May 15, 2025

2012-2013 Argosy University Academic Catalog—Graduate Programs | Volume 3, Issue 6

2012-2013 Argosy University Academic Catalog—Graduate Programs | Volume 3, Issue 6 [ARCHIVED CATALOG]

Master of Arts in Clinical Psychology Degree Program—Georgia School of Professional Psychology at Argosy University, Atlanta

Program Overview

The Master of Arts (MA) in Clinical Psychology degree program in the Georgia School of Professional Psychology at Argosy University, Atlanta offers a 48 credit-hour curriculum that can be completed in two-years. The program’s curriculum is comprised of coursework and practicum training that is focused upon preparing students for doctoral study in professional psychology. As such, the program serves as a foundation for work beyond the master’s degree, offering students a means to determine their interest in, and suitability for, pursuing more advanced training.

Students are expected to acquire a solid foundation of knowledge and skills that is informed by the empirical methods and theoretical foundations of clinical psychology. Students’ ability to think critically as clinicians, using both theoretical constructs and empirical findings to guide competent practice, is emphasized throughout the program’s curriculum. The MA in Clinical Psychology degree program offers students a practicum training experience that emphasizes thorough evaluation of clients’ presenting concerns and provision of effective therapeutic interventions.

Program Goals and Objectives

To achieve the training goals described above, the Master of Arts in Clinical Psychology degree program curriculum is designed to foster student achievement of the following competencies:

Scientific Inquiry and Methods
Recognition of scientific inquiry and critical thinking as means for understanding human behavior. Knowledge and application of research and statistical methods in psychology to generate knowledge and to evaluate effectiveness. Critically evaluating empirical literature in psychology and related disciplines as applied to one’s clinical practice.

Methods of Psychological Assessment
Conducting clinical interviews and/or observations of identified clients, families, and collateral informants. Selecting, administering, scoring, interpreting and reporting results of psychological tests and measures under appropriate supervision.

Diagnosis
Identifying relevant DSM criteria and utilizing other clinical information to generate diagnostic formulations. Knowledge of key concepts, theories and empirical research in the study of maladaptive behavior. Applying knowledge of psychopathology to case formulation and treatment planning.

Knowledge of Interventions
Understanding and applying conceptual/theoretical models of clinical intervention and principles of change associated therewith. Knowledge of the empirical support for clinical practices.

Basic Interventions and Relationship Skills
Demonstrating basic therapeutic skills – e.g., empathic listening, reflection, framing problems, questioning, redirecting, making process comments, supportive confrontation, etc. Ability to establish and maintain an effective working relationship and/or treatment alliance with clients.

Planning and Implementng Interventions
Utilizing interventions that are grounded in assessment findings and appropriate to the individual client and/or population. Implementing specific theoretically-guided and evidence-based clinical interventions, strategies, and/or techniques with clients. Basic skills in evaluating the effectiveness of one’s interventions with clients.

Awareness of Cultural Identifies
Developing awareness of one’s own personal values, biases, and cultural identities that inform perceptions of self, other, and engagement with others.

Culturally-Informed Practice
Awareness of social, political, economic and cultural factors that impact individuals, institutions, systems, and communities. Understanding a conceptual framework of individual and cultural differences that guides one’s work with diverse persons and groups. Utilizing cross-cultural skills necessary to provide services to persons with diverse cultural values and lifestyles.

Professional Conduct
Understanding and adhering to parameters of professional conduct for clinical psychologists, including―showing integrity, honesty, responsibility, accountability and reliability; adopting professional values and standards of conduct; showing concern for the welfare of others; demonstrating self-awareness and reflection upon one’s professional practice; and assessing and managing one’s own personal well-being and self-care. Demonstrating the ability to relate to others professionally in an effective, meaningful, and respectful manner, including―managing one’s affective state and expression; communicating in a clear, articulate manner; negotiating differences and handling conflict; and providing and receiving feedback effectively and non-defensively.

Knowledge of Ethical, Legal, and Professional Standards
Understanding and applying the current APA Code of Ethics and the general ethical principles that serve as the foundation for this code. Integrating ethical, legal, and regulatory principles and standards into all areas of professional competence and practice. Adherence to standards of ethical conduct. Articulating and applying a model of ethical decision-making to resolve ethical issues or dilemmas.

Professional Development
Establishing identity as a professional psychologist. Using resources to enhance one’s professional development. Knowledge of licensing/credentialing, scope of practice, professional organizations, and career opportunities for clinical psychologists. Assessing and monitoring one’s own professional competencies.

Eligibility for Licensure

The MA in Clinical Psychology degree program curriculum’s focus is preparation for the PsyD in Clinical Psychology degree program and not for independent practice. The MA in Clinical Psychology degree program is not license‐eligible in the state of Georgia.

Foundation Courses

As a foundation for graduate study in psychology, the Georgia School of Professional Psychology at Argosy University, Atlanta requires applicants to have successfully completed a minimum of 15 undergraduate credit hours in psychology with a grade of “C” or higher. Within these 15 credit hours, three of the courses must include the following:

Abnormal psychology
General psychology
Statistics or research methods in psychology

A student who has not completed the required undergraduate coursework prior to admission may be admitted as a student-at-large pending completion of all foundation courses. All foundation coursework must be completed no later than the end of the first semester of enrollment. A student missing foundation courses may be prohibited from enrolling in certain required first-year courses, thus delaying the start of practicum.

The foundation course requirements may be satisfied in one of the following ways:

All foundation courses may be completed through Argosy University, Atlanta and or online, if the courses are offered.
All foundation courses may be completed successfully in the specific content area at a regionally accredited institution.

Argosy University, Atlanta offers non-credit courses in the above subject areas, which are available to admitted students periodically during the academic year.

Enrollment Requirements

In order to complete program requirements in a timely manner, students enrolled in the MA in Clinical Psychology degree program are expected to maintain full-time enrollment. Also, students enrolled n the MA in Clinical Psychology degree program are required to maintain continuous enrollment each semester throughout their course of study, until all program requirements are met. See “Level of Enrollment Criteria” under Section Seven, Academic Policies and Procedures .

Additional Requirements for Academic Progress

Students must make academic progress toward a degree by maintaining a GPA of 3.0 (on a scale of 4.0). All students must complete the program within five years after entering the program. Students must take the Master’s Therapy Practicum no later than the third year after entering the program. Students who receive a grade below “B-” in a course must retake the course during the next academic year or sooner. Students who have grades lower than “B-” in a master’s program courses and are subsequently accepted into the clinical doctoral degree program will be required to retake those courses.

If a student receives an “Incomplete” in a course that is a prerequisite for a course in the next semester, there is a two-week deadline for satisfying the incomplete in order to take the subsequent course. If the incomplete course is not a prerequisite for a subsequent course in the next semester, then the time permitted to satisfy the incomplete will be the end of the next semester. Students whose cumulative GPA falls below 3.0 (on a 4.0 point scale) will be placed on academic probation. If a student’s cumulative GPA falls below 3.0 (on a 4.0 point scale) for two consecutive semesters, he or she will be academically dismissed from the program. Students should refer to “Academic Warning” and “Other Reasons for Dismissal” under Section Seven, Academic Policies and Procedures .

Graduation Requirements

To be eligible for graduation, students must meet the following requirements:

42 credit hours of required courses
6 credit hours (one academic year) of practicum and practicum seminar
Satisfactory completion of the Comprehensive Examination
A GPA of at least 3.0 (on a scale of 4.0)
A completed Petition to Graduate submitted to campus administration

Program Requirements

The MA in Clinical Psychology degree program requires the successful completion of 48 semester credit hours distributed as follows: core course requirements, 42 credit hours; and practicum and practicum seminar requirements, 6 credit hours. In addition to these credit hour requirements, students must successfully complete the Comprehensive Examination.

Core Course Requirements

Students enrolled in the MA in Clinical Psychology degree program are required to complete core course requirements in the following distribution areas: Applied Psychology, Research Methodology, Core Assessment, Intervention, and Professional Development.

Applied Psychology Requirements—Students Are Required to Take the Following

Applied Psychology Requirements—6 Credit Hours

Research Methodology Requirements—Students Are Required to Take the Following

PP7200 - Statistics and Research I (3)

Research Methodology Requirements—3 Credit Hours

Core Assessment Requirements—Students Are Required to Take the Following

Core Assessment Requirements—12 Credit Hours

Intervention Requirements—Students Are Required to Take the Following

Intervention Requirements—12 Credit Hours

Professional Development Requirements—Students Are Required to Take the Following

Professional Development Requirements—9 Credit Hours

Practicum and Practicum Seminar Requirements

Students enrolled in the MA in Clinical Psychology degree program are required to complete 6 credit hours of practicum and practicum seminar.

Practicum and Practicum Seminar Requirements—Students Are Required To Take the Following

Practicum and Practicum Seminar Requirements—6 Credit Hours

Professionalization Group Requirements

These discussion groups for first-year students are led by a core faculty member and meet once a week for one hour. Students discuss topics related to professional psychology and the development of a professional identity. The core faculty member leading the group will help students with academic and field training planning, general consultation on problems or difficulties in the program, and questions emerging during the student’s first-year academic experience.

Practicum Requirements

Master’s Practicum is the primary mechanism of applied training and evaluation of students’ clinical competencies in the MA in Clinical Psychology degree program. Practicum is a required 600-hour (minimum) field training experience that is typically completed in the second year of the program. The primary goal of practicum training is to foster students’ knowledge and skills in conducting clinical assessments and/or providing therapeutic interventions. Practicum training provides an opportunity for students to apply theoretical knowledge, to develop clinical skills grounded in this knowledge base, and to foster professional and personal attitudes important to the identity of a professional psychologist.

Students work with clients in a healthcare or social service setting, providing assessment and/or treatment intervention services under direct supervision. Most practicum placements last for nine months, typically September to June. Students spend 20 hours per week in an agency or program that is formally affiliated with the program, and are placed in a wide variety of clinical field sites in the metro-Atlanta area. All students enrolled in practicum are concurrently enrolled in a weekly practicum seminar led by a faculty member.

Note: Practicum training in the MA in Clinical Psychology degree program is not intended to substitute for the PsyD in Clinical Psychology degree program Diagnostic Practicum or Therapy Practicum. MA in Clinical Psychology degree program students who are accepted in the doctoral degree program in clinical psychology may not waive the doctoral-level practicum training.

Please refer to the MA in Clinical Psychology Training Manual for the Georgia School of Professional Psychology at Argosy University, Atlanta for a more detailed description of practicum requirements and guidelines. All students are responsible for being familiar with the information and requirements contained in the training manual.

Practicum Restrictions

Students may not complete practicum training in settings in which they are employed. The Georgia School of Professional Psychology at Argosy University, Atlanta cannot provide compensation to the agency for the supervision and/or training of students. Each practicum training placement takes place in a single agency. Also, students cannot receive a course waiver in master’s practicum for clinical training completed at another institution.

Professional Liability Insurance

All students enrolled in practicum at the Georgia School of Professional Psychology at Argosy University, Atlanta must be covered by Professional Liability Insurance. Students purchase this insurance through the school. This coverage is mandatory even if the student is otherwise insured. Payment for insurance is included in the practicum tuition fees. This liability insurance is designed for activities resulting from students’ participation in the graduate curriculum, such as practicum and internship, but will not cover students who are providing clinical services as an employee of an agency or practice.

Practicum Prerequisites and Qualifications

In order for students to apply for practicum, they must be in good academic standing (GPA of 3.0 on a scale of 4.0) and have a plan to complete the practicum prerequisite courses prior to the beginning of the practicum. Students must not be on probation at the time of application to practicum or at the time the practicum begins. Students must remain off probation while on practicum. Students must also have been in attendance at Argosy University for a minimum of two semesters (may include summer with the approval of the program chair) before beginning practicum. Any exception to this rule must be approved by the program chair.

Practicum Prerequisites

Students in the MA in Clinical Psychology degree program must have successfully completed or transferred the following courses in order to apply for a clinical practicum:

Master’s Practicum Seminar Requirements

All master’s practicum students are required to attend a weekly practicum seminar throughout the academic year that is led by a faculty member. The goal of the master’s degree program practicum seminar is the application of assessment strategies and/or treatment models to specific cases. Emphasis is placed on teaching basic assessment and therapeutic intervention skills. Students must audiotape or videotape some or all of their sessions with clients, which are presented for review and critique in the seminar. Additional requirements for the master’s practicum seminar are outlined in the MA in Clinical Psychology Training Manual for the Georgia School of Professional Psychology at Argosy University, Atlanta.

Comprehensive Examination Requirements

Students in the MA in Clinical Psychology degree program are required to successfully complete a Comprehensive Examination. Students must take the Comprehensive Examination no later than the end of the fourth year after entering the program.

The material covered by the Comprehensive Examination reflects all coursework and material required of students in the program. The examination requires students to integrate the material into a form that demonstrates both mastery of the material and ability to organize what has been learned in a coherent and logical manner.

Comprehensive Examination Prerequisites

To sit for the Comprehensive Examination, students must have successfully completed all required courses and have successfully completed (or be be concurrently enrolled in ) Master’s Practicum II (PP6202 ).

Students taking the Comprehensive Examination must be in good standing and have a GPA of at least 3.0 (on a scale of 4.0).

Please refer to the MA in Clinical Psychology Training Manual for the Georgia School of Professional Psychology at Argosy University, Atlanta for a more detailed description of the Comprehensive Examination requirements and guidelines. All students are responsible for being familiar with the information contained in the training manual.

Recommended Course Sequence for the Master of Arts in Clinical Psychology Degree Program at the Georgia School of Professional Psychology at Argosy University, Atlanta

Student progress through the program is intended to be sequential. Certain courses are offered to first-year students that provide a theoretical and practical foundation for courses that will follow. Certain advanced courses also require the student to have the background of more basic courses in order to benefit fully from the course experience.

Year One

Fall Semester

Spring Semester

Summer Semester

Year Two

Fall Semester

Spring Semester

Summer Semester

MA in Clinical Psychology Comprehensive Examination

Course/Credit Transfer

Transfer of Courses/Credit from Other Institutions

The following is a list of courses that may not be transferred to Argosy University, Atlanta unless they are transferred from another Argosy University campus.