Terminal Master of Science Programs 

Students may pursue terminal MS in Behavioral Health or in Psychological Science. 

Students who apply to the terminal MS Program in Behavioral Health primarily are interested in future careers in clinical practice, applied research, or public health policy. Conversely, students who apply to the terminal MS 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). 

The terminal MS program in Psychological Science began in 2002; the terminal MS program in Behavioral Health began in 2014. Since their inception, 125 students have graduated from our terminal MS programs: 52% of our graduates enter the workforce following completion of the MS degree, 27% enter doctoral programs (in clinical, counseling, developmental, industrial/organizational, school, and social psychology), 10% pursue an additional master’s degree (e.g., counseling, nursing, social work), 7% enter medical school, and 4% enter law school. Our graduates and their career trajectories after the MS degree are detailed in the “Program Graduates” sections for Behavioral Health and Psychological Science.

Students who graduate from our terminal master’s programs complete the MS degree in 1 to 1.5 years and do not receive any supervised clinical training; thus, our terminal MS 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 terminal MS programs do not qualify a graduate for licensure or certification after completion of the program, many of our 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 terminal programs (e.g., BCBA, PhD, PsyD, etc.).

Applications for the terminal 4+1 MS 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 BS in Psychology may earn the MS in Psychology 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
Internal applicants may enter the terminal 4+1 MS programs 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 in October.

For an optimal graduate class size and faculty/student ratio, the department generally restricts total annual enrollment across all terminal MS programs to 20 students.

Admission Requirements
Acceptance is competitive and based on the decision of the Department of Psychology’s MS Education 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 (note: the average GPA of students admitted to our 4+1 programs over the past 11 years was 3.65). 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 MS degree.

Applications for the terminal accelerated MS programs are accepted from students who complete a baccalaureate degree in psychology from an accredited university. 

Application Deadline
External applicants may enter the accelerated 1.5 year MS programs only during the fall semester of any academic year. The deadline for receipt of the COMPLETED APPLICATION, INCLUDING ALL SUPPORTING MATERIALS is April 1. There are no rolling admissions. The online application opens annually in October.

For an optimal graduate class size and faculty/student ratio, the department generally restricts total annual enrollment across all terminal MS programs to 20 students.

Admission Requirements
Acceptance is competitive and based on the decision of the Department of Psychology’s MS Education Committee. Undergraduate GPA is weighted heavily in admissions decisions, insofar as a graduate GPA of 3.0 must be maintained. Students must have a minimum undergraduate GPA of 3.4 for acceptance. Additionally, a letter grade of "B" or higher in an undergraduate psychology statistics course is required for acceptance.

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. The 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 terminal MS programs. Students should contact Tulane Financial Aid for FAFSA and/or private loan information.