The 4+1 terminal Master of Science (M.S.) Programs in Psychology provide qualified students earning a baccalaureate degree from Tulane University and Xavier University of Louisiana with graduate training in psychology. The goal of the 4+1 programs is to prepare students for their next step of graduate training (e.g., doctoral program, medical school, law school) or entry into the workforce. Students may pursue the M.S. in Psychological Science or in Behavioral Health.
Students who apply to the 4+1 M.S. Program in Psychological Science are interested in obtaining a broad background in psychology at the graduate level (or they may be interested in a specific area such as social psychology or developmental psychology). Conversely, students who apply to the 4+1 M.S. Program in Behavioral Health primarily are interested in future careers in clinical practice, applied research, or public health policy.
The 4+1 Program in Psychological Science began in 2002; the 4+1 Program in Behavioral Health began in 2014. Since their inception, 115 students have graduated from our 4+1 programs: 52% of our graduates enter the workforce following completion of the M.S. degree, 30% enter doctoral programs (in clinical, counseling, developmental, industrial/organizational, school, and social psychology), 10% enter medical school, and 8% enter law school. Our 4+1 graduates and career trajectories after the M.S. degree are detailed in the “Program Graduates” sections for Psychological Science and Behavioral Health.
Students who graduate from our accelerated 4+1 terminal master’s programs complete the M.S. degree in 1 year and do not receive any supervised clinical training; thus, our 4+1 programs are not “health service psychology” programs as defined by the American Psychological Association (APA) Standards of Accreditation for Health Service Psychology: Master’s Programs. APA-accredited health service psychology programs are expected to prepare students for entry-level clinical practice at the master’s level. For accreditation as a health service psychology program, APA requires a minimum of 2 academic years of graduate-level study prior to receiving the master’s degree as well as supervised clinical training. Although our 4+1 programs do not qualify a graduate for licensure or certification after completion of the program, many of our 4+1 graduates have pursued careers in health service psychology and/or successfully achieved licensure/certification. Some have received on-the-job training; others have pursued additional training/education after graduating from our 4+1 programs (e.g., BCBA, PhD, PsyD, etc.).
Admissions Information
Applications for the 4+1 programs are accepted only from students pursuing a baccalaureate degree from Tulane University and Xavier University of Louisiana (XULA). Per the Tulane-XULA MOU, Xavier students who earn the B.S. in Psychology or Neuroscience may earn the M.S. in Psychology or Neuroscience at Tulane University. Xavier students should consult the Consortium policy available at: https://registrar.tulane.edu/consortium). Applications must be submitted through the online application system.
Application Deadlines: Students may enter the 4+1 program during either the fall or spring semester of any academic year. The deadline for receipt of the COMPLETED APPLICATION, INCLUDING ALL SUPPORTING MATERIALS is April 1 to start in the fall semester and December 1 to start in the spring semester. There are no rolling admissions, and we do not accept early applications (i.e., students may not apply until the last semester of their Senior year). The online application opens annually on September 9.
For an optimal graduate class size and faculty/student ratio, the department generally restricts total annual enrollment across both 4+1 programs to 12 students.
Acceptance is competitive and based on the decision of the 4+1 Admissions Committee, which is a faculty subcommittee of the Department of Psychology Graduate Training Committee. Undergraduate GPA is weighted heavily in admissions decisions, insofar as a graduate GPA of 3.0 must be maintained. As seen in the table below, undergraduate GPAs have been relatively stable across applicants over the last 5 years (note: the average GPA of students admitted to our 4+1 programs over the past 5 years was 3.73). Letter grade in PSYC 3090 (Univariate Statistics I) also is weighted heavily in admissions decisions, insofar as at least one graduate statistics course is required for the M.S. degree.
Costs
Tuition and fees for all university schools are determined per fiscal year by university administration. The most recent tuition and fees table can be found on the Accounts Receivable website. Although SSE graduate tuition is assessed by the credit hour, Tulane alumni and students under the Xavier MOU are eligible for a special discounted 4+1 tuition rate (i.e., reduced in comparison to the full-price standard graduate tuition rate). The discounted rate in 2023-2024 is $11,357 per semester, based on an enrollment of 15 credit hours/semester. This tuition rate does not include the required Tulane University fees. Information on fees may be found on the Tulane Accounts Receivable website. In addition, all students are required to have health insurance while enrolled at Tulane.
There is no internal funding available for the 4+1 M.S. programs. Students should contact Tulane Financial Aid for FAFSA and/or private loan information.
For Currently Enrolled Students
Changing 4+1 Tracks
4+1 master’s students may petition the Graduate Training Committee in the Department of Psychology to change tracks (e.g., from the thesis track to the non-thesis track, from the Behavioral Health program to the Psychological Science program, etc.). It is recommended that students craft their petition with the faculty advisor’s support. Ultimately, the Faculty will vote on whether or not a student’s petition to change tracks/programs is granted.
