|
FREQUENTLY
ASKED QUESTIONS ABOUT THE PSYCHOLOGY GRADUATE
PROGRAMS
1. What is the accreditation status of the Ph.D. program in Clinical Psychology?
We are proud to report that the Ph.D. program in Clinical Psychology at UCCS was formally accredited by the American Psychological Associations Commission on Accreditation in May 2008 for a five year period (until 2012).
2. How are Ph.D.
students funded?
The faculty are
committed to accepting only those students they can
reasonably expect to fund at a minimum stipend of $12,000
per year. Acceptance into the program is not a guarantee
of funding for a specific number of years. However, the
faculty intend to ensure that funding is available in
order to make it possible for students to work full-time
in the program. To date, all students have received
between $15,000-21,000/year.
3. How are MA
students funded?
MA students are
funded in a variety of ways, including departmental
funding of Federal work-study awards, serving as a
departmental TA, and other positions within the
department. Additionally, some MA students are funded as
an RA in their research mentor’s lab. It is
important to clarify these sources of funding with your
mentor or with the department.
4. Is my acceptance
into the MA program or Ph.D. program contingent upon
working with a specific professor or research
mentor?
No. You are free
to choose the mentor you wish to work with once you are
admitted to the program. Although it is not required for
you to choose a mentor before you join the program, it is
beneficial to be very clear about your research interests
and have a few potential mentors in mind. This will help
determine whether you are a good match for the program.
Additionally, in some cases, offers of funding are tied
to a specific mentor and research laboratory.
5. How many
students are in the incoming classes for the MA program and
the Ph.D. program?
The MA program
(clinical track) has a typical cohort of 6-12 students.
The MA program (experimental track) has a typical cohort
of 2-6 students. The Ph.D. program has a typical cohort
of 3-5 students.
6. What is the
difference between the Counseling Masters degree at UCCS
(in the College of Education) and the MA degree in Clinical
Psychology?
The Counseling
Masters offered through the College of Education is
designed to prepare students to work in school based
settings or community counseling. The program is much
more focused on the practice of counseling and not
research. Students in the community track are prepared
for the LPC. The MA in Clinical Psychology is built off
of the Boulder Model of Clinical Psychology where
students are trained as scientist/practitioners and many
students use our program as the launching pad to a Ph.D.
or Psy.D. program once they graduate. Students are
required to complete an independent research project and
take several courses on statistics and research
methodology. They also have courses and practical
experience in psychotherapy and assessment but the
program is balanced in its emphasis on the science of
psychology and the practice of psychology.
7. What is the best
way for me to become a psychologist?
There are many
pathways to becoming a psychologist. The most important
question is what you would like to do when you are done
with your education. If you want to exclusively be a
practicing psychologist where you see clients, you might
consider a Psy.D. (or Doctorate in Psychology) degree.
These programs are designed to train clinicians and have
less of a focus on research. If you see yourself working
in an academic setting teaching, conducting research, and
possibly having a clinical practice that is small, you
should focus on a Ph.D. degree. You can be a practicing
psychologist with a Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology, Ph.D.
in Counseling Psychology, a Psy.D., and in some cases an
Ed.D. in Counseling (Doctorate in Education). You should
check with the licensing requirements in the particular
state in which you want to live because different states
have different requirements. It is always advisable to
discuss career options with faculty or individuals in the
community doing what you would like to do to find out
more about the educational and practical requirements of
the job.
8. Will I get
credit for the graduate degree I have in another area of
psychology or another discipline?
It is possible
for you to receive credit for graduate level coursework
in psychology taken at another university although the
prior course has to be similar to the one in our program.
For clinical students, the Director of Clinical Training
(DCT) will review your transcript and the syllabus or
syllabi of your prior graduate coursework and will make
determinations about which courses will transfer to our
program. For experimental students, the Director of
Graduate Training (DGT) will review your materials and
make the determinations about which courses will transfer
to our program.
9. Can I go part
time to get my MA or Ph.D. in your program?
You can
definitely enroll part time in the Masters program.
Although most students complete the programs in the
regular 2 year time frame, we regularly have students who
choose to be on the 3 year plan. For clinical MA
students, this means that they would not enroll in their
Practicum training until the start of the third year. For
experimental students, the three year plan affords more
opportunities to publish and present research papers. For
the Ph.D. program, we do not allow part time
students.
10. As a Ph.D.
student, will I have enough time to work
off-campus?
Because of the
funding of doctoral students and the time commitments of
the program, we recommend that students do not maintain
outside employment.
11. May students
switch from the clinical track to the experimental track or
from the experimental track to the clinical track once
accepted into to or enrolled in the program?
Students must
apply to a specific track of the MA program (either the
clinical track or the experimental track). In general,
should a student wish to change tracks, he or she must
apply during the regular admissions cycle and go through
the formal admissions process again to be accepted into
the different track. In some circumstances, it may be
possible for a student in the clinical track to petition
to move to the experimental track outside of the regular
application cycle but this option must be discussed with
the DCT and DGT.
12. Can students do
thesis research with any faculty member in the
department?
YES! Although
students are accepted into either the clinical or
experimental program, at either the masters’ level
or doctoral level, you are free to work with any faculty
member whose research interests are compatible with your
own.
13. Do students
often publish with faculty mentors?
As a faculty, we
strongly encourage our students to actively present and
publish papers with their research mentor. We have a
strong track record of publishing peer-reviewed journal
articles and book chapters with our students.
14. How many
credits must I take to qualify for financial aid or be
considered full time?
A graduate
student is considered full-time and eligible for
financial aid if enrolled in 5 or more credits during the
fall and spring semesters and 3 credits during the summer
semester. Students earning an MA degree are required to
take 9 to 15 credits per semester to complete the degree
in two years.
15. How does
full-time/part-time status affect financial aid?
Students deciding
to complete the MA degree in three years typically still
qualify for financial aid through the financial aid
office. The Psychology department may consider a student
taking three years to complete a master’s degree
part time but the financial aid office and the graduate
school will still classify you as full time as long as
you are enrolled in 5 credits in the fall and spring
semesters. Psychology degree requirements necessitate
students enroll in 9 to 15 credits per semester full time
and 5 to 7 credits part time.
16. What is the
atmosphere like in the department? Between students?
Between student and faculty?
We strive to
maintain a collegial and respectful atmosphere in the
department. We encourage supportive and collaborative
relationships between students and between students and
faculty.
17. When I complete
the terminal MA program (clinical track) can I sit for the Licensed
Professional Counselor (LPC) exam in Colorado?
No. Our terminal MA
program is designed to prepare you for entrance into a doctoral program in psychology (Ph.D. or Psy.D.) so that you can become licensed as a Psychologist after you graduate from the doctoral program. However, some of our MA students stop at the MA level and then work toward the LPC licensure in Colorado. Because we are not a licensure preparation program, these students must take several additional courses, receive more supervised clinical practicum experience, and must submit their educational documentation to the Center for Credentialing and Education (CCE) for a determinatino of equivalencey with Colorado's requirements. An application for a Colorado Educational Equivalencey Review can be downladed from CCE's website. Students interested in pursuing licensure at the MA level in Colorado should carefully consult the full requirements for licensure which can be found on the webiste of Colorado's Department of Regulatory Agencies, Division of Registrations.
18. What are thesis
credits, dissertation credits, and research practicum
credits? And when should I take them?
All of these are
course credits that you receive for time spent working on
your research project. Thesis credits (PSY 700) should be
taken by students when then work on their master’s
thesis project. The MA program requires you to take 4
credits; you may apply as many as 6 credits toward your
degree. Dissertation credits (PSY 800) should be taken by
Ph.D. students during the time that they are working on
their dissertation research. Doctoral students are
required to take 30 credits; the timing of those credits
is constrained by the Graduate School rules that you
should review. Research practicum credits (PSY 603 for
master’s, PSY 703 for Ph.D.) allocate time for you
and your mentor to work on your research training. They
need to be taken during a specific term. Your
thesis/dissertation advisor will inform you when you
should take the research practicum credits.
19. Because
clinical students take many more courses than experimental
students, what are experimental students supposed to do
with all that extra time?
Experimental
students are advised to work closely with their research
mentor to develop a plan for intensive research training
within laboratory and classroom settings. Experimental
students are expected to do more than one research
project.
20. Does the
program have qualifying/comprehensive exams and how are
they structured?
The Ph.D. program
does have qualifying/comprehensive exams but the MA
program does not. A full description of the process is
located on the Ph.D. program website.
21. What are
tuition rates?
Tuition rates are
provided at the Bursar's Office where they are updated.
Notice that MA and the PhD are listed in separate tuition
categories.
22. What classes should I take?
Students will find it very helpful to meet with Andrea Williams regarding their schedules before/when they first arrive, and at least at the beginning each fall semester for planning purposes to make sure they are taking the correct courses. When new students arrive, she makes sure that they talk with her, and together they create an academic course plan for their times at UCCS.
|
