CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGY (MA/PHD)
Be a leader and an advocate
DePaul Clinical Psychology Virtual Open House 2022 2022/11/01 5pm CDT
DePaul’s Clinical Psychology MA/PhD program emphasizes tra???ining in both scientific research and practice and has been recognized by the APA for training in diversity. You’ll gain a deep understanding of the societal and systemic forces that influence mental health and contribute to disparities in access to adequate health care for poor, urban and ethnically diverse populations. You’ll be prepared to work in the public sector, in an urban environment, with diverse ethnic and socio-economic populations, and with children, teens and families who have been traditionally underserved by psychology.
Choose from two areas of emphasis:
- The community track emphasizes training in prevention, program development, consultation, empowerment and health promotion.
- The child track focuses on developmental psychopathology and treatment of underserved youth in schools and community settings.
The Clinical Psychology MA/PhD is a combined degree. The MA is non-terminal, and the program admits only students intending to earn the PhD. Classes are offered on the Lincoln Park Campus, and this program can be completed in five or six years.
Get a closer look at what it’s like to be in the program. See our Student Admission, Outcomes and Other Data?, Program Manual, Program Highlights, Faculty Diversity Manuscripts and Timeline. See our department's DEI website for more information.
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Hone your skills at DePaul’s own clinic and in greater Chicago
You will receive extensive training while making an impact in the community. Through DePaul’s in-house clinic, you’ll have opportunities to provide mental health services to local families with diverse ethnic and socio-economic backgrounds. You’ll also gain advanced experience in a number of settings in the Chicago area, such as Howard Brown Health Center, Advocate Illinois Masonic Medical Center and John H. Stroger Jr. Hospital of Cook County.
Application Deadlines
The deadline for fall admission is December 1.
Admission Requirements
Submit an online application, GRE scores, official transcripts, course history form, letters of recommendation and a personal statement.
Required Courses
To earn the master’s, you’ll take 20 courses and complete a practicum and thesis. You’ll then take three core PhD courses and three courses in your area of emphasis, complete two practica, an internship and a dissertation.
98%
of Clinical Psychology graduates were employed, continuing their education or pursuing other goals within six months of graduation.
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DePaul’s Clinical Psychology program has received three APA awards—two focused on overall excellence in training and one focused on diversity.
Learn with respected contributors and mentors
Professor Antonio Polo and his students conduct research that addresses youth depression and the needs of early adolescents. Their team works on a coping skills program called Act and Adapt that helps young students learn to handle stress, improve their mood and gain control. They partner with school districts to train and support counselors, social workers and psychologists to deliver this program at dozens of Chicago schools.
“DePaul provided me with opportunities to build my research and teaching portfolio while I was a graduate student in ways that absolutely set me apart when I went on the academic job market. As the director of a sliding-scale community mental health training clinic serving sexual and gender minority clients, I am frequently grateful for the ways my current role supports continued practice of the Vincentian values that were so central to my experience at DePaul.”
Liz (MA/PhD ’19)
Assistant Professor & Director, Sexual and Gender Identities Clinic, Palo Alto University
Alumni Network
You’ll join a network of psychology alumni working in corporate and nonprofit settings and at colleges and universities around the country. You’ll also join a community of more than 201,000 DePaul alumni, the majority of whom live in the Chicago area.
DePaul’s APA-accredited clinical psychology doctoral program trains students in a scientist-practitioner model.
Questions related to the program’s accreditation status should be directed to the Commission on Accreditation:
Office of Program Consultation and Accreditation
American Psychological Association
Education Directorate
750 1st Street, NE, Washington, DC 20002
Phone: (202) 336-5979
Email: apaaccred@apa.org
Web: https://www.apa.org/ed/accreditation
Scholarships
All entering students receive a full-tuition waiver and a stipend for the first three years of study.
Clinical Psychology Admission Requirements
DePaul Clinical Psychology Virtual Open House 2022 2022/11/01 5pm CDT????
Applications are due December 1st.
The Clinical program typically accepts six students per year — three in the Child track, and three in the Community track. Admission is highly competitive, with more than 400 applicants per year. The review process is separate for each track, and admission decisions take into account match to the program and specific faculty who can serve as mentors. Therefore, we strongly encourage you to learn more about the Clinical-Child track, the Clinical-Community track, and our faculty.
Students can only apply to one track and should list 1-3 potential faculty members whom they are interested in having as a primary mentor on their personal statement and application. The community track plans to admit a total of 3 incoming students. Drs. Greeson, Jason, McMahon??? and Snow-Hill will be considering applicants for Autumn 2023 admission. The child tracks plans to admit a total of 3 incoming students. In the child track, Drs. Buscemi, Grant and Tran will be considering applicants for Autumn 2023 admission. DePaul's Clinical Psychology PhD Program will host only a virtual interview day in 2023. Invitations for interviews will be emailed in January 2023 for a virtual interview day on February 3rd in 2023. ??
Click Here to view a recording of the program overview from 2021 Virtual Interview Day.
Click Here? to view a recording of the 2021 Clinical Program Virtual Open House.
Please read through the general instructions before filling out the online application. When filling out the online application please select the Psychology Graduate Programs application, not the College of Science and Health application.
International Admission
Students educated outside the United States must present proof of English proficiency. The program requires a minimum TOEFL score of 96 on the TOEFL iBT, or a minimum IELTS score of 7.0, or a minimum Duolingo score of 125.
For additional information for international students please visit our International Student Admission Process page.
Application Review
Consistent with our mission, the clinical program at DePaul University strongly encourages applications from students from under-represented ethnic minority groups, students with disabilities, and students who demonstrate a commitment to understanding the societal and systemic/ecological forces that have contributed to current manifestations of inequality for many diverse groups such as for low-income, urban, and ethnically diverse populations and on how these conditions influence mental health, family/community processes, and access to mental health services.
The clinical program at DePaul University has decided to eliminate the GRE requirement for admission to our doctoral program during the 2022-2023 admissions cycle. In line with our program aims, we wish to remove the barriers that the recent COVID-19 pandemic and the ongoing racism pandemic have had on applicants' ability to prepare for the GRE. Our program has been conducting holistic review of all applications for many years. This means that the program has never set minimum GRE scores required for admissions, but has used the GRE as one piece of our holistic review. The program recognizes that GRE scores are correlated with ethnicity and sex and that they are unhelpful in predicting the success that students will have in doctoral programs.
We recognize that some applicants may have already taken the GRE and may still wish for their scores to be submitted for evaluation. We also recognize that some students have prepared for the GRE or have been less negatively impacted by either pandemic. The program also knows that when some applicants submit GRE scores, other applicants may perceive that they also need to submit GRE scores to remain competitive. In order to truly eliminate the use of GRE scores, the program is not allowing any applicants to submit GRE scores with their admissions materials. The clinical program at DePaul funds its applicants equally and does not have additional admissions slots for applicants with high GRE scores. Thus, we do not have a compelling reason to continue the use of the GRE during this admissions cycle. This decision will be reviewed and evaluated at the conclusion of the 2022-2023 admissions cycle to determine whether this change will be adopted for further cycles.
Please note that programs at other institutions may be continuing to use the GRE in their admissions process so applicants should review each program's materials.
The holistic review process includes consideration of the following materials:
Previous Preparation in Psychology: Applicants are expected to have had courses in statistics, research methods, abnormal psychology, and other foundational areas of psychology to permit advanced study in this field. Applicants who did not major in psychology as undergraduate students should submit a brief narrative detailing their related experience.
Letters of Recommendation: Applicants should provide three letters of recommendation that address the applicant’s academic abilities, potential for conducting research, and ability to work with others.
Personal Statement: The program uses the personal statement to evaluate fit for the program’s overall objectives. Applicants are encouraged to highlight their research interests and name faculty members with whom they would like to work with the track of interest (child or community). Please note that each track reviews applications separately so applicants should list only faculty members within one particular track. The personal statement should not exceed two pages in length (single-spaced).
Curriculum Vitae: Applicants are encouraged to submit a curriculum vitae (CV) to provide a comprehensive overview of their training and experience within the field of psychology. The CV is intended to complement the personal statement.
Application Fee: The application fee is $40. If for any reason you would like to request a waiver of the application fee, you many contact the graduate coordinator (lgriggs@depaul.edu? )for information.
Application Resources: Applying to graduate school in clinical psychology is challenging and many more qualified applicants apply than are able to be admitted to the program each year. Below, please find some helpful resources to consider as you prepare your application materials. ?
- clinicalpsychgradschool.org
- cudcp.org/
- bridgepsychology.org Building Roads to Inclusion and Diversity in Graduate Education
- Applying to Psych Grad School in the Time of COVID by Mitch Prinstein, PhD, ABPP. This video offers an overview of different careers in psychology and mental health, degree options, the application process for doctoral programs in psychology, and tips for getting admitted.
- Getting into Psych Grad School – A Panel for BIPOC students
- Preparing and Applying for Graduate School in Psychology hosted by the American Psychological Association
- Applying to Graduate School ?by the UC San Diego Department of Psychology. Three videos including: How to Apply to Graduate School, Building a Foundation for Application Success, and Five Essential Qualities of Successful Grad Applicants ?
Degree Requirements
MA/PhD Degree Requirements
The Clinical Psychology MA/PhD is a combined degree. The MA is non-terminal and, therefore, only students intending to confer the PhD are admitted.
MA Course Requirements
The MA portion of the combined degree program requires a minimum of 64 quarter hours beyond the completion of a bachelor’s degree, including four quarter hours of thesis research.
Core Courses
| Course | Title | Quarter Hours |
|---|---|---|
| PSY 406 | PHYSIOLOGICAL PROCESSES | 4 |
| PSY 461 | ETHICS & HISTORY OF PSYCHOLOGY SEMINAR | 4 |
| PSY 499 | INTRODUCTION TO CLINICAL SKILLS, CONSULTATION, AND SUPERVISION (3 quarters) | 0 |
| Select one of the following: | 4 | |
|
PSY 404 |
PERCEPTION AND COGNITION | |
|
PSY 426 |
LANGUAGE AND COGNITION | |
|
PSY 473 |
THE PSYCHOLOGY OF JUDGMENT AND DECISION- MAKING | |
| Select one of the following: | 4 | |
|
PSY 430 |
SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY OF THE SELF | |
|
PSY 556 |
PREJUDICE AND INTERGROUP RELATIONS | |
|
PSY 560 |
SOCIAL COGNITION | |
| Select one of the following: | 4 | |
|
PSY 439 |
COGNITIVE DEVELOPMENT | |
|
PSY 554 |
EMOTIONAL DEVELOPMENT | |
|
PSY 555 |
SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT | |
Statistics and Methodology Courses
| Course | Title | Quarter Hours |
|---|---|---|
| PSY 410 | ADVANCED STATISTICS I | 4 |
| PSY 411 | ADVANCED STATISTICS II | 4 |
| PSY 420 | QUANTITATIVE RESEARCH DESIGN | 4 |
| Select one of the following: | 4 | |
|
PSY 418 |
MULTIVARIATE STATISTICAL ANALYSIS | |
|
PSY 419 |
FACTOR ANALYSIS AND STRUCTURAL EQUATION MODELING | |
Additional Courses
| Course | Title | Quarter Hours |
|---|---|---|
| PSY 481 | CHILD ASSESSMENT | 4 |
| PSY 482 | ADULT ASSESSMENT | 4 |
| PSY 486 | ADVANCED PSYCHOPATHOLOGY | 4 |
| PSY 488 | PRINCIPLES OF PSYCHOTHERAPY AND BEHAVIOR CHANGE | 4 |
| PSY 493 | ADVANCED COMMUNITY PSYCHOLOGY | 4 |
| PSY 520 | PRINCIPLES OF HUMAN DIVERSITY | 4 |
| PSY 565 | PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT SEMINAR (3 quarters) | 0 |
| PSY 590 | THESIS RESEARCH SEMINAR (3 quarters) | 0 |
Clinical Practicum
Three quarters of clinical practicum need to be successfully completed. The Director of Clinical Training must approve the practicum placement in advance. All practicum courses are zero credit hours.
During year two, students should enroll in the following practicum courses:
| Course | Title | Quarter Hours |
|---|---|---|
| PSY 577 | PRACTICUM IN CLINICAL ASSESSMENT (autumn quarter) | 0 |
| PSY 578 | PRACTICUM IN CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGY (winter quarter) | 0 |
| PSY 579 | PRACTICUM IN CHILD CLINICAL PROCEDURES (spring quarter) | 0 |
Master's Thesis Requirements
Research Course
- PSY 597
Master’s Thesis
Complete a thesis on a topic approved by the department.
Master’s Thesis Examination
The examination is a defense of the student’s thesis.
PhD Course Requirements?
The PhD portion of the combined degree program requires a minimum of 28 quarter hours beyond the completion of the master’s degree, including four quarter hours of dissertation research. The following requirements must be completed to confer the PhD.
Core Courses
| Course | Title | Quarter Hours |
|---|---|---|
| PSY 565 | PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT SEMINAR (3 quarters) 1 | 0 |
| PSY 596 | INTERNSHIP IN CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGY (5 quarters) | 0 |
| PSY 598 | DISSERTATION RESEARCH SEMINAR | 0 |
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Students are required to complete a total of 6 quarters of PSY 565 for the MA/PhD requirements.
Area of Emphasis
At least three additional courses consistent with an area of emphasis are required to reach minimum number of hours required for the PhD.
Additional Required Courses for Clinical-Child (may be used as general electives for Clinical-Community)
| Course | Title | Quarter Hours |
|---|---|---|
| PSY 491 | TREATMENT METHODS WITH CHILDREN | 4 |
| PSY 562 | SEMINAR IN FAMILY THERAPY | 4 |
| PSY 570 | SEMINAR IN PSYCHOTHERAPY RESEARCH | 4 |
Additional Required Courses for Clinical-Community (may be used as general electives for Clinical-Child)
| Course | Title | Quarter Hours |
|---|---|---|
| PSY 492 | PRINCIPLES OF CONSULTATION | 4 |
| PSY 495 | GRANT WRITING IN PSYCHOLOGY | 4 |
| PSY 569 | SEMINAR IN PROGRAM EVALUATION | 4 |
| PSY 585 | FIELDWORK IN COMMUNITY SETTINGS (3 quarters) | 0 |
General Electives
Students must complete three general electives to reach the minimum number of hours required for the PhD.
| Course | Title | Quarter Hours |
|---|---|---|
| PSY 416 | METHODS IN QUALITATIVE RESEARCH | 4 |
| PSY 483 | ADVANCED ASSESSMENT | 4 |
| PSY 489 | ADVANCED TOPICS IN PSYCHOTHERAPY | 4 |
| PSY 511 | HEALTH PSYCHOLOGY | 4 |
| PSY 567 | SPECIAL TOPICS IN COMMUNITY PSYCHOLOGY | 4 |
| PSY 568 | SEMINAR IN PREVENTION AND INTERVENTION | 4 |
Clinical Practicum
Six quarters of clinical practicum need to be successfully completed. The Director of Clinical Training must approve the practicum placement in advance. All practicum courses are zero credit hours.
During year three, students should enroll in the following practicum courses:
| Course | Title | Quarter Hours |
|---|---|---|
| PSY 582 | ADVANCED PRACTICUM-CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGY (autumn quarter) | 0 |
| PSY 583 | PRACTICUM IN COMMUNITY MENTAL HEALTH (winter quarter) | 0 |
| PSY 584 | ADVANCED PRACTICUM IN EVIDENCE-BASED PRACTICE IN PSYCHOLOGY (spring quarter) | 0 |
If students choose to complete additional years of practicum beyond year four, students should enroll in PSY 574 (taken separately in AQ, WQ, and SQ).
- PSY 574 (taken separately in AQ, WQ, and SQ)
Doctoral Candidacy Examination (Comprehensive Examination or Review Paper)
Designed to assess the student’s general knowledge of clinical psychology and the student’s area of emphasis (clinical-child or clinical-community). The examination is given in two sections. One section consists of an examination in the areas represented by the required courses in clinical psychology. A second section consists of an examination in the student’s area of emphasis -- clinical-child or clinical-community psychology. An alternative to the Doctoral Candidacy Examination is to complete a major comprehensive review paper based on the literature within an area relevant to the field of clinical psychology. This paper must be submitted for publication in a peer-reviewed clinical psychology journal.
Admission to Doctoral Candidacy
Formally given to the student with satisfactory coursework performance who has successfully completed the master’s thesis and passed the Doctoral Candidacy Examination; the candidate has no more than five years from this date to complete the PhD requirements or dismissal from the program will ensue.
Students denied candidacy will be required to withdraw from the program or withdraw after completion of the MA.
Internship
One-year supervised internship in an approved doctoral training site. Students typically intern during the fifth or sixth year in the program.
Doctoral Dissertation Requirements
Research Course
- PSY 599
Doctoral Dissertation
Departmental committee approval and acceptance of topic and outline of dissertation given only after admission to doctoral candidacy.
Doctoral Dissertation Examination
Student to defend dissertation and to show competence in the general field of psychology and in the area of specialization of the dissertation.
Residency Requirement
?The clinical psychology program requires a minimum of three full-time academic years of graduate coursework and residency, a master's thesis and dissertation, comprehensive exam/project, and completion of an internship prior to awarding the doctoral degree. The program's residency requirement is addressed through the requirement that students complete their coursework (in all courses, but one) in face-to-face classes during the first three years in the program, and complete their required graduate assistantship and teaching assistantship roles. Students are required to complete the internship before the degree is awarded.
Time Limitations
- No more than four years between admission to the MA/PhD program and admission to doctoral candidacy.
- No less than eight months and no more than five years between admission to doctoral candidacy and the final doctoral oral examination; or dismissal from the program will ensue.
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