As a way to encourage higher education, the Psychology department in the Colin Powell School at CCNY provides students with the option to fast track their Master’s degree with a 4-year B.A./M.A. program. With over 120 students, this program has been incredibly appealing to students, says professor Robert Melara, director of the B.A./M.A. program and chair of the psychology department.
“Most of our students get financial aid so financial aid is paying for their master’s degree,” said Melara. “The graduate courses they’re taking are considered undergraduate so they’re charged the undergraduate rate.”
“I think one of the nice things about the B.A./M.A. program is that New York City is being flooded with high performing students who have counseling skills. The environment is transforming with students being placed in the network of counseling and research services that the city provides.”
While the standard psychology degree has a 120-credit requirement including general electives, the B.A./M.A. The program replaces those elective courses with graduate-level learning to complete the Master’s degree. With two pathway options, students have the choice to pursue a degree specialized in Credentialed Alcohol and Substance Abuse Counseling (CASAC) or Psychology Research – some students choose both.
The CASAC program is a clinical intensive program that prepares students for a credentialed Alcohol and Substance Abuse Counselor trainee certificate awarded by the New York State Office of Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Services (OASAS). Most B.A./M.A. students participate in this track in order to get clinical experience that they can apply toward their preferred field and higher education opportunities. Along with coursework focused on substance abuse and counseling methodologies and completing a thesis, students gain hands-on experience in an internship site of their choosing.
As preparation for this internship, students engage in a practicum course, working with advisors the department of psychology faculty and other administrators to workshop resumes and cover letters, secure an internship site and overall ensure readiness for the real-world experience internships provide.
Korina Moncada, a fourth-year psychology student concentrating in the CASAC program, is currently participating in her clinical internship. The position entails attending sessions on topics such as: coping and treatment tools, and psychoeducation; as well as conducting individual and group sessions with clients, and intake administration. “Learning about substance abuse and learning how to treat people is a great foundation of learning how people cope overall. I see it as a good tool to eventually get me to where I envision myself,” Moncada added. “I saw the B.A./M.A. program as an opportunity to have a secure job in a field that I’m interested in and eventually pursue clinical psychology with children.”
“I feel like each counselor is like a teacher or mentor to me,” she said. “Every time I shadow their individual or group sessions, they’re using tools that I know I’m going to be using and are going to strengthen my application when I pursue my PhD.”
Another CASAC student has found a passion in substance abuse related work and hopes to specialize in this field in order to give back to her Muslim community. Yasmin Abdelgadir is a graduating senior who is ready to give back through psychological treatment. “There’s a lot of stigma within the Muslim community especially about substance abuse and alcoholism; it’s not something we really talk about as a community,” said Abdelgadir.
“Knowing they’re talking to someone that has cultural sensitivity and wants to help, creates a safer and more comfortable space for the patient.”
“We’re an evolutionary species that changes all the time,” added Abdelgadir. “With the right tools and the right resources, we can change to be the better versions of ourselves.”
The second track that Psychology students can choose into is the Research track. In this pathway, students embark on a research journey to complete and submit a full literature review in their research area of choice. The department recently developed a year-long capstone course that takes students from beginning to end on their thesis with the guidance of an instructor.
“Students pursuing a research degree typically want to have some traction in doing research and having done a thesis, which is their own independent research project, is a nice calling card for showing that they are capable of doing thesis-level work,” said Professor Melara. “PhD programs are incredibly competitive, especially in the New York area so anyone who has both research and clinical experiences has an edge that’ll help in their career goals.”