Learn More and ApplyClinical Psychology (MA)/(PhD)

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The Clinical Psychology Program, which includes both clinical-child and clinical-community tracks, is one of four MA/PhD programs in the Department of Psychology at DePaul University. The American Psychological Association (APA) first accredited the Clinical Program in 1976, and it has held continuous APA accreditation since then. The Clinical Program trains students within the scientist-practitioner model, providing training in both research and practice.

The Clinical Program has four broad program aims:

• To educate students generally about psychology and instill a commitment to life-long learning
• To prepare graduates with knowledge and skills to engage in and shape research and scholarship
• To prepare graduates for diverse leadership career paths in the practice of clinical psychology and more in-depth preparation in child and/or community applications and policy
• To prepare graduates to work in the public sector, in an urban environment, with diverse ethnic and socio-economic populations, and with those who have been traditionally underserved by psychology

Specific competencies that support these aims include: ethical and legal standards, individual and cultural diversity, professional values and attitudes, communication and interpersonal skills, psychological assessment, psychological intervention, supervision, and consultation and interprofessional/interdisciplinary skills.

Program objectives are for students to acquire understanding and competence in psychological theory, research and practice, with particular attention to developmental psychopathology, community psychology, evidence-based treatments, dissemination, and program evaluation with children, adolescents, and families of diverse backgrounds. Our program's focus on diversity is intended to promote students' understanding about the societal and systemic/ecological forces that have contributed to current manifestations of inequality for many diverse groups such as for poor, urban, and ethnically diverse populations and on how these conditions influence mental health, family/community processes, and access to mental health services.​

MA Learning Outcomes

• Identify major theoretical concepts in psychology, trace their historical development, and integrate theory, research, and domain-specific knowledge to explain and interpret how Clinical Psychology currently advances knowledge.
• Critique and synthesize theoretical and empirical articles from peer-reviewed scholarly Clinical Psychology journals in terms of theory, methods, data analyses, and conclusions.
• Develop testable research questions, identify strengths and limitations of research designs and data analysis techniques, conduct appropriate research and analytic strategies, and interpret the findings to situate them within the extant research literature in Clinical Psychology.
• Describe and discuss the ethical issues associated with human subjects/participant protection and the sequence of procedures needed for IRB approval of research projects, and apply these ethical practices in research.

PhD Learning Outcomes

• Identify major theoretical concepts in psychology, trace their historical development, and integrate theory, research, and domain-specific knowledge to explain and interpret how Clinical Psychology currently advances knowledge.
• Critique and synthesize theoretical and empirical articles from peer-reviewed scholarly Clinical Psychology journals in terms of theory, methods, data analyses, and conclusions in order to compose novel perspectives and ideas.
• Independently develop testable research questions, identify strengths and limitations of research designs and data analysis techniques, conduct appropriate research and analytic strategies, and interpret the findings to situate them within the extant research literature in Clinical Psychology.
• Independently describe and discuss the ethical issues associated with human subjects/participant protection and the sequence of procedures needed for IRB approval of research projects, and apply these ethical practices in research.
• Exhibit effective communication skills for presenting at professional conferences and publishing in professional journals in Clinical Psychology.
• Demonstrate competence in Clinical Psychology applications.

MA Course Requirements

The MA degree requires a minimum of 76 quarter hours beyond the completion of a bachelor’s degree, including four quarter hours of thesis research.

Core Courses

Statistics and Methodology Courses

Additional Courses

Elective Courses

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.

Master's Thesis Requirements

Research Course

Master’s Thesis

Complete a thesis on a topic approved by the department. The finished thesis should reflect the research process which usually includes: identifying a problem, reviewing literature to find theoretical perspectives and research findings relevant to the problem, developing specific and testable hypotheses, developing methodology for the investigation, conducting the investigation, analyzing results of the investigation, and discussing the implications and limitations of these results.

Master’s Thesis Examination

The examination is an oral defense of the student’s thesis.

PhD Course Requirements​

The PhD degree requires a minimum of 16 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

Area of Emphasis

At least three additional courses consistent with an area of emphasis are required to reach the minimum number of hours required for the PhD.

Additional Required Courses for Clinical-Child (may be used as general electives for Clinical-Community)

Additional Required Courses for Clinical-Community (may be used as general electives for Clinical-Child)

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.

If students choose to complete additional years of practicum beyond the required minimum, students should enroll in 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.

Internship

One-year supervised internship in an approved doctoral training site. Students typically intern during the final year of the program.

Doctoral Dissertation Requirements

Research Course

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 face-to-face classes during the first three years in the program, and complete their required graduate assistantship and teaching assistantship roles in person. 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.

Program Graduate Academic Student Handbook

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Minimum Grades

1. The minimum grade considered acceptable for a graduate course is a B+. This applies to courses taken both within and outside of the department for psychology graduate students. Grades below that (i.e., B and below) indicate that the student has not mastered the relevant content of the course.
2. If a graduate student earns a grade lower than B+ in a particular course, the student, instructor, and advisor will discuss the situation and circumstances and a remediation plan will be required. The student, his or her advisor, and the instructor, will work together to create a plan through which the student can (a) gain competence in the course material, and (b) demonstrate that competence. The remediation plan might include, for example, requiring the student to complete additional assignments, retaking the class, taking a substitute class, completing an independent study, or pursuing other options. The remediation plan must be approved by the instructor, advisor and the program director.
3. A second occurrence of a grade lower than a B+ (for the same or different course) will put the student on academic probation. Once placed on academic probation, the student’s record and any mitigating circumstances will be evaluated by a Psychology Department review board comprising the student’s advisor, the program director, and the department associate chair (the department chair might be included in special circumstances). Additional remediation and intervention might be suggested by the review board.
4. If there is a third occurrence of a grade below B+ (for the same or different course), the student will be dismissed from the program. The student may choose to appeal this decision, in which case the Chair of the Psychology Department will appoint a committee of three tenured Psychology Department faculty outside the student's program to hear the appeal. Depending on the student’s academic record and any mitigating circumstances, he/she may be allowed to complete his/her Master’s degree but will not be permitted to continue onto the PhD (not applicable to terminal Department of Psychology MS degrees) without a successful appeal.

Academic Probation

Students are expected to maintain a minimum cumulative grade point average (GPA) of 3.20. If a student’s cumulative GPA falls below this minimum, the student will be put on academic probation and will have one quarter of coursework to raise their cumulative GPA to at least a 3.20 or face academic dismissal from the program. If the student raises his/her cumulative GPA to at least a 3.20, but it falls below the minimum a second time, he or she will be dismissed from the program before the next term begins.

Academic Dismissal

In addition to violations of satisfactory progress, including but not limited to, earning minimum grades, failing the comprehensive exam (including any possible retakes) or project, or maintaining a minimum cumulative GPA, students may be dismissed for breaches of academic honesty, or breaches of the code of student responsibility articulated in the DePaul University Student Handbook.

Time Limitations

​Students must complete their MA degree requirements prior to completing their requirements for admission to doctoral candidacy. Further, no more than four years may pass between admission to the doctoral program (i.e., successful completion of the doctoral candidacy examination/project), and no less than eight months and no more than five years may pass between admission to candidacy and the final examination (i.e., the oral dissertation defense).

Students are required to meet the timelines specified by the program even if the timeline is more stringent than the College timeline. Failure to do so could result in dismissal.

Extensions on these timelines must be requested in writing to both the department (Program Director) and the college (to the Dean) and must be approved at both levels. Students must complete all requirements for the degree (which may include additional coursework, examinations, or other conditions) by the deadline outlined in the extension. Failure to meet specified time limitations or deadlines can result in dismissal from the program.

Graduation Requirements

Students need a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.20 in courses required by the program. In addition to meeting the minimum cumulative GPA requirement, failing the doctoral candidacy exam (or one retake) or project, lack of progress towards degree completion, and/or unsatisfactory evaluation could result in academic dismissal. See individual program policies for more details.

Graduation with Distinction for MA

The criteria for graduating "with distinction" are a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.75 and the recommendation of "with distinction" by the thesis committee.

For topics not listed above, please consult the Graduate Student Handbook of the Department of Psychology, your program manual or the Psychology Graduate Program Assistant.