BGS vs BA

[raybigs92]

Has anyone completed a BGS (Bachelor of General Studies) with a major in Psychology (in the States) and had success when applying for Masters programs in psychology?

I am hoping to get into a Canadian program but never see the BGS listed on the admission criteria..

[lewin]

I'm not familiar with that compared to a BA/BSc. What's the difference? Most graduate programs would expect that your undergraduate degree: (1) was four years (2) included psych courses (3) had an honours thesis or equivalent. I think if you have those three things you're definitely fine, if you're missing any it has the potential to hurt your application.

[raybigs92]

Thanks for your reply! I am concerned that my application won't be considered with the BGS rather than BA or BSc format if it is unknown outside of the States. Will my transcript be reviewed in depth to see that I have in fact completed a degree that is almost identical to a BA or will it be cast aside? There is very little difference between a BA and BGS at my University (all requirements are the same except the BGS does not require a foreign language component, BGS requires a minor as well as a major). It is a four year program and my major was Psychology (46/124 credit hours were Psychology). There was no honours thesis component however. Is an honours thesis something all Canadian graduate programs are expecting applicants to have? I could take an honours year in Australia but I would prefer to not have to take this route if there is another option.

[lewin]

I picked three psychology programs semi-randomly. Two just said "a four year bachelor's degree" without specifying type and one didn't even refer to what undergraduate degree one needed. So I bet you'll be fine but if you're concerned there are always administrators in charge of admissions at each program that you can contact to check.

And none said anything about an honours thesis as a formal requirement, though I happen to know that all the grad students in my year did one. I suspect anything that indicates firsthand research experience could substitute (e.g., independent project, RA work). In your statement of interest you need to talk about what kind of research you like and a thesis (or other experience) helps you do that in a more informed way.

Edited June 2, 2012 by lewin00