University of Central Florida

Counseling and Psychology Degrees at UCF

The University of Central Florida appears in our ranking of the 50 Top Online Bachelor of Psychology Degree Programs.

Psychology students have a bevy of options for study at the University of Central Florida. They may study online degrees and traditional, in-classroom degrees at both the undergraduate and graduate levels. There are even Ph.D.s in three categories: Clinical Psychology, Industrial-Organizational Psychology, and Human Factors and Cognitive Psychology. The Clinical Psychology program comprises 84 credits, 15 of which regard the dissertation. The program has an extremely focused research component.

The Industrial and Organizational Psychology degree also devotes 15 credit hours to the dissertation, but it includes more electives than the Clinical Psychology degree. Students must also teach at least one undergraduate psychology course to complete this Ph.D. The requirements for the Human Factors and Cognitive Psychology Ph.D. are similar.

The master’s programs at UCF are no less intense. There are three subfields: Clinical Psychology, Applied Experimental and Human Factors Psychology, and Industrial and Organizational Psychology. Students may pursue a Master of Arts or a Master of Science in Clinical Psychology. In the Clinical Psychology program, students may also select a track that requires a thesis or a track that does not. The nonthesis track is a prelicensure track whereas the thesis track is not. Each master’s degree requires roughly 60 – 65 credits, depending on selected electives, and has different foci based upon the student’s choices.

Undergraduates may select from the following six tracks:

• Neuroscience Track
• Experimental Psychology Track
• General Psychology Track
• Human Factors Psychology Track
• Industrial and Organizational Psychology Track
• Clinical Psychology Track

Each of these involves a 120-credit program with various practica and internships. Many internships or co-ops must be approved by the faculty prior to enrollment to ensure their standards meet those of UCF.

As far as online psychology degrees go, students may earn bachelor’s or master’s degrees in the same concentrations as their brick-and-mortar compatriots. Students may also pursue certificates that are applicable to the study of psychology, such as Crime Analysis, Autism Spectrum Disorders, Gifted Education, and Theoretical and Applied Ethics.

About UCF

UCF is gigantic, with nearly 60,000 students, and this places it as the second-largest university in the country behind only Arizona State University. The school is fairly new among other universities of such prestige. It was founded in 1963. Over more than five decades, the school has expanded from its humble, commuter-based beginnings to its current, size-of-a-small-city enrollment and campus size of more than two square miles.

U.S. News and World Report ranks UCF as No. 165 among National Universities. As a leading research university, UCF has earned high marks for innovation. The university ranks No. 10 among Most Innovative Schools. Additionally, UCF is No. 87 in Top Public Schools. UCF’s online ranking is No. 16 in the country.

UCF Accreditation Details

UCF’s regional accreditation comes from the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges. The degree programs at UCF have their own specialized accreditations, which include:

• American Physical Therapy Association
• American Psychological Association
• American Speech-Language-Hearing Association
• Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Management Education
• Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education
• Commission on English Language Program Accreditation
• Joint Review Committee on Education in Radiologic Technology
• Liaison Committee on Medical Education
• National Association of Schools of Music
• National Association of Schools of Theatre
• National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education
• Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing Inc.
• Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs
• Commission on Accreditation for Health Informatics and Information Management Education
• Network of Schools of Public Policy, Affairs, and Administration
• National Accrediting Agency for Clinical Laboratory Sciences
• Council on Social Work Education
• The Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business
• Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology Inc.

UCF Application Requirements

UCF accepts roughly half of its freshman applicants. Freshmen must submit either an SAT or ACT score and full transcripts from all high schools attended. Students who earned a GED must submit records of all applicable studies. An application essay is encouraged but not required.

Graduate students must have the next-lower degree to be eligible for the next higher, such as needing a master’s degree to apply for doctoral studies. Students must have earned at least a 3.0 GPA on all of their previous studies to progress to the next level. Doctoral candidates must also pass the Graduate Record Examination. UCF now accepts unofficial transcripts at all levels prior to admission. Accepted students must then send full official transcripts.

Tuition and Financial Aid

Undergraduate tuition for Florida residents at UCF, including room and board, is $17,578. Nonresidents pay $33,688. Graduate tuition is $16,670 for residents and $31,514 for nonresidents. Tuition for online undergraduate students is $5,028 for residents and $10,758 for nonresidents. Online graduate students pay $5,902 and $12,518, based on residency. Transportation, books, fees, and incidentals come to about $6,000 annually too.

At UCF, students may apply for grants, including work-study, scholarships, and loans to help defray the costs of attendance. The university offers some itself, and students may look elsewhere as they wish. Many types of financial aid are need-based, and some are merit-based. Students may qualify for one or the other or both. To find out the types of aid for which they qualify, students should begin with the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, shortened to FAFSA. The school will use that form, which includes income, tax, and asset information for the student and the student’s parents, and make a determination regarding which financial aid students may access.

Students may always seek loans, particularly unsubsidized loans, no matter the school’s financial aid determination. Unsubsidized loans are those where the student must pay both the interest on the principal and on the interest generated from the principal while enrolled. Subsidized loans, which are usually need-based, cover all interest until the student graduates. Many grants and scholarships have academic requirements, and failure to meet those requirements can result in both money already awarded and money to be awarded to become unsubsidized loans. Students with questions regarding their financial aid should contact the Financial Aid Office.

The University of Central Florida provides students with the ability to pursue their educational dreams and goals in an academically powerful environment.