Clinical MA Psychology Programs
Department of Psychology

Roosevelt University offers two M.A. programs in clinical psychology:  Clinical Psychology and Clinical Professional Psychology. The two programs share a mission of educating students in the psychological theory and research that directs contemporary assessment of, and intervention, for human emotional/behavioral disorders and more general challenges/difficulties in living.  In both programs, students will be prepared to approach clinical/counseling issues in a spirit of active and critical inquiry and to use the fruits of traditional research in particular practice settings. 

The two programs are different in the student populations they seek to serve.  The Clinical Psychology M.A. program is designed for those who wish to prepare for doctoral (PhD or PsyD) programs in clinical psychology.  Consistent with this mission, this 36 semester hour program (39 semester hours beginning Spring 2008) allows students who intend to apply to clinical psychology Ph.D. programs to focus on clinical research (in part, through the choice of an empirical thesis as their final project) and those who intend to apply to clinical psychology Psy.D. programs to focus on clinical practice (in part, through the choice of a clinical practicum as their final project).

In contrast, the Clinical Professional Psychology M.A. program is designed for students who are interested in clinical practice at the M.A. level.  This program seeks to train students thoroughly in contemporary assessment, counseling, and intervention techniques and in the professional scholarship from which these techniques are derived.  This program is 48 semester hours long:  The programs are different in length because the Clinical Professional Psychology Program seeks to prepare students who are ready to practice at the M.A. level upon graduation.  The Clinical Psychology program seeks to prepare students who are interested in acquiring additional, doctoral-level training.

Admission Requirements

Students who wish to be considered for admission to one of the clinical M.A. programs must apply for admission to the Graduate Division of Roosevelt University. Upon acceptance, students will be considered for admission to their desired graduate program.  For clinical psychology M.A. programs, applicants must have completed 18 semester hours of undergraduate psychology credit and their undergraduate psychology grade point average must be at least 3.00 (on a 4.00 maximum scale).  In addition, applicants must have completed undergraduate classes in:  General Psychology, Introductory Statistics, Research Methods, Theory of Tests and Measurements, Abnormal Psychology, and Theories of Personality.

Promising students who have do not have any of the requirements mentioned above may be admitted provisionally to their desired clinical program.  Students who have not completed required undergraduate courses must complete those courses early in their graduate programs and before taking graduate courses that have them as specific prerequisites.  Students who do not have a sufficiently high undergraduate psychology grade point average must demonstrate that they can perform at, at least, a B level.

Performance Quality Requirements

• All students in the clinical MA programs must satisfy the Competency Requirement within their first 18 semester hours of graduate credit. 
• Students must complete course required course curricula.  (See below for program specific curricula).
• Students must maintain, at least, a 3.00 (B) grade point average.
• No more than two grades of "C" may be counted toward the M.A. degree.
• Only courses taken within six years of admission to the graduate program will count toward an M.A. degree.
• Students who require more than one semester to complete a final project (i.e., thesis or practicum) must register for appropriate continuation credit during subsequent semesters.
• Students are responsible for staying informed of University requirements on grading, academic integrity, and academic discipline.
• Upon approval of the Director of Clinical Psychology M.A. Programs, the Department of Psychology will accept up to nine semester hours of transfer credit for graduate courses equivalent to program requirements taken at other, accredited, universities.  The student must have earned a grade of, at least, “B” in such courses.  These courses must not have been applied to another, already awarded, graduate degree. 
• Termination from the program may result if the student fails to satisfy the competency requirement within the first 18 semester hours of graduate study, or if the faculty determines that the student is not performing suitably in academic, clinical, or interpersonal domains.  Also, students who fail to comply with regulations regarding the Practice of Psychology by Graduate Students will be terminated from the program.  

College of Arts and Sciences