Why Study Clinical Psychology At CSUF?

The Master of Science program in clinical psychology at CSUF offers a combination of advanced scientific and applied clinical training that is rarely found at the master's level. We produce rigorously trained graduates who can work in a variety of professional and academic settings, or continue their studies in a doctoral program at either a professional school or a university psychology department. For those students with the M.S. as their final objective, our program prepares them to apply for the Marriage and Family Therapist (MFT) license.

Our M.S. Program offers:

Great Credentials: Our program has an outstanding reputation and attracts students on a national and international basis.

Flexibility: Students receive the clinical foundation needed to work as a mental health professional, as well as the research training and experience required for competitive application to a university doctoral program. Students can choose to work as a licensed therapist, go directly into a doctoral program, or work in a variety of capacities prior to doctoral training.

Excellent Training: Students in the M.S. program benefit from our strong commitment to the Boulder model scientist-practitioner training approach. They receive instruction in personality theory, clinical assessment, diagnosis, and therapeutic methods from outstanding faculty. During their second year, our students receive intensive weekly supervision in their fieldwork placements both from supervisors at their internship sites and from faculty on campus. This includes group and individual supervision, as well as videotape supervision. Students in the M.S. program develop high quality research skills and carry out a research thesis under the guidance of a faculty mentor. Our graduates develop as well-rounded clinicians who can pursue careers in counseling or related fields, or go on for further academic training in research or clinical psychology

Individual Mentoring: Our commitment to in-depth advisement and personal attention is demonstrated by our low student to faculty ratio. The number of students admitted to the M.S. program each year is between 13 and 18 students. Keeping the graduate class size small permits students ample opportunity to receive high quality instruction. Additionally, students select thesis advisors who work closely with students, assisting them at each phase of thesis development, design, and data analysis. Faculty members also serveas clinical mentors for students, providing feedback and support on their therapeutic skills development.

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What Types of Career Opportunities Are Available?

After they complete their studies, most of our students choose to work in the community as counselors. Many of them rise to administrative positions.  Currently our  graduates hold the following positions: program director of Turning Point, Director of the Juvenile Alternative Care Centers, family counselor at Teenage Research Center, psychologist with the Santa Ana Police Department, marriage-family therapist in private practice,  and clinical psychologist in private practice.Other graduates have taught at the college level, including CSUF, or become university administrators.

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What Are the admission requirements for the Clinical Psychology program?

Admission to the M.S. program is competitive. Admission decisions are made on the basis of departmental and university applications, three letters of recommendation, transcripts of all previous college and university coursework, and GRE scores for the aptitude (verbal, quantitative, analytic) and advanced subject/psychology tests. Applicants must have a minimum 3.0 GPA in psychology course work and an overall GPA of at least 2.5 to be considered. Applicants are rarely admitted with lower than a 3.0 overall GPA. In addition, previous supervised clinical work (paid or volunteer) and research experience are required. Finalists in the applicant pool must attend an interview as well.

One set of transcripts should be sent directly to the Department of Psychology, Graduate Office H-830L. In addition to the departmental application, applicants must file a university application with the Office of Admissions. There is a fee for the university application but no fee for the department application. Departmental admissions applications may be obtained from the graduate office in the Department of Psychology, or may be downloaded from the department web site. Please note that the deadline for applications is March 1 for fall semester admissions. We do not admit students for spring semester. The department provides advisement to prospective enrollees regarding application and experience qualifications. For advisement, please contact the Graduate Secretary at (714) 278-3589.

Applicants for the M.S. program typically have completed an undergraduate major in psychology.

Applicants who have not had a psychology major will be required to complete the following coursework:

Lower Division

Three courses to include: introductory psychology, elementary statistics and research methods.

Upper Division

Courses to include: physiological/biological psychology, abnormal psychology, psychological testing, advanced statistics, field placement in psychology (or qualifying experience).

All applicants are required to ensure that their course work includes research methods, biological psychology, abnormal psychology, psychological testing, advanced statistics, and supervised fieldwork experience prior to admission. Students are sometimes admitted who are missing a prerequisite, but completion of this course may delay graduation beyond the two-year time sequence

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What are the program requirements to obtain my M.S. degree?

The M.S. degree requires 50 units:

I. Core Courses (38 units)

PSYC 501    Professional Issues in Psychology (3)**

PSYC 510    Research Design (3)

PSYC 520T  Advanced Topics in Research (3)

PSYC 545    Advanced Psychopathology (3)**

PSYC 547    Theories of Psychological Intervention (3)**

PSYC 548    Psychotherapeutic Techniques (3)**

PSYC 549    Marriage, Family and Child Therapy (3)**

PSYC 560    Children and Adolescent Treatment (3)**

PSYC 561    Clinical Psychological Assessment (3)**

PSYC 568    Substance Abuse (1)**

PSYC 569    Cross Cultural Psychology (3)**

PSYC 594A    Fieldwork (3)**

PSYC 594B    Fieldwork (3)**

PSYC 599    Independent Graduate Research (1)

**These courses are necessary for the Board of Behavioral Science requirements for MFT licensing. Additional courses in sexual dysfunction and child abuse reporting must be taken outside of the program to qualify for MFT licensure. The M.S. program meets the current requirements of the Business and Professional Code, Section 4980.37.

II. Thesis (6 units)

PSYC 598    Thesis Research (6)

III. Electives (6 units)

Students are required to take 6 units of graduate electives. Students may choose either to take a second 520T seminar and 3 units of 400/500 level electives, or 6 units of electives. Students pursuing MFT licensure should take Psychology 475 Psychopharmacology (3) as one of their electives. In consultation with the M.S. Program Coordinator, students will develop a Plan of Study during their first semester in the program. Seminars and elective courses will be chosen to help students reach their career objectives.

To be advanced to candidacy for the M.S. degree, students must receive a minimum grade of B-minus in all study plan courses. The students’ overall study plan grade point average, however, must be a B (3.0). A successful oral defense of the thesis is also required.

Students should expect to attend the M.S. program full-time and to follow the program's prescribed two-year sequence of course work. Part-time and evenings-only attendance is not possible.

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Awards and Assistantships

Each year, the Psychology Department awards the Outstanding M.S. Student Award to the top individual graduating that year.

Also, various paid teaching assistantships are offered to M.S. students. Consult with the Graduate Secretary concerning availability of these positions and application procedures.

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Student Activities and Professional Development

Students have a range of opportunities for professional development. In particular, the mentoring relationship they establish with their thesis advisor frequently offers students the chance to co-author published journal articles or conference presentations. The psychology department also sponsors an active colloquium series where noted speakers give talks related to a variety of current topics in psychology.  Each year, the Psychology Department sponsors Psychology Day, which includes colloquia, panel discussions, and presentations by prospective employers .

Graduate students also may become involved in the Psychology Department in several ways. First- and second-year M.S. classes choose one representative to attend meetings of the M.S. Graduate Studies Committee. This committee sets policy regarding graduate curriculum and admissions. Students may also join one or more of the professional organizations sponsored by the Psychology Department. These include Psi Chi (the national honor society for psychology), the Psychology Department Student Association, and the American Psychological Society Student Caucus, which is made up of student affiliatesof the national American Psychological Society.

Students may also take advantage of employment opportunities as teaching assistants, computer assistants,  or Peer Mentors who advise and tutor undergraduates. Contact the Graduate Secretary for more information on any of these opportunities.

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Advisement

The department provides advisement to prospective enrollees regarding the application process, experience requirements and qualifications. For pre-enrollment advisement, please contact the Graduate Secretary (see below).

Students enrolled in the program receive advisement from a variety of sources. First, the Graduate Secretary is an invaluable source of information regarding scheduling, deadlines and procedures. Detailed information about the curriculum, deadlines, and department and university forms may also be found in the Psychology Department’s M.S. Student Handbook.

Students must meet with the M.S. Program Coordinator during their first semester in the program to develop a Study Plan. The M.S. Program Coordinator holds regular office hours for advising students during the semester. Advisement during school vacations is by appointment only. Lastly, all students will choose faculty mentors to supervise their thesis projects. These mentors will also provide advice about the program and future career development.   

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For Additional Information

For additional information, please contact the Psychology Department Graduate Secretary

Psychology Department
Graduate Office H-830M
California State University, Fullerton
P.O. Box 6846
Fullerton, CA 92834-6846

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