For Immediate Release
GALLATIN, TN—Welch College plans to unveil a new Master of Arts (M.A.) degree in Psychology this fall, according to Provost Matthew McAffee. Pending accreditor approval, the program is set to launch August 25, 2025.
This new program will be the sixth master’s degree available from Welch College, joining existing master’s programs in Humanities, Organizational Leadership, Teaching, Theology and Ministry, and the Master of Divinity degree.
The proposed 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. 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,” 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 proposed program would be well positioned to transfer coursework into more specialized programs at other institutions. Upon approval, 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. “This program has been designed not only to benefit students interested in an advanced degree from a Christian worldview,” Bracey said, “but the dividends of their training and skill sets will also spread to local churches and the communities they serve.”
Welch will begin enrolling students in the program after accreditor approval, yet prospective students interested in the degree may contact Dr. Bracey at sbracey@welch.edu for more information.
In other program news, Welch College intends to close its Associate of Science in Business Technology and Bachelor of Science in Early Childhood. The college will teach out these programs for any current students but will not enroll students in these programs after August 23, 2025.
The Associate of Science in Business Technology is being closed for a lack of interest. Individuals with questions related to this closure should contact Dr. Rebecca Deel at rdeel@welch.edu.
The Bachelor of Science in Early Childhood is being closed because of recent changes in the Tennessee Department of Education. Welch will continue to offer the Associate of Science in Early Childhood (which has become the industry norm for daycare workers rather than the four-year degree).
Additionally, the college will continue to offer the Bachelor of Science in Child Development and Learning (K-5), which can be applied in preschool settings and has the added benefit of providing state licensure for elementary school teachers. Individuals with questions related to this closure should contact Dr. Stephen Beck at sbeck@welch.edu.