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Graduate Programs in Clinical Psychology
The Clinical Psychology Program at TU is fully accredited by the American Psychological Association and has been continuously accredited since January, 1991 (American Psychological Association, Office of Program Consultation and Accreditation, 750 First Street, NE, Washington, DC 20002-4242; 202-336-5979). Full information pertaining to the University of Tulsa's accreditation is available at the APA's website.
- Overview
- Unique Features
- Research
- Master's Degree in Clinical Psychology
- Doctoral Degree in Clinical Psychology
- Questions About TU Program (APA Disclosure Information)
- Clinical Courses
- Clinical Faculty
- Research Collaboration Between Faculty and Graduate Students
- Organizations Important to Clinical Psychology
- Practicum Experience in Clinical Psychology
- Internships in Clinical Psychology
- Professional Opportunities
- Program Costs
- Applying to the Clinical Psychology Program
- Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
- Student Accomplishments: New
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Institute for Biochemical and Psychological
Study of Individual Differences - Tulsa Institute of Trauma, Abuse and Neglect
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Contact Information
Applications are due December 1 for admission during the next Fall term.
Overview
Our graduate programs train students to do what
psychologists actually do in today’s society: ethically
apply knowledge of psychological theory, assessment,
research methodology and clinical skill to complex
clinical problems. The M.A. and Ph.D. programs in
Clinical Psychology at The University of Tulsa are based
upon the scientist-practitioner model. Thus, practice is
defined as the application of the methods and results of
the science of psychology and related disciplines. We
promote breadth over narrowness in the development of
students' knowledge of the science of Psychology. The
doctoral program is fully accredited by the American
Psychological Association
(American Psychological Association, Office of Program
Consultation and Accreditation, 750 First Street, NE,
Washington, DC 20002-4242; 202-336-5979)
since 1991 (see
www.apa.org/ed/accreditation/accrfaq.html,
www.apa.org/ed/accreditation/doctoral.html).
Training is provided in a number of areas: Theories of
dysfunctional behavior and mental health; cognitive,
learning, and biological models of normal, behavioral
systems, drug action, and psychopathology; developmental
issues in adaptation across the life-span. Strategies of
Assessment and Evaluation including psychometric theory;
theory and application of widely used measures of
intelligence, cognitive functioning, personality, and
psychopathology; classification and diagnosis;
evaluation of therapeutic outcomes; Research methods
including collection, evaluation, and analysis of data
to answer clinical science questions. Intervention
Strategies including development and enhancement of the
therapeutic relationship; cognitive – behavioral
approaches to intervention; evidence-based therapeutic
techniques for specific disorders or dysfunctional
behavior patterns (e.g. depression, post-traumatic
stress disorder, schizophrenia, interpersonal skills
deficits, substance abuse, child, adolescent and marital
problems, etc.). Professional Development including
professional ethics and standards of conduct; legal
issues in practice; preparation for professional
licensure; supervisory and consulting skills.
Information and issues related to individual and
cultural diversity are integrated into courses. The
program faculty believe diversity concerns are essential
to all scholarly and clinical endeavors and are not to
be set apart.
Unique Features
Certain features of
our program deserve special mention. Our faculty is
unusually active in research and, due to our small size,
students have ample opportunities for collaboration in
faculty research and informal discussions of research
projects. Our graduate programs have developed over the
last decade in such a way that they complement and
support each other. As a result, students are exposed to
a wide variety of viewpoints and research methods. The
department has strong relations with the mental health
agencies in Tulsa. Students can apply knowledge and gain
experience in a wide variety of settings.
Research
The clinical faculty
members are highly productive and distinguished
researchers. Many have federal or privately funded
research grants supporting their research efforts and/or
research laboratories. Although each research laboratory
is structured differently based on mission, students
have many opportunities to work closely with faculty.
The clinical program emphasizes close faculty and
student collaboration on research and scholarly
endeavors. For more information, see
Clinical Research.
Master's Degree
The
Master's program is a 45-credit-hour degree program that is designed to allow students to develop basic clinical skills that can be applied in a variety of agency settings. Most of the program is prescribed, although there is flexibility in the selection of some courses and choice of practicum placements.
Master's students are required to complete most of the clinical core courses listed previously, 15 credit hours distributed across five knowledge areas in a general psychology core, elective courses, and at least two semesters of practicum. Students may begin practicum in their third semester.
The faculty admits ten students to the M.A. program in Clinical Psychology each year, with students drawn from a broad range of age and prior experience. Active attempts are made to recruit members of minority groups. Current M.A. students have GPAs of approximately 3.3 and Graduate Record Examination (GRE) scores of about 600 on both verbal and quantitative portions.
For more details about the Master's Program, review these items:
The Ph.D.
program in Clinical Psychology requires a minimum of 90
graduate semester hours. Students in the Doctoral
program complete the department's general Psychology
core, the Clinical core, and other requirements of
Doctoral students in the department (pre-candidacy
project, comprehensive exams, and dissertation).
Students also must complete a one-year pre-Doctoral
internship in an approved setting. The opportunity
exists for students to take additional elective courses
both in and outside the Department of Psychology.
The faculty admits approximately five students to the
Ph.D. program in Clinical Psychology each year, with
students drawn from a broad range of age and prior
experience. Active attempts are made to recruit
members of minority groups. Current Ph.D. students
have GPA's of approximately 3.5 and Graduate Record
Examination (GRE) scores of about 650 on both verbal and
quantitative portions.
Among our 23 doctoral students who graduated since Fall of 2003, the average time to completion was 5.6 years (median = 5.5 years) including the internship year. Among students entering with a Masters degree from the University of Tulsa, completion time was a mean of 4.04 years and a median of 4.25 years. Since 2000, 29% of our students completed in less than 5 years, 38% in 5 years, 17% in 6 years, and 4% in 7 years and 12% in more than 7 years. Among the 76 students who entered the program between 1993 and 2006, the attrition rate was 16% (including attrition for health, relocation, dismissal, and transfer to the M.A. program).
For more details about the Doctoral program, review these items:
Clinical Courses
The department offers a sequence of clinical core courses for students in the clinical programs. These are designed to provide a broad overview of the field and an introduction to specific assessment and counseling skills. The official listing of required courses is provided in a handbook distributed to each new clinical student. The Doctoral clinical core includes the following courses:
PSY 7543 - Ethics, Law,
and Clinical Practice
PSY 7223 - Theory and Practice of Clinical Psychology
PSY 7153 - Psychopathology
PSY 7113 - Clinical Assessment: Intellectual (and
Lab)
PSY 7193 - Clinical Assessment: Personality
PSY 8043 - Introduction to Scientist-Practitioner Based
Psychotherapy
An additional approved course in psychopathology and one
additional approved course in assessment are also
required, in addition to the general core and clinical
core courses, the department also offers a variety of
courses such as Clinical Neuropsychology and Health
Psychology to supplement the required core.
Finally, topical seminars (PSY 7973 / 8973) are offered
frequently to provide an opportunity for intensive study
of issues of interest to students and faculty. It
is through these seminars that specialized problems in
Clinical Psychology are addressed. Recent graduate
seminars have included Advanced Psychotherapy,
Personality Disorders, Traumatic Stress Studies,
Forensic Assessment, and Group Psychotherapy.
For more information,
please refer to our complete list of
Graduate Psychology Courses.
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Practicum Experiences
Supervised
applied training begins early in the program.
Practicum experiences occur primarily in community
settings, utilizing the wide variety of agencies with
which the department has relationships and allowing the
student to interact with various mental health
professionals . Placements include community
mental health centers, hospitals, youth service
agencies, and chemical dependency treatment programs.
Click here for a list of practicum sites.
Attempts are made to allow students to choose practicum
activities that are most consistent with their
professional goals, although it is recognized that a
diversity of experiences can provide the best foundation
for professional development. Practicum activities
are supervised by an on-site professional, and the
practicum experience is organized and monitored by the
Coordinator of Practicum Training in conjunction with
the Clinical Program Committee.
Practicum Manual
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Internship
An internship is required for all Doctoral students in the clinical program; however, the internship is not provided by The University of Tulsa. It is the student's responsibility to apply to and be accepted by an appropriate
APA-accredited internship. An internship consists of at least 2,000 hours (40 hours per week for 50 weeks) of supervised experience in a setting that provides a broad spectrum of clinical services to varied patients. The internship must meet the requirements of the Clinical Program Committee. Approval is required from the Director of Clinical Training before a student may apply for an internship placement. Students should be prepared to relocate to obtain internship training.
Professional Opportunities
Graduate
students may also develop personal and professional
skills through membership in a variety of organizations
on campus, locally, and nationally. Most of our
students are student members of at least one national
organization. Graduate
students may also join the Graduate Students of
Psychology (GRASP)
or participate in research/community activities through
Center
for Community Research and Development
(CCRD). Clinical students are highly encouraged to
join professional societies like
APA,
ABCT,
ISTSS, and
INS as student
members, and they frequently attend annual conferences
as presenters. Indeed, many of our students
regularly present their original research at such
professional conferences, thereby facilitating their
entrance into networks of future colleagues and peers.
Notably, the Graduate School provides travel support for
such presentations, and students may receive as much as
$1000 to offset
travel costs.
Detailed information on program costs is available from the Graduate School. A limited number of Psychology Department assistantships are available for Clinical Ph.D. students, typically one or two per year at maximum. Depending on grant success, particular clinical psychology faculty may have research assistantships available which they will make known during interview day. Many of our students are fully or partially funded through University fellowships and assistantships available to full-time graduate students. Stipends vary according to the amount of work required and the experience of the student.
The Graduate School provides several sources for helping graduate students defray direct costs associated with their research projects as well as travel costs when those projects are presented at regional or national conferences. The Bellwether Fellowship is a competitive fellowship available to graduate students in their final year in residence accelerate dissertation progress.
Applications for admission are evaluated once a year for a Fall entering semester. The application deadline for the Clinical psychology program is December 1.
For admission to our Clinical Masters programs, a minimum undergraduate GPA of at least 3.0 on a 4 point scale and competitive GRE scores are necessary. The average GRE-Verbal + GRE-Quantitative for admitted M.A. students has been 1150. You also must have taken some undergraduate level psychology courses including statistics or research methods. Applicants to the clinical program must have completed 18 credit hours of undergraduate psychology. Abnormal Psychology is recommended for applicants to the Clinical M.A. program.
For Ph.D. admission, applications are evaluated on educational background (undergrad GPA minimum of 3.0), GRE scores, research experience, work experience, letters of reference, writing ability, and student professional goals or research interest (program fit). The average GRE-Verbal + GRE-Quantitative for admitted PhD students has been 1250. Admission to the Ph.D. program is very competitive and only 3 to 5 students are admitted annually. An adequate background in Psychology is required - at least 18 credit hours.
For additional information, contact:
Elana Newman, Ph.D.
The University of Tulsa
600 South College Avenue
Tulsa, Oklahoma 74104-3189
Phone: (918) 631-2894
Email:
elana-newman@utulsa.edu
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