Master's in Clinical Psychology
Program Overview
Psychology, Clinical Concentration, M.A.
The master's in clinical psychology program at Middle Tennessee State University (MTSU) prepares graduates for a career in psychometry or for doctoral training in clinical psychology. The program emphasizes a broadly based scientist-practitioner approach and offers preparation for doctoral training or employment involving clinical interviewing and psychological assessment.
Program Description
The curriculum and practical aspects of the program meet certification requirements for the State of Tennessee's Certified Psychological Assistant designation. In addition to the core requirements, the master's program in clinical psychology offers training in two specializations: general clinical and health
europsychology. The skills training does not provide preparation to practice psychotherapy or professional counseling at the terminal master's level.
Careers
Graduates from the master's in Clinical Psychology program will be prepared to pursue doctoral training and/or to work in various mental health and related settings. Some occupations of recent alumni include:
- Adjunct instructor
- Behavior therapist
- Behavioral consultant
- Board-certified behavior analyst
- Case manager
- Certified psychological assistant
- Psychometrist
- Research field assessor
- Research interview specialist
- Statistical analyst III
Employers of MTSU master's in clinical psychology alumni include:
- AGAPE
- Athena Care
- Cumberland University
- Frontier Health
- Haynesville Correctional Center
- LifeCare Foundations
- MTSU Advising Center
- Nashville Neuropsychology & Family Services
- Positive Behavior Supports Corp.
- Tennessee Bureau of Investigation
- Tennessee Family Solutions
- University of Alabama-Birmingham, Neurology Department
- University of Tennessee Medical Center, Pat Summitt Clinic
- Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Psychiatry Clinic
- Youth Villages
Doctoral programs where MTSU master's in clinical psychology graduates have attended include:
- East Tennessee State University
- Florida Institute of Technology
- Jackson State University
- Tennessee State University
- Trevecca Nazarene University
- University of Alabama-Birmingham
- University of Central Arkansas
- University of Cincinnati
- University of Georgia
- University of Maryland
- University of Kwazulu-Natal
- University of Missouri
- University of Montana
- Utah State University
- Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
- Western Carolina University
Requirements
Admission Requirements
Admission to graduate study in Clinical Psychology is competitive and not automatic for students meeting minimal admission requirements. Students are selected from a pool of qualified applicants. Each year the number of students admitted to the program depends on the availability of adequate faculty supervision.
To be considered for admission, candidates must meet two standards:
- An undergraduate grade point average (GPA) of 3.00 or higher
- A minimum score on the Graduate Record Exam (GRE) - General Exam. A minimum of 291 on the combined Verbal and Quantitative sections is expected for the Clinical Psychology concentration within the Master of Arts in Psychology.
Applications for Summer/Fall admission must be completed by March 1 and applications for Spring admission must be completed by October 1. Late applicants who meet the admission criteria may be considered on a case-by-case basis.
Applicants must demonstrate knowledge of the core areas of psychology by completing the following courses at either the undergraduate or graduate level prior to entering the Clinical Program or during enrollment in the program:
- Group measurement/testing
- Abnormal psychology
- Learning or cognition
- Social or developmental
- Brain and behavior, sensation and perception, or research methods
- Basic statistics
Most applicants have completed 15 semester hours of psychology classes prior to admission to their graduate programs. Those applicants without 15 semester hours of undergraduate psychology may be admitted to the programs but must complete those credits in addition to their graduate program requirements.
Application Procedures
All application materials are to be submitted to the College of Graduate Studies. Applicant must:
- Submit an application with the appropriate application fee
- Submit official transcripts of all previous college work
- Submit official scores on the Graduate Record Examination (GRE)
- Submit the required supplementary application
- Submit three required supplemental reference forms
- Submit a current resume or curriculum vitae
Degree Requirements
The Master of Arts degree in Psychology with a Clinical concentration requires completion of 43-46 semester hours. Only 30 percent of the total number of hours may be dually listed (5000-level meeting in conjunction with 4000- or 3000-level) courses.
Candidate must:
- Complete core clinical courses (31 hours) and a specialization (6 hours)
- Pass a written comprehensive examination prepared by the faculty in the student's concentration (may be taken no more than twice)
- Complete an assessment field practicum
- Complete either (a) an empirical thesis or (b) an advanced practicum including an empirical case project
Curriculum: Psychology, Clinical
The following illustrates the minimum coursework requirements. In addition, a maximum of 6 hours of thesis research may be required to fulfill degree requirements.
Core Clinical Courses (31 hours)
All clinical students are required to take the following:
- PSY 5780 - Human Neuropsychology
- PSY 6100 - Intellectual Assessment
- PSY 6101 - Laboratory in Intellectual Assessment
- PSY 6250 - Objective Personality Assessment
- PSY 6510 - Psychopathology
- PSY 6615 - Basic and Applied Research Methods in Psychology
- PSY 6690 - Professional Issues and Roles
- PSY 6801 - Foundations of Clinical Practice
- PSY 6841 - Theories of Individual Psychotherapy
- PSY 5720 - Multicultural Perspectives in Psychology and Education OR PSY 7100 - Multicultural and Social Bases for Assessment and Intervention Practices
- PSY 6280 - Psychological Statistics: Regression AND PSY 6281 - Psychological Statistics: Regression Lab OR PSY 6290 - Psychological Statistics: ANOVA AND PSY 6291 - Psychological Statistics: ANOVA Lab
Specialization (6 hours)
In addition to the required courses in the clinical core area and the research area, students in the Clinical concentration must take 6 elective credits to form a specialization. Students must choose a specialization from the following set within the Clinical concentration:
General Clinical Specialization (6 hours)
Choose two courses (6 hours) from the following list. At least one of these courses must be marked with an asterisk (*).
- PSY 5480 - Learning Theories *
- PSY 5610 - Adult Development and Aging
- PSY 6080 - Interventions with Children and Adolescents
- PSY 6120 - Developmental Psychology: Childhood and Adolescence
- PSY 6190 - Advanced Cognitive Psychology *
- PSY 6280 - Psychological Statistics: Regression
- PSY 6281 - Psychological Statistics: Regression Lab
- PSY 6290 - Psychological Statistics: ANOVA
- PSY 6291 - Psychological Statistics: ANOVA Lab
- PSY 6340 - Behavioral Medicine: Theory and Application
- PSY 6390 - Independent Research in Psychology: Clinical (3 credit hours total)
- PSY 6400 - Psychological Disorders of Children
- PSY 6440 - Advanced Applied Behavioral Analysis
- PSY 6500 - Behavioral Methodology
- PSY 6520 - Psychopharmacology *
- PSY 6770 - Assessment and Therapeutic Interventions for Children's Emotional Problems
- PSY 6780 - Clinical Neuropsychology *
Health/Neuropsychology Specialization (6 hours)
- PSY 6340 - Behavioral Medicine: Theory and Application
- PSY 6780 - Clinical Neuropsychology
Thesis Option (6-9 hours)
- PSY 6851 - Assessment Field Practicum (Clinical) (3 credit hours required)
- PSY 6640 - Thesis Research (3 credit hours required; maximum 6 credit hours)
Non-Thesis (Practicum) Option (6 hours)
- PSY 6851 - Assessment Field Practicum (Clinical) (3 credit hours required)
- PSY 6860 - Advanced Field Practicum (Clinical)
Program Notes
Students must be admitted to the Clinical Program prior to enrolling in most required clinical core courses. Non-degree-seeking students may not enroll in required clinical courses, except by special permission.
Professional liability insurance ($1,000,000 each incident/$3,000,000 annual aggregate) must be maintained throughout enrollment in the program with a current insurance binder filed with the department at all times.
Students must be able to meet the demands required for professional work in psychology. Therefore, students may be subject to dismissal from the Psychology Department if they (a) commit a serious breach of ethics or gross professional negligence or (b) present evidence of impaired psychological functioning that would present a danger to themselves or others in a professional role. Students who are dismissed may reapply and will be considered for readmission on a competitive basis. Students who reapply may be asked to provide evidence of improved ability to meet performance requirements.
Faculty
- Dr. Margaret C. Fahey, Assistant Professor
- Dr. Paul S. Foster, Professor
- Dr. James P. Loveless, Associate Professor
- Dr. Ciera E. Schoonover, Assistant Professor
- Dr. James Tate, Professor
- Dr. Kim Ujcich Ward, Professor
Information
The master's in clinical psychology program operates on the scientist-practitioner model of training. The coursework emphasizes empirically-based clinical methods. To further emphasize the "scientist" component of training, all students are required to take six semester hours of graduate statistics and research methods. Additionally, students can elect to complete an empirical thesis as a part of their training.
The "practitioner" component of the program is emphasized through course content, skills-based coursework (e.g., cognitive assessment, personality assessment), and the clinical practica. Meetings on professional issues (e.g., applying for licensure or certifications) conducted by the practicum coordinator also is part of the required practicum course.
The curriculum and practica are designed to meet certification requirements for the State of Tennessee's Certified Psychological Assistant (CPA), the current master's level psychology certification. Because of frequent change in the Tennessee licensure and certification laws, however, we cannot guarantee that our program will fully meet the requirements when you apply for certification.