May 18, 2025

2015-2016 Argosy University Academic Catalog—Graduate Programs | Volume 6, Issue 1

2015-2016 Argosy University Academic Catalog—Graduate Programs | Volume 6, Issue 1 [ARCHIVED CATALOG]

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

Program Overview

The Master of Arts (MA) in Clinical Psychology degree program in the Georgia School of Professional Psychology at Argosy University 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 Implementing 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; 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; 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 American Psychological Association (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 requires applicants to have successfully completed a minimum of 15 undergraduate credit hours in psychology with a grade of “B-” 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.

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 who receive a grade below “B-” in a course must retake the course during the next academic year or sooner. If a student receives a grade of “Incomplete” or “Incomplete in Progress” in a course that is a prerequisite for another course in the curriculum, he or she must rectify the incomplete grade before taking the subsequent course.

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” for the MA in Clinical Psychology degree program under Section Seven, Academic Policies and Procedures.

Students are expected to successfully complete all requirements for the MA in Clinical Psychology degree program within five years after matriculation. Any student who fails to do so may request an extension of the deadline for a maximum of one year, which must be approved by the Program Dean and the Dean of the College of Clinical Psychology. Students who are approved for the one-year extension must meet with the Student Professional Development Committee (SPDC) to develop a formal plan for completing program requirements. For a student who has taken a temporary withdrawal (i.e., leave of absence) from Argosy University, the length of time withdrawn from the program is not counted in the calculation of his or her time to program completion. A student cannot be temporarily withdrawn from the University for an accumulated period of more than one year. Please note that temporary withdrawal from the program must be formally approved by the program faculty and administration.

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 Master’s Comprehensive Evaluation
A GPA of at least 3.0 (on a scale of 4.0)
A completed Petition to Graduate submitted to campus administration

Program Requirements

Students enrolled in the MA in Clinical Psychology degree program at the Georgia School of Professional Psychology at Argosy University are required to successfully complete 48 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 Master’s Comprehensive Evaluation.

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: Science of Psychology, Research Methodology, Core Assessment, Intervention, and Professional Development.

Science of Psychology Requirements—Students Are Required to Take the Following

PP7010 - Lifespan Development (3)

Science of Psychology Requirements—3 Credit Hours

Research Methodology Requirements—Students Are Required to Take the Following

PP7200 - Statistics and Research I (3)

Research Methodology Requirements—3 Credit Hours

Assessment Requirements—Students Are Required to Take the Following

Assessment Requirements—15 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

Practicum and Practicum Seminar 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 practicum requirements in the PsyD in Clinical Psychology degree program. MA in Clinical Psychology degree program students who are accepted in the doctoral degree program in clinical psychology may not waive the required doctoral-level practicum training and must complete Practicum I and II (PP8201 and PP8202 ) and Practicum III and IV (PP8203 and PP8204 ).

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.

Student Qualifications for Master’s Practicum

Students must have been in attendance in the Clinical Psychology program at the Georgia School of Professional Psychology at Argosy University for a minimum of two semesters before beginning practicum. Any exception to this rule must be approved by the Training Director and the Program Dean.

In order for students to apply for practicum, they must be in good standing (GPA of 3.0 on a scale of 4.0) and able to successfully complete all the practicum prerequisite courses prior to the beginning of practicum training. Students are not eligible for practicum training if they are on probation at the time that practicum begins. Students must demonstrate a readiness to assume a professional role and to interact appropriately with clients. Personal adjustment issues, interpersonal difficulties, poor communication skills, or other behavioral problems may reflect upon a student’s ability to interact with clients in a competent and ethical manner. The program’s Training Director, in consultation with the faculty, has the authority to determine a student’s readiness for practicum training.

Master’s Practicum Prerequisites

Students must complete the following courses, with a grade of B- or higher (or a grade of “Credit”), before beginning the master’s practicum – i.e., PP6201 - Master’s Practicum I and PP6202 - Master’s Practicum II .

On-Site Supervision

Practicum trainees receive a minimum of one hour of primary supervision and one hour of secondary supervision or training per week on-site. For MA in Clinical Psychology degree program students in Master’s Practicum I and II, at least one hour must be spent in primary individual supervision with a licensed doctoral-level psychologist. Primary supervision is offered at a regular, preset, uninterrupted time each week. Additional or secondary supervision may be provided by masters-level clinicians or postdoctoral fellows. Supervisors are expected to communicate clear expectations to students at the beginning of practicum and to provide clear feedback regarding clinical competence and progress throughout the year. Students are required to audio- or video-record some of their clinical work to be played in individual supervision and in their practicum seminar on campus. The student’s practicum seminar leader should be informed immediately of any difficulties encountered at the practicum, or of any substantive changes in the practicum experience (e.g., change of supervision).

Master’s Practicum Seminar Requirements

The practicum seminar serves as an auxiliary training component in student’s clinical training. The seminar leader works as a “partner in training” with the student’s on-site supervisor to oversee his or her field training experience. Although the seminar leader may provide general feedback about a student’s work with particular clients and progress toward treatment goals, supervision of individual cases remains the responsibility of the on-site supervisor, who has direct contact with the practicum setting and with the clients. In the seminar, students receive didactic training, present their clinical work, and consult with peers and the seminar leader regarding challenging assessment and treatment issues. In practicum seminar, students also prepare formal case presentations, both through written documents and oral presentations in the seminar. These case presentations demonstrate not only the student’s skills and competence in working with clients, but also provide a means to assess his or her ability to integrate knowledge and skills obtained by progressing through the program curriculum into one’s practicum experience. As such, the practicum seminar provides an additional level of clinical training and evaluation of students’ competencies beyond that provided by on-site supervision alone.

Practicum Restrictions

Students may not complete practicum training in settings in which they are employed and cannot receive compensation for services provided at the practicum site. 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 Student Evaluation and Final Grades

Site supervisors and practicum seminar leaders formally evaluate students each semester, and a grade is assigned by the practicum seminar leader. Depending on a student’s progress in practicum, a grade of Progress, Credit, No Credit, or Incomplete may be issued for each term that the student is enrolled. A student receiving a grade of “No Credit” for any semester of practicum training (i.e., Practicum I or II) must repeat that entire practicum experience for a minimum of nine months. The student must also meet with the program’s Student Professional Development Committee to develop a plan for addressing his or her training needs. A final grade of “No Credit” in a practicum constitutes a failing grade for purposes of determining whether a student is demonstrating satisfactory academic progress.

Master’s Comprehensive Evaluation Requirements

Students in the MA in Clinical Psychology degree program are required to successfully complete a comprehensive evaluation that requires students to integrate their coursework and clinical training experience into a form that demonstrates both mastery of the material and ability to organize what has been learned in a coherent and logical manner. Students must successfully complete this comprehensive evaluation in order to fulfill program requirements for graduation.

To meet this requirement, students in the MA in Clinical Psychology degree program must complete the Master’s Practicum Competency Evaluation (MPCE), which is the culmination of the student’s practicum training and is a major component in determining the student’s final practicum grade. The MPCE includes a comprehensive written case summary of the student’s assessment and/or intervention work with the client, an audio- or video-recording of a sample of that work (e.g., a clinical assessment interview or a therapy session), and a self-critique of the recorded clinical work sample. Students are also required to provide an oral presentation of the MPCE to the practicum seminar leader and/or other members of the faculty. Specific criteria for the MPCE are distributed by seminar leaders during master’s practicum seminar.

Course/Credit Transfer

A maximum of 5 graduate level courses (15 credit hours) from other academic institutions may be transferred into the MA Clinical Psychology degree program at the Georgia School of Professional Psychology at Argosy University.

For any course that a student wishes to transfer, a Course Waiver Form with a corresponding transcript, syllabus, and other supporting material must be submitted for review. Decisions on course waivers are made following faculty review of all materials submitted with the waiver request. Transfer credit is granted if there is an 80 percent overlap in course content and objectives between the course submitted for transfer credit and the course offered at the Georgia School of Professional Psychology at Argosy University. Students may obtain the procedures to be observed in submitting transfer requests from the program’s administrative coordinator. All requests to transfer courses into the MA degree program at the Georgia School of Professional Psychology at Argosy University must be submitted during the first academic year of the student’s enrollment. Requests for transfer of credit are not granted until an applicant has been accepted into the program. A grade of “B” or better must have been obtained for any course submitted for transfer credit from another graduate institution.

The following courses may not be transferred to the MA in Clinical Psychology degree program at the Georgia School of Professional Psychology at Argosy University unless they are transferred from another Argosy University campus.

PP6201 - Master’s Practicum I (3)*
PP6202 - Master’s Practicum II (3)*
PP7100 - Professional Issues: Ethics, Conduct, and Law (3)
PP7110 - Professionalization Group I (1)
PP7111 - Professionalization Group II (1)
PP7365 - Clinical Interviewing (3)

* Transfer credit for Master’s Practicum I and II (PP6201 and PP6202) from another Argosy University campus will not be approved. Students must complete practicum training requirements while enrolled in the MA Clinical Psychology degree program at the Georgia School of Professional Psychology.