The graduate curriculum is rooted in a core of required courses in research methods and content areas of psychology. All students are required to take a two semester sequence in quantitative methods in their first year. During the first three years of the program, students take courses in multicultural issues, applied research methods, social psychology, personality, developmental psychology, cognitive/behavioral processes, biological bases of behavior, and psychopathology, as well as elective coursework.
Students participate in practica in our Community Psychological Service and a paid clinical clerkship, which may be in a community or university-based setting. Students participate in at least one year of clerkship and three years of training in the Community Psychological Service. By the time of the internship, students have received a minimum of 1500 hours of supervised clinical experience and are highly competitive for positions in internship programs.
Diversity training includes specialized coursework in multicultural issues in clinical psychology, the integration of diversity-relevant material across the curriculum, and clinical training with diverse populations in campus-based and community placements. A number of our faculty members and students have received training in issues specific to sexual orientation and are members of the campus Safe Zone community.
The program is designed to be completed in five years of full-time study; however, it should be noted that some students have graduated in six or more years after beginning the program. This primarily occurs when students elect to take advantage of optional research and clinical opportunities prior to the internship. Students have a maximum of seven years to complete all program requirements.
Graduates of the clinical program have been highly successful in securing positions in the clinical psychology field. Initial employment settings of recent graduates include: post-doctoral fellowships in university affiliated research centers and hospitals, universities, Veteran's Administration Medical Centers, and staff psychologist positions in private and public hospitals. Their job duties include interventions research, program development and evaluation, coordination and supervision of services, and direct assessment and treatment.
Students who are admitted to the program are usually assigned a graduate assistantship for their first two years in the program. The graduate assistantship includes teaching, advising, administrative and/or research responsibilities. Duties are assigned in accordance with students' interests, training, and experience. The amount of the graduate stipend for 2024-2025 will be a minimum of $18,000 for first year students. In addition to this support, students with graduate assistantships are exempt from tuition (both instate and out-of-state). Students from underrepresented groups may receive special assistantship funds.
Advanced students (third year and beyond) will ordinarily have part-time clerkship or other professional positions either on or off campus providing support in the range of $18,000 to $22,000, with full tuition scholarships (both instate and out-of state tuition is covered). Additional financial assistance is offered in the form of loans through the University Financial Aid Office.
For students with assistantships and clerkships, total fees (i.e., books, technology fees, activity fees, parking) per year are approximately $1500 in each of the first three years and may be between $1500 and $2000 in later years, depending upon residency status and course schedule.
