Requirements

Below are the general course requirements for an MA or PhD degree in Psychology in the School of PII for students not declaring a Specialization. You may customize your electives in either degree program, selecting from a wide range of options to expand your horizons and meet a broad range of future professional opportunities. You may wish to fill your elective credits with courses from one of our Certificate programs [1]; or courses related to one of our Specializations in Consciousness, Spirituality, & Integrative Health [2]; Creativity Studies [3]; Existential, Humanistic, & Transpersonal Psychology [4]; Jungian Studies [5]; or Transformative Social Change [6]. 

If students declare one of the five School of PII Psychology degree program Specializations, their academic requirements will be specific to that focus area. Please see the Requirements under each Specialization for details. 

Please note that students seeking to use their Saybrook degree to obtain licensure in psychology should consider our degrees in Clinical Psychology [7].

Master of Arts (MA) in Psychology

Below are the general course requirements for an M.A. in Psychology in the School of PII for students not declaring a Specialization. 

 * Saybrook transcript must reflect a minimum of 32 completed post-baccalaureate credits of new learning for the MA

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) Degree in Psychology

Doctoral students in the PhD degree program in Psychology must have completed a master’s degree from an accredited institution in order to be admitted to the doctoral program. A limited number of credits may be earned through courses taken as a Saybrook non-degree enrollee or through a non-degree Saybrook Certificate program.

Transfer credits from other regionally-accredited graduate programs are carefully reviewed and are applied to a narrow range of courses in Saybrook’s doctoral programs in the School of PII. For doctoral degree students, courses accepted to satisfy content courses for the degree program must have been completed within the last five years. These credits must be suitable for transfer to the PhD degree in Psychology as determined by the Registrar and degree program director.

The PhD program in Psychology provides flexibility in individual approaches to program planning and the study of Psychology along with a range of opportunities to broaden and deepen knowledge, interests, and areas of academic and professional development. The 83-credit program provides the opportunity to build upon the foundation provided by an M.A. degree. Students develop their own plan from a wide range of options to further nurture areas of knowledge, skill, and expertise to expand the range of future opportunities and endeavors in professional life. This program is not a clinical psychology program nor is it designed to prepare students for future professional licensure.

The Psychology degree program in the School of PII offers adult learners a foundation of scholarship based in the tradition of existential, humanistic, and transpersonal psychology. The degree program also offers additional coursework and research experience in five Specializations. Below are the general course requirements for the PhD degree in Psychology in the School of PII for students not declaring a Specialization. Students may customize their electives in this PhD program, selecting from a wide range of options to expand their horizons and meet a broad array of future professional opportunities. If students declare one of the five Specializations, their academic requirements will be specific to that focus area. Please see the Requirements under each Specialization for details.

* Some courses may be waived if completed during the MA program at Saybrook University within the past five years. If waived, credits must be substituted with Electives.
** Registration in RES 1100B required if practicum research not completed during RES 1100A.
*** May include up to 18 transfer credits (of which 9 may be from cognate fields), completed during a graduate degree program from an accredited university; non-degree Saybrook Certificate credits; or non-degree credits taken at Saybrook University within the last five years. Transfer credits will be determined by the Office of the Registrar in consultation with School of PII Psychology degree program director. Students should consult with their academic advisor as well as their faculty mentor as they plan their electives.
**** Saybrook transcript must reflect a minimum of 65 completed credits of post-master’s learning for the PhD