Students who meet criteria can now pursue Master of Arts in Mental Health
Students graduating from the University of Guelph-Humber’s Psychology and Community Social Services (CSS) (soon to be Social Services & Well-Being Studies [SSWS]) programs who are interested in pursuing graduate school now have access to a guaranteed admission pathway, upon meeting outlined criteria, to the Master of Arts in Mental Health at the University of Guelph.
This pathway benefits students who are interested in mental health research by making the process of applying and getting into grad school simpler, and it also gives students another option after graduating from U of GH. This pathway, which launched last fall, will see the first cohort of students enter the fully online program later this year.
“For us, this partnership not only supports our commitment to helping students pursue graduate opportunities, but it also underscores that mental health is a cross‑disciplinary priority with relevance across many fields,” CSS/SSWS Chair Dr. Olivia Boukydis said.
Guelph-Humber Psychology and CSS/SSWS students are required to have a minimum average of 75 per cent overall in their final two years of study and the successful completion of the research methods course with at least a 70 per cent grade. Students applying through this pathway do not have to include a resume or letter of interest in their application, and their application fee will be reimbursed once they begin the program.
“What I find particularly exciting is the breadth of opportunity this program creates for students’ future development. This pathway can support students who want to contribute to mental health in a range of ways, whether through community programming, workplace well-being, policy, advocacy, education, or other human service settings,” Psychology Chair Dr. Alice Kim said.
She added, “More broadly, in my view, this pathway helps students see that a Psychology degree can lead to many types of impactful work – it can lead not only to further study, but to thoughtful contributions that support mental health at the level of individuals, communities, organizations, and systems.”
The master’s program is designed to build upon students’ clinical and practical knowledge developed in their undergraduate program, though the program itself is not clinical in nature. It allows students to explore mental health in broader societal contexts, positioning them to pursue multiple career paths upon completion including in government and policy, advocacy, education and student support, workplace and organizational mental health, research, and more. However, this degree does not qualify graduates to become psychotherapists or clinicians.
“What I'm most excited about is it shows there's so many different places that the Guelph-Humber degrees can take our students without saddling them to a specific discipline, but more so contributing to this holistic approach to practice and supporting people experiencing mental health challenges,” Dr. Boukydis said.
Starting Fall 2026, CSS will be called Social Services and Well-Being Studies (SSWS). To learn more about this exciting update, click here.