For Immediate Release
GALLATIN, TN—Welch College recently learned that its accreditor, the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACS), has approved its proposed Master of Arts (M.A.) degree in Psychology, according to Dr. Kevin Hester, Welch Vice President for Institutional Effectiveness.
Dr. Belle S. Wheelan, SACSCOC Commission on Colleges President, explained in a letter that “it was the decision of the Board to approve the program and include it in the scope of accreditation.”
“This means we have the go-ahead to roll out the new Welch M.A. in Psychology in the fall as planned,” Hester said. “It’s always wonderful to receive approval from accreditors for programs like this. Welch College is held to high standards of quality, and SACSCOC’s role is to ensure that we meet those standards.”
Welch is currently enrolling the inaugural class for the M.A. in Psychology. “We encourage students who are interested in bringing a strong Christian worldview to bear on the study of psychology to join us this fall,” Dr. Sarah Bracey, coordinator of the program, said. “This will be a program of excellence that will prepare students who envision future graduate study in psychology and related fields with a thoroughgoing Christian vision for soul care and mental health.”
The 34-hour program will be available online and on-campus. Including a 16-hour Psychology core with planned clinical and research tracks, the program builds on existing strengths in the B.S. degree in Psychology and will make use of a limited number of existing courses in other master’s programs.
“The M.A. in Psychology offers us an exciting opportunity to shape future practitioners in the social sciences with a distinctly Christian worldview approach to soul care,” Provost Matthew McAffee said. “Under the able leadership of Dr. Sarah Bracey, we believe this program will garner success in drawing a unique set of students to graduate studies at Welch.”
The program is designed to provide a shorter, more general psychology master’s for students who are unsure of which specialty within psychology they wish to pursue.
Graduates of the M.A. in Psychology will be well positioned to transfer coursework into more specialized programs at other institutions. Welch plans to pursue transfer agreements with other graduate programs in areas like clinical psychology, counseling, and social work.
The degree is also designed to meet the needs of pastors and ministry workers who may have an interest in pursuing coursework that will help them better serve their churches and communities.
Interested students are encouraged to email Dr. Sarah Bracey at sbracey@welch.edu or visit welch.edu/mapsychology.