University of Missouri-St. Louis College of Arts & Sciences

Our Ph.D. Clinical Psychology program is currently in accordance with the scientist-practitioner model of training and is based on the understanding that doctoral-level psychologists in the future are unlikely to function solely in a service capacity as psychotherapists. Applicants to our program should also be aware of the possibility that our program may transition to the clinical science training model at some point during their program of study with us (to learn more, visit the Academy of Psychological Clinical Science website). Indeed, our alumni surveys indicate that most of our graduates have some combination of supervisory, teaching, training, administration, program evaluation, basic research, grant-writing, and other non-service roles in addition to, or rather than, direct service responsibilities. The program curriculum provides academically rigorous preparation so that our graduates can excel in these complex roles and responsibilities. This means that all of our students are expected to develop strong research skills, and strong clinical skills, and to form professional identities that integrate science and practice.

The graduate curriculum is rooted in a core of required courses in research methods and content areas of psychology. All students are required to take a two semester sequence in quantitative methods in their first year. During the first three years of the program, students take courses in multicultural issues, applied research methods, social psychology, personality, developmental psychology, cognitive/behavioral processes, biological bases of behavior, and psychopathology, as well as elective coursework.

Students participate in practica in our Community Psychological Service and a paid clinical clerkship, which may be in a community or university-based setting. Students participate in at least one year of clerkship and three years of training in the Community Psychological Service. By the time of the internship, students have received a minimum of 1500 hours of supervised clinical experience and are highly competitive for positions in internship programs.

Training includes specialized coursework in multicultural issues in clinical psychology, the integration of relevant material across the curriculum, and clinical training with differentiated populations in campus-based and community placements.

The program is designed to be completed in five years of full-time study; however, it should be noted that some students have graduated in six or more years after beginning the program. This primarily occurs when students elect to take advantage of optional research and clinical opportunities prior to the internship. Students have a maximum of seven years to complete all program requirements.

International students who complete this program are eligible for the STEM Optional Practical Training Extension as the Classification of Instructional Programs (CIP) code is 42.2799 (Research and Experimental Psychology, Other).