Offering Campuses
Argosy University, Atlanta; Argosy University, Chicago; Argosy University, Dallas; Argosy University, Hawai‘i; Argosy University, Orange County; Argosy University, Phoenix; Argosy University, San Francisco Bay Area; Argosy University, Schaumburg; Argosy University, Seattle; Argosy University, Tampa; Argosy University, Twin Cities; Argosy University, Washington DC
Program Overview
The Master of Arts (MA) in Clinical Psychology degree program is designed to introduce students to basic clinical skills that enable them to serve the mental health needs of diverse client populations. At many Argosy University campuses, the MA in Clinical Psychology degree program is embedded within the Doctor of Psychology (PsyD) in Clinical Psychology degree program and students take classes along side doctoral students.1 The MA in Clinical Psychology degree program is designed to serve as a preliminary step for students who wish to pursue a doctoral degree in clinical psychology. In addition, while the program curriculum is designed to prepare students for doctoral study, the theoretical and clinical knowledge learned in the program can be applied to independent practice under certain conditions. Depending on state requirements, the MA in Clinical Psychology degree program may help prepare students for licensure in psychology or counseling at the master’s level. Additional coursework and supervised post-master’s clinical experience may be required to qualify to sit for master’s level licensure exams. Master’s-level licensure varies from state to state. It is the student’s responsibility to determine the requirements for professional licensure in the state he or she wishes to practice. Refer to the campus-specific program descriptions for more information.
Admission into the MA in Clinical Psychology degree program or completion of the MA in Clinical Psychology degree program does not guarantee admission into any of Argosy University’s PsyD in Clinical Psychology degree programs.
The MA in Clinical Psychology degree program can be completed in as little as 2 years, but must be completed within 5 years.
Note
1The MA in Clinical Psychology degree programs offered by Argosy University, Seattle and Argosy University, Twin Cities are not embedded within the PsyD in Clinical Psychology degree program. Rather, these programs are terminal degree programs that are designed to prepare students for master’s level counselor licensure in Washington and Minnesota, respectively. Refer to the campus-specific program requirements for Argosy University, Seattle and Argosy University, Twin Cities for more information.
Admission Requirements*
- A bachelor’s degree from a regionally accredited institution or an appropriately certified foreign institution.
- A grade point average of at least 3.0 (on a scale of 4.0).
- A minimum score on an Argosy University pre-approved English language proficiency test is required for all applicants whose native language is not English or who have not graduated from an institution at which English is the language of instruction as specified in Section Five, Admission Policies, “English Language Proficiency Policy .”
- Completion of an interview with a member of the program Admissions Committee.**
All applications for admission must be submitted to the Admissions Department. An admissions representative is available to help interested applicants complete the following required documentation:
- Completed Application for Admission Form.
- Application fee (Non-refundable, except in California and Arizona. In the state of Arizona, the application fee is refundable if the application is canceled within three business days of the applicant signing the Enrollment Agreement.).
- Personal/professional goal statement with a self-appraisal of qualifications for the profession.
- Current résumé (or career summary).
- Three completed Applicant Recommendation Forms.
- Official transcripts from all post-secondary schools attended.
Notes
* Admission to the MA in Clinical Psychology degree program does not guarantee admission to the PsyD in Clinical Psychology degree program. Students wishing to apply to the PsyD in Clinical Psychology degree program upon completion of the MA in Clinical Psychology degree program, must meet the admissions requirements for the PsyD in Clinical Psychology degree program, i.e., undergraduate GPA of 3.25 or combined GRE verbal and quantitative scores of a least 1000. See Doctor of Psychology in Clinical Psychology degree program for the complete list of admission requirements.
** Out of state applicants to Argosy University, Hawai‘i may be given the opportunity to complete a telephone interview.
On very rare occasions, applicants with grade point averages below the stated admission requirements may be considered. All admission exceptions must be documented, recommended by the program admissions committee, and approved by the program chair.
Applications to Multiple Campuses
An applicant who wants to apply to more than one campus must complete a separate application and forward a full set of application materials to each campus.
Application Deadlines
Applications are accepted for fall admission.
Committee Decisions
All applicants will receive written notification of the Admissions Committee’s decision. Admissions Committee decisions are final and not subject to appeal. Accepted applicants are required to remit a non-refundable deposit of $500.00 by the date stipulated on the written notification to reserve a place in the entering class. This deposit will be applied toward the tuition of the student’s first semester. An applicant, if rejected, can reapply by following the reapplication policy.
Graduation Requirements
To receive the Master of Arts in Clinical Psychology degree, the student must fulfill the degree requirements of the campus attended. Graduation requirements include:
- Satisfactory completion of all requirements in the program of study
- A minimum grade point average as defined by the campus of attendance
- A completed Petition to Graduate submitted to campus administration
For more detailed information, refer to the program information published in the campus-specific program descriptions.
Non-Academic Competence Policy
Argosy University subscribes to the policy of the Student Competence Task Force of the Council of Chairs of Training Councils. This means that the faculty, training staff, and site supervisors of Argosy University have a professional, ethical, and potentially legal obligation to:
- Evaluate the interpersonal competence and emotional well-being of student trainees who are under their supervision, and who provide services to clients and consumers, and
- Ensure — insofar as possible — that the trainees who complete their programs are competent to manage future relationships (e.g., client, collegial, professional, public, scholarly, supervisory, teaching) in an effective and appropriate manner.
Because of this commitment, Argosy University strives not to “pass along” students with issues or problems (e.g., cognitive, emotional, psychological, interpersonal, technical, and ethical) that may interfere with professional competence to other programs, the profession, employers, or the public at large.
Therefore, within a developmental framework and with due regard for the inherent power difference between students and faculty, students and trainees should know that their faculty, training staff, and supervisors will evaluate their competence in areas other than coursework, seminars, scholarship, comprehensive examinations, or related program requirements. These evaluative areas include, but are not limited to, demonstration of the following:
- Sufficient interpersonal and professional competence (e.g., the ways in which students relate to clients, peers, faculty, allied professionals, the public, and individuals from diverse backgrounds or histories)
- Sufficient self-awareness, self-reflection, and self-evaluation (e.g., knowledge of the content and potential impact of one’s own beliefs and values on clients, peers, faculty, allied professionals, the public, and individuals from diverse backgrounds or histories)
- Sufficient openness to processes of supervision (e.g., the ability and willingness to explore issues that either interfere with the appropriate provision of care or impede professional development or functioning.
- Sufficient ability to resolve problems or issues that interfere with professional development or functioning in a satisfactory manner (e.g., by responding constructively to feedback from supervisors or program faculty; by participating in personal therapy in order to resolve problems or issues).
The policy in its entirety can be found at: http://www.psychtrainingcouncils.org/
Guidelines for Students’ Sharing of Affective Experiences and Reactions to Didactic and Clinical Materials
It is anticipated that in the course of their graduate education, students will have a variety of emotional experiences and reactions to didactic lectures, discussions of psychodiagnostic and psychotherapy clinical case materials, and in their practicum and internship experiences with patients/clients. Being in contact with one’s own internal states and understanding one’s emotional reactions around contacts with clinical material is understood to be an integral part of one’s professional responsibility.
Argosy University encourages students to share or discuss these experiences as appropriate and relevant to course material in the classroom. The self-disclosure of emotional experiences should be at the discretion of each individual student, and at a level that each is comfortable with. It is expected that such self-disclosure should take place in a supportive and non-intrusive context.
Argosy University policy, while encouraging appropriate self-disclosure, regards such disclosure as voluntary. Requirements or pressure on the part of either faculty or fellow students on individuals to share such emotional experiences when they are unwilling to do so is understood to contradict the policy of this school.
Campus-Specific Program Requirements
To review the program requirements for a given campus, click on the relevant link below:
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