. Students take 17 different seven-week courses and do fieldwork over three semesters. They must do both internships and practicums. Graduate students may need to do a thesis too, though this depends on the program.
Also available through this university is a doctoral program in clinical psychology. This is only available as an on-campus program and requires that students work with both their peers and their advisors. It typically takes them five years to finish their doctoral degrees. Doctoral candidates work in small groups or cohorts, which create a collaborative environment that helps them learn from each other. The program requires that students do an internship that lasts for a full year and that they present and submit a dissertation at the end of their studies.
About Medaille College
Medaille College is a small private college in Buffalo that caters to students from both the United States and Canada. Its campus sits close to the border between the two countries and makes it easy for Canadian students to take classes. Established in 1875, the Sisters of Saint Joseph opened the school and ran it as a training academy for teachers. After getting a charter from the state in the 1930s, it became Mount Saint Joseph College. This college added more degrees and programs in the 1960s and adopted the Medaille College name. That name change also led to the college becoming a nondenominational school.
Featured Programs
The college served as a commuter school for many years and did not add its first residence halls until the early 2000s. That led to a small increase in enrollment as students now had the option of living on-campus. The college also introduced online programs in 2010 that now allow students to study both psychology and counseling from home. Medaille College is a liberal arts college with an enrollment of around 2,600 students. It ranks as one of the best colleges for veterans.
Medaille College Accreditation Details
Medaille has the regional accreditation that is a requirement for those seeking financial aid. That accreditation comes from the Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE) and also allows the university to accept credits earned at another school. The university’s business and teaching programs also have accreditation.
Medaille College Application Requirements
Though all Medaille College must submit an online application, the other requirements they must complete will vary from one level to the next. As the college has a rolling admissions policy, it does not have a set deadline. It does encourage students to apply in the late fall or the early spring if they need financial aid though. Undergrads can either submit proof that they have a GED and their scores on that test or a high school transcript and either an ACT or SAT score. Medaille recommends that prospective undergrads submit a personal essay and/or letters of recommendation too.
The requirements for graduate students include a letter of intent that explains how the student’s own goals fit with the program and what the student did to prepare for graduate school. They can also write about what they want to do with their degrees in this letter. Students will submit three letters of recommendation from either academic or employment references and complete an interview. The college allows students to do interviews either in person or online. Psychology students only need to submit two letters of recommendation. The college also requires proof that the student has a bachelor’s degree such as an official college or university transcript.
Those entering the doctoral program must use an online application and submit their own transcripts too. They will also provide a GRE score unless the individual has a grade point average of 3.5 or higher. The college requires a statement that addresses the strengths and weaknesses of the applicant, how the student prepared for doctoral studies and the professional goals the student has. Medaille asks for three letters of reference and an interview too.
Tuition and Financial Aid
Undergrads taking classes on the college’s Buffalo campus will pay $14,750 each semester as a full-time student and $971 per credit hour as a part-time student. Graduate students enrolled in a counseling or psychology program pay $955 per credit hour and a technology fee of $65 that is due each semester. The cost for doctoral candidates is $1,257 per credit hour. All of the college’s online programs in these fields provide students with a 10% discount on the total cost of their classes.
Medaille offers merit scholarships for incoming freshmen who have strong applications and high grades and/or test scores. The exact amount that students receive will depend on their grades and scores. Alumni can nominate students, which will result in those students getting scholarships too. There are six scholarship programs that award money to graduate and adult students also. Most of these programs are only open to students taking classes on the college’s campus and give them up to $10,000. Students should use the FAFSA to apply for standard federal and state aid. Medaille College designs financial aid packages for all its psychology and counseling majors.