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University of Minnesota

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Counseling and Psychology Degrees Offered at University of Minnesota

University of Minnesota appears in our ranking of the 30 Most Affordable Master’s in Addiction and Rehabilitation Counseling.

The University of Minnesota is a public research institution that offers one of the top-ranked psychology programs in the world. Classes are available online and on campus, and several online degrees can be completed without residency requirements. The online college within the UMN system is a fully developed feature of the university, and students have access to state-of-the-art learning resources through the online portal. UMN offers the following degrees in counseling and psychology:

  • B.A. Psychology
  • B.S. Psychology
  • M.S. Clinical Science and Psychopathology Science Research
  • M.S. Cognitive and Brain Science
  • M.S. Counseling Psychology
  • M.S. Industrial/Organizational Psychology
  • M.S. Personality, Individual Differences and Behavior Genetics
  • M.S. Quantitative/Psychometric Methods
  • M.S. Social Psychology
  • Ph.D. Psychology

The bachelor’s programs are designed to prepare students for graduate studies or for work in business, teaching and other professions. UMN offers students a choice of a bachelor of arts or a bachelor of science. The B.A. option is the ideal choice for students planning on entering a qualitative field of psychology, such as counseling. For students interested in quantitative methodology, UMN offers the B.S. option, which prepares undergraduates to learn more advanced analytical concepts and conduct research after graduation. The online college at UMN offers a Bachelor of Applied Arts in Psychology. This degree option doesn’t have residency requirements, so it can be completed entirely online.

The Department of Psychology at UMN offers eight master’s options for psychology students. These programs provide students with specialized knowledge built on a foundation of core concepts in psychology. Clinical degree options, such as the M.S. Clinical Science and Psychopathology Science Research program, have practicum requirements. Clinical psychology master’s students must accumulate 450 hours of training in a hospital or clinic. These master’s programs are designed to prepare students for more advanced research and professional work in academic or clinical settings.

Ph.D. students of psychology at UMN will spend four to six years performing research with experienced professors in their area of specialization. The master’s degrees in psychology at UMN are designed to lead into a doctoral program, so Ph.D. students must have a master’s degree before being admitted. The doctoral research in this program covers a wide range of subjects, and students are advised to study as many topics outside of their field of expertise as possible. Some of the suggested topics of study include biology, child development, neuroscience, management and organization, speech pathology, philosophy, and statistics. Students are required to complete 12 to 15 credit hours in a minor subject of their choice.

Featured Programs

The online college at UMN offers several postgraduate certificates for psychology professionals. The Human Sexuality Certificate is designed for counseling and psychology graduates as well as other professionals who work directly with this subject in their careers. The Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health Certificate gives students an added layer of expertise in the area of childhood counseling and psychology. The Integrative Therapies and Healing Practices Certificate is appropriate for counseling and psychology professionals working in a more holistic environment.

About the University of Minnesota

The UMN system has the sixth-largest main campus in the USA. The Twin Cities campus, which includes buildings in Minneapolis and St. Paul, hosts about 51,000 students per year. The university has an endowment of $3.95 billion and a budget of $3.8 billion. With over 3,800 faculty members teaching around 29,000 undergraduates, 6,500 postgraduates and 5,300 doctoral candidates, class sizes are small and students receive personal attention from professors. Notable alumni include Nobel Laureate Bob Dylan, author Garrison Keillor, former vice president Walter Mondale, and astronaut Deke Slayton.

The University of Minnesota Accreditation Details

UMN is accredited by the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools Higher Learning Commission (NCA-HCL). The Department of Education recognizes the NCA-HCL as the regional accrediting agency for the Upper Midwest. All of the campuses within the UMN system are accredited at the institutional level by the NCA-HCL, and most individual departments and programs are accredited by specialized agencies, such as:

  • American Psychological Association
  • Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics
  • Accreditation Commission for Midwifery Education
  • Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education
  • American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy
  • American Bar Association
  • American Board of Funeral Service Education
  • American Dental Association
  • American Occupational Therapy Association
  • Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education
  • Council on Accreditation of Nurse Anesthesia Educational Programs
  • National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education

This list is only partial, and many more agencies have provided accreditation for various degree programs. Regional and programmatic accreditations ensure that credits earned at UMN can be transferred to any university in the country.

The University of Minnesota Application Requirements

Admissions to UMN are competitive, and the acceptance rate is 50 percent. Candidates can begin the admissions process by filling out an online application. Approval is based on official transcripts, grade point average, class ranking, SAT or ACT scores, extracurricular activities, letters of recommendation and a personal essay. Some graduate programs, including programs in the psychology department, have work experience requirements. Incoming freshmen must present a high school transcript showing completion of the following courses:

  • Four years of English
  • Four years of history
  • Three years of natural science, including chemistry and biology
  • Three semesters of math, including algebra and geometry
  • Two years of the same foreign language

Tuition and Financial Aid

Tuition at UMN is about $14,760 per year for Minnesota residents and $30,438 per year for non-residents. When financial aid has been calculated, the total cost of education, including books and living expenses, is around $17,000 per year. Students can apply for assistance by filling out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) form. FAFSA offers access to free Pell Grants and low-interest public loans based on the applicant’s financial need. Loans may accrue interest but don’t need to be repaid as long as the borrower maintains half-time enrollment.

The University of Minnesota provides an outstanding experience for psychology majors, graduate students and anyone looking for a challenging, rigorous education.