Students enrolled in the Department of Psychology's master's program may, through selection of appropriate distribution and elective courses, choose to specialize or focus in the area of General Psychology. UB's M.A. degree with a specialization in General Psychology does not provide training for specific careers. In order to work as a professional psychologist, it is necessary to earn a Ph.D. (a doctorate). Many students enroll in UB's M.A. program with a specialization in General Psychology for one of two reasons: First, some students know they want to earn a Ph.D. in psychology, but they are uncertain about which area of psychology to specialize or focus in. By enrolling in our M.A. program, they can take advanced courses in several subfields of psychology, learn more about psychology and focus their interests, and then apply for and gain acceptance into a doctoral program. Second, some students find that they need to strengthen their credentials before they can gain acceptance into a psychology Ph.D. program. By enrolling in our M.A. program, they can show their ability to earn good grades in graduate-level courses and they can gain research experience that can strengthen their applications to doctoral programs.