Graduate School: Frequently Asked Questions
Clinical Psychology Graduate Program FAQs
Overview
The SIUE Clinical Psychology Graduate Program (formerly Clinical Adult Psychology) is intended for students interested in either of two outcomes: preparing for doctoral-level training in clinical psychology and related fields, or employment in the mental health field. Graduates of our program earn the M.A. degree, and typically spend 5 semesters (two academic years and the summer between them) in the program. The program includes rigorous coursework in such areas as psychotherapy, psychological assessment, psychopathology, biopsychology, and research and statistics. The program also requires multiple semesters of practicum, completed through our network of external practicum sites, and an empirical master’s thesis, which the student designs and conducts under the supervision of a thesis committee.
For more information about many aspects of our program, see the list of frequently asked questions below. If you have additional questions, feel free to contact the program director, Dr. Andy Pomerantz, at apomera@siue.edu or (618) 650-3661. We also provide updates about our program on our Facebook page.What are the purposes of the clinical psychology graduate program?
What types of doctoral programs have your graduates attended?
What types of employment positions have your graduates obtained?
How long does it take to complete the clinical psychology graduate program?
Our program is designed for completion in five consecutive semesters of full-time attendance (fall-spring-summer-fall-spring). The majority of our students complete the program in that time period.
What courses does the clinical psychology graduate program include?
Curriculum may vary slightly, but here’s a typical sequence of courses:
Fall of Year 1
PSYC 520—Research Design and Inference I
PSYC 531—Advanced Psychopathology
PSYC 537b—Counseling and Psychotherapy of the Individual Adult
PSYC 541b—Cognitive Assessment of the Adult
Spring of Year 1
PSYC 521—Research Design and Inference II
PSYC 535—Cognitive-Behavioral Psychotherapy
PSYC 538—Group Therapy
PSYC 543b—Personality Assessment of the Adult
Summer between Year 1 and Year 2
PSYC 507—Multicultural Counseling and Psychotherapy
PSYC 550—Ethics and Professional Issues in Psychology
PSYC 523—Practicum in Clinical Psychology
Optional—elective(s)
Fall of Year 2
PSYC 523—Practicum in Clinical Psychology
PSYC 599—Thesis
Optional—elective(s)
Spring of Year 2
PSYC 514—Advanced Biopsychology
PSYC 523—Practicum in Clinical Psychology
Optional—elective(s)
Does the clinical psychology graduate program prepare students for licensure as a mental health professional?
Regarding the practicum, where do students complete it, what clinical activities does it include, and how much time does it require?
Our students complete their practica within a network of external practicum sites in the southern Illinois and St. Louis areas. These sites have been visited and approved by our practicum coordinator, and typically they have hosted many students from our program in the past. The practicum sites span a wide clinical range, including psychiatric hospitals, general hospitals, college counseling centers, private practices, community mental health centers, specialty clinics and departments, and more. At these sites, our students perform a wide variety of clinical tasks, including individual psychotherapy, group psychotherapy, personality assessment, intellectual and neuropsychological assessment, and more. They also interact with a wide variety of professionals and gain first-hand experience in the functioning of real-world mental health facilities. Some variation in availability occurs from year to year, but in recent years, practicum sites have included:
- SIUE Counseling Services
- University of Missouri-St. Louis Counseling Services
- Saint Louis University School of Medicine, Dept. of Neurology & Psychiatry, Neuropsychology Division
- Safe Connections
- Metropolitan St. Louis Psychiatric Center
- The Center for Mindfulness and CBT
- St. Louis Psychiatric Rehabilitation Center
- St. Louis Behavioral Medicine Institute
- Alternatives Counseling, Inc.
- St. Anthony’s Health Center
- Chestnut Health Systems
- Choices Counseling, Inc.
Typically, students are eligible to begin practicum after successful completion of their first two semesters of coursework. The program requires two semesters of practicum, but a third semester is available for elective credit. For the standard amount of credit hours (3), our program requires that a student spend at least 12 hours per week on site during fall or spring semesters (approximately 16 hours per week during summer semester). However, some practicum sites require students to spend up to 20 hours per week on site.
Regarding the master’s thesis, how do students determine their thesis topic, and who supervises it?
Students are encouraged to develop their own thesis topics. If students want to focus on a topic closely related to a faculty member’s research, we welcome that approach. If students want to focus on a topic that does not closely relate to a professor’s research (but, of course, is within the field of clinical psychology), our faculty will do our best to accommodate them. We cannot promise that a faculty member will be competent to supervise every thesis idea, but collectively, we have a wide range of expertise and a commitment to helping students pursue research that is personally meaningful rather than simply a rote task to complete. Each master’s thesis is supervised by a committee consisting of three professors, one of whom serves as chair. Thesis committees are not limited to members of the Clinical Psychology faculty; in fact, when necessary, students may seek thesis committee members who are outside of the Department of Psychology.
Do students’ master’s theses ever get published or presented at conferences?
Yes! Quite a few of our students’ master’s theses have been published in esteemed peer-reviewed journals (e.g., Journal of Clinical Psychology; Ethics & Behavior; Counselling and Psychotherapy Research; Journal of American College Health; American Journal of Psychiatric Rehabilitation; SN Comprehensive Clinical Medicine) or presented at national and regional conferences (e.g., American Psychological Association and Midwestern Psychological Association). Many of these accomplishments are celebrated on our program’s Facebook page.
How many students are admitted to the clinical psychology graduate program, and when does admission take place?
We admit students on an annual basis, starting in the fall semester. Each new cohort typically includes about 10 students.
How selective is the admissions process for the clinical psychology graduate program?
The number of applications we receive varies from year to year, but the number is always far more than the approximately 10 that we will ultimately include in our cohort. As a result, the admissions process is quite selective, with only a minority of applicants typically receiving admission offers.
Which factors are important in admissions decisions for the clinical psychology graduate program?
We do a comprehensive evaluation of every application we receive, in which we consider all elements of the application. Important factors include undergraduate grades, recommendation letters, personal statement, GRE scores, clinical experience, research experience, and overall fit between the applicant’s goals and our program. We typically invite our most competitive applicants for personal interviews shortly before making final admissions decisions.
Does the clinical psychology graduate program offer graduate assistantships?
Over the last 20+ years, with very rare exception, every student in our program who has applied for a graduate assistantship has received one. (Graduate assistantships are essentially part-time jobs within the university that provide tuition remission and a stipend for living costs.) Typically, our program has sufficient funding to offer assistantships to approximately one-third of the students we enroll. Those assistantships are offered at the time of admission and involve work within the Department of Psychology. For the other approximately two-thirds of students entering our program, we offer guidance to other departments in the university who are looking to hire graduate assistants. Often, these departments lack a graduate student population of their own, but seek high-quality graduate assistants, which our program has been able to consistently supply over the years. Graduate assistantships carry the same tuition remission and stipend whether housed within or outside of the Department of Psychology. While we cannot absolutely guarantee that all students will receive a graduate assistantship, and availability may change with budgetary issues, the fact that almost every student who has applied for a graduate assistantship has received one over multiple decades makes us very confident in our students’ chances.
Does the clinical psychology graduate program have part-time or online options?
No. At this time, the program is only available as a full-time, in-person program.
How can I get more information about the clinical psychology graduate program?
Feel free to contact the director of the graduate program, Dr. Andy Pomerantz, at apomera@siue.edu or (618) 650-3661. If you would like to speak directly to a current student or graduate, feel free to make that request to Dr. Pomerantz and he will be happy to connect you.
General Graduate School FAQs
How should I pick programs to which I should apply?
In this brief video, you can learn about how to choose a psychology graduate program.
What's wrong with for-profit universities that advertise extensively?
For-profit universities have a reputation for admitting almost everyone who applies (i.e., being non-selective), requiring their students to take on a lot of debt and leaving their students with poor job prospects. These articles provide more information:
Beware Of For-Profit Higher Educationby Sen. Tom Harkin
For-Profit College Grads Also Earn a Life of Debt
By John Hechinger
What factors most influence my chances of being admitted to a graduate program?
In a second YouTube video, you can learn about factors that influence your chances of being admitted to a psychology graduate school program.
To how many programs should I apply?
That depends on many things, including how carefully you have considered your chances of being admitted at various schools. For most applicants, five programs might be a low number and 15 might be a high number. For extremely competitive programs like clinical psychology doctoral programs, applying to a lot of programs all over the country is essential. Whatever your field of interest, applying only to graduate programs in Missouri and Illinois reduces your chances of admission. Talk to a professor about your plans (and be frank about your qualifications) before you create a list of places where you want to apply.
What financial assistance is available to graduate students?
High-quality PhD programs typically provide assistantships for every or almost every year of each doctoral student's education. Graduate teaching and research assistantships typically include tuition remission and a very modest living stipend. Masters and PsyD programs typically do not offer assistantships to every student. However, at SIUE, most psychology graduate students have assistantships.
How does the PsyD differ from the PhD?
Dr. Tara Kuther has written an excellent answer to this question in an article titled What Is the Difference Between a PhD in Psychology and a PsyD?
What graduate programs does SIUE offer?
Our department offers masters degrees in clinical psychology, industrial/organizational psychology and clinical child and school psychology. We also offer a school specialist degree. In the Department of Applied Health's Exercise and Sport Psychology Program, you can study sport psychology. Some psychology majors go on to SIUE's Master's of Social Work program.
What makes the SIUE programs unique?
Several expensive, easy and non-selective psychology and counseling programs are now advertised online and throughout the St. Louis region. In contrast to these programs, our award-winning department offers affordable, rigorous and selective programs in clinical psychology, industrial/organizational psychology, and clinical child and school psychology. The awards our students and faculty have earned attest to our commitment to, and history of, excellence.
What are the admission requirements for SIUE's psychology graduate programs?
Admission requirements for SIUE's psychology graduate programs are listed in the graduate catalog.
How do the SIUE graduate programs balance the needs of students who are interested in doctoral study and students who want to directly enter the job market?
In this video, you can learn about how SIUE's psychology graduate programs prepare students for both doctoral study and professional success. SIUE's psychology graduate students receive strong training in the science of psychology through statistics classes, the thesis experience and classes that focus on up-to-date research. Our psychology graduate students also learn how to use cost-effective, evidence-based practices that provide real help to people in clinical, organizational and school settings.
What are some common misconceptions about applying to graduate school?
In another brief video, you can find out about some of the things any prospective applicant to a psychology graduate program should know.
Where can I get high-quality, detailed advice to inform my graduate school decisions?
The psychology discussion forum is full of helpful discussions on such hot topics as which programs have recently made admission decisions (a popular topic each spring) and questions like "Given my experiences, GPA and GRE scores, what are my chances?"
If I can't find an answer to one of my graduate school questions on one of the psychology department's web pages, whom should I contact?
If you have a question about one of our department's graduate programs, please contact our Office Support Specialist. Very specific questions concerning a particular program may be forwarded to a graduate program director. Our department's program directors are identified on our faculty and staff page.