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Graduate Programs in Psychology
Heidi R. Riggio
California State University, Los Angeles
There are many different kinds of graduate training programs (for earning Master’s and Doctoral
degrees) in Psychology. Some focus on training you to be a practitioner (therapist, counselor,
school psychologist) who works in an applied setting (e.g., hospital, clinic, private practice, other
service organization). Other programs focus on research and are designed to train you to be a
college professor who teaches and conducts research in a university setting. Some professional
research psychologists work outside of universities at private or public research institutions.
Programs vary depending on whether they offer a Master’s or a Doctoral degree, and whether
they are offered by a traditional academic institution or a “professional school.”
Ph.D. Programs in Psychology
The graduate training for ANY Ph.D. in Psychology (including Clinical or Counseling Ph.D.s) is
based very heavily on research. All Ph.D. degrees (regardless of field) are about training you to
become a researcher. Because most researchers work at universities (the main institutions that
support such work), many Ph.D.s are college professors (including people with Ph.D.s in Clinical
Psychology). Professors with Ph.D.s in Clinical Psychology do sometimes work directly with
clients/patients, but many do not. If you don’t want to be a researcher and/or college
professor, Ph.D. programs are not a good choice.
Ph.D. programs in psychology, especially Clinical Ph.D. programs, are EXTREMELY competitive;
they can attract hundreds of applicants and often select only two or three. Clinical Ph.D.
programs are mainly interested in people who want to become researchers, particularly programs
at large public and private universities (e.g., all of the Universities of California ). Research will
always be emphasized over practice in such programs. So, if you are not interested in doing
research as a career, then Ph.D. programs are probably not the route you want to go.
Typically, Ph.D. programs (in any field of Psychology) require GRE scores that are at the very
least 1100. They prefer applicants who have research experience (work done directly with a
faculty member who is conducting empirical research). For Clinical/Counseling Ph.D. programs in
Psychology, applied work (in a mental health, social service, educational setting) is also valued,
but research experience is more strongly emphasized. If you do not have research experience, it
is very unlikely that you would be accepted into a Ph.D. program. Ph.D. programs also require
superior undergraduate grades; if your overall undergraduate GPA is under 3.5, it is unlikely that
you would be accepted into a Ph.D. program in Psychology.
Professional School Doctoral Programs in Psychology
PsyD (Doctor of Psychology, as opposed to the Ph.D., Doctor of Philosophy) programs are
growing in popularity. They are much less research focused, not designed to train you as a
research professor, and much more applied (focused on teaching you to work with
clients/patients). PsyD programs (like Argosy, Alliant, etc.) are very expensive because they are
only offered by private “professional schools” (not traditional universities). These programs are
less competitive than Ph.D. programs at universities, meaning they accept many more applicants
each year.
There is a big difference between Ph.D. programs at large universities and PsyD programs
offered at professional schools. Ph.D. programs at large universities involve research, even for
Clinical Ph.D.s. These degrees are designed to train you as a scholar/researcher/professor.
Students are likely to receive funding as a graduate student.
At professional schools, students pay very high tuition, and are trained as practitioners more than
researchers (although all Ph.D.s require a dissertation, a research project). Ph.D.s from
professional schools are about being a practitioner. Ph.D.s from professional schools are less
valuable in attaining a tenure-track academic job (a tenured position as a college professor), but
you may be able to teach part-time with such a degree. These degrees train you to be a clinician;
they are well-regarded degrees in the clinical world. Ph.D.s from professional schools are very
much like PsyDs.
Master’s Programs in Psychology at CSULA
The Master of Arts in Psychology (MA), and the Master of Science in Forensic Psychology are
research-based degrees that do not focus on clinical practice (and will not help you earn a
therapist license). They require a thesis (a research project) and many courses in research
methods and statistics. If you don't want to be a college professor, these are not the degree
programs for you. You may teach with an MA or similar degree at the community college, but
such degrees are usually not sufficient for tenure-track (permanent) jobs as a college professor.
The MA in Psychology is offered at many CSU campuses.
The MFT degree (Marriage, Family Therapy) is a Master’s degree in Psychology that is designed
to train you as a therapist/practitioner. It does not involve a thesis project but a comprehensive
exam. It is designed to move you toward licensure as a practicing therapist. Other Master’s
programs in other disciplines (e.g., Master’s of Science in Counseling, Master’s of Social
Work or MSW) are also designed to train/educate students as practitioners/counselors. If you
want to be a therapist, all three are viable options. Master’s programs in School Psychology are
also available. These Master’s programs are offered at many CSUs. The MS in ABA (Applied
Behavior Analysis) is designed for students who plan to work as behavior analysts, specialists, or
consultants with a Masters degree (often working with individuals with developmental and other
disabilities, including autism), and for those who plan to pursue doctoral training in behavior
analysis with the goal of being a college professor. Because of these two options, students in the
ABA program either take a comprehensive exam or conduct a research thesis.
For more information, visit the school website
(http://www.calstatela.edu/academic/psych/html/deptmenu.htm) and click on “Graduate
Programs”). You can also find more information at apa.org, aps.org, westernpsych.org, and
schools typically list graduate program offerings and requirements on websites. Another good
source is a book called Graduate Study in Psychology, published by the American Psychological
Association (APA).