Master of Arts in Clinical Psychology

The Degree

The Master's of Arts in Clinical Psychology is designed for students with career interests in master’s-level clinical practice or those who plan to obtain a Ph.D. or Psy.D. Graduates who work in clinical settings with this degree are employed in places such as mental health agencies, psychiatric hospitals, substance abuse treatment facilities, correctional settings and family service agencies.

The program is designed for students to complete course work, an internship, and the thesis within a two-year calendar period. The major curricular focuses are therapeutic interventions, psychological assessment and diagnosis, and research. The capstone experiences are a clinical practicum, the two semester clinical internship, and a Master's thesis.

The Department

The Psychology Department employs 22 full-time faculty with diverse backgrounds reflecting an array of educational and applied training, viewpoints, and orientations. With an undergraduate enrollment of over 500 and an approximate graduate enrollment of 50 in two programs (Clinical and School Psychology), the department represents a busy and active center of academic and clinical training.

Admission Criteria

In order to be admitted into the graduate program, the candidate must have a bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university and a minimum of 20 hours of undergraduate course work in psychology, including courses in experimental psychology, abnormal psychology, and psychological statistics. Coursework in behavioral management or learning, personality theory, tests and measurements and developmental psychology are strongly recommended. Deficiencies in course work may be made up prior to, or concurrently with, the graduate program. An overall minimum GPA of 3.0 is required along with a major GPA of 3.25.Although the program has no minimum GRE requirement, the average GRE scores of enrolled students in recent years has been 1100 (V+Q). GRE scores, volunteer or field work, research experience, and letters of recommendation all figure prominently in the selection process. Applications are required to be completed by February 15 for fall admission.

Employment Opportunities for M.A. Level Practitioners

Individuals with a master's degree in psychology generally find a diverse employment field available. This degree provides the training and education necessary to function as a professional in the field of applied psychology. Most EIU graduates have secured employment in human services settings; however, many are employed in the industrial and private sectors, while others have continued their education toward advanced training including Psy.D. or Ph.D. programs.

The Curriculum

The clinical training includes a core curriculum which provides a solid foundation in the theory and application of testing, diagnostic procedures, and therapeutic interventions. The capstone clinical experience is a one-year internship in an approved setting chosen to crystallize and enhance the trainees' professional interests. Internship sites have included mental health agencies, university counseling centers, psychiatric hospitals, family treatment centers with diverse clientele including children, adolescents, adults and the elderly, substance abuse treatment centers, and correctional facilities.

The research sequence prepares the student to undertake a quality thesis under the guidance of a faculty sponsor and a thesis committee. A combination of required and elective courses meet the requirements for master's level certification in many states.

Course Work

Required Courses:
PSY 5025 Psychological Assessment I 4 s.h.
PSY 5026 Psychological Assessment II 3 s.h.
PSY 5035 Advanced Psychopathology 3 s.h.
PSY 5040 Psychotherapy 3 s.h.
PSY 5060 Cognitive Behavior Therapy 3 s.h.
PSY 5070 Group Psychotherapy 3 s.h.
PSY 5560 Family Therapy 3 s.h.
PSY 5710 Research Design and Statistical Analysis I 4 s.h.
PSY 5711 Research Design and Statistical Analysis II 3 s.h.
PSY 5890 – Practicum. Credits: 3
PSY 5900 Internship In Clinical Psychology I 6 s.h.
PSY 5980 Internship In Clinical Psychology II 6 s.h.
PSY 5950 Thesis 6 s.h.

Electives:

Students can select elective courses from the following areas:

Research

  • PSY 5990 – Independent Study.  Credits 1-3 up to a maximum of 6 credits

Cross-Cultural Psychology (Can take 1 of the following courses)

  • PSY 5400 – Psychotherapy with Diverse Population.  Credits: 3
  • PSY 5997 – Study Abroad.  Credits:  6
  • CSD 5600 – Cross Cultural Counseling.  Credits: 3

Human Development (Can take 1 of the following courses)

  • PSY 5170 – Theories of Learning. Credits: 3
  • PSY 5540 – Psychological Processes in the Aged. Credits: 3
  • PSY 5970 – Seminar:  Clinical Topics in Human Development
  • PSY 6300 – Advanced Child Development. Credits: 3
  • PSY 6500 – Child Psychopathology.  Credits: 3

Substance Abuse and Dependence

  • PSY 5970 – Seminar: Substance Abuse and Dependence.  Credits: 3

Career Counseling

  • CSD 5920 – Career Counseling. Credits: 3

Licensure Eligibility

The clinical psychology program is approved by the Council of Applied Masters Program in Psychology. Students aspiring to licensure eligibility are advised to check requirements in the state they will be seeking licensure.

The Faculty

The 19 full-time tenure-track faculty in the department all hold doctoral degrees from prestigious universities throughout the United States.

The faculty-graduate student ratio in the clinical program is less than 1:5 which provides for a critical training and a rich interactive learning environment.

While the primary responsibility for the master's program resides with the core clinical faculty, graduate students may conduct thesis research with any faculty member. Faculty conduct research in such diverse areas as anxiety disorders, intuition, cognition, memory, procrastination, health psychology, children's peer relationships, early childhood literacy, play therapy, cross cultural issues in mental health, psychological assessment, treatment outcome, psychology of religion, child social anxiety, adolescence and suicide, and many other complex and critical areas.

Financial Aid and Graduate Assistantships

Eastern is one of the most cost-effective universities within the Illinois State system. Clinical Psychology and the Graduate School are committed to financially assisting as many qualified students as possible. Departmental assistants receive a monthly stipend and tuition waiver and off-campus assistantships allow for students to be paid either a stipend or salary at an approved human service agency as well as a tuition waiver.

The Setting

Eastern Illinois University is located in Charleston, Illinois, a town of approximately 20,000 people. Eastern, a school of around 11,000 students, is small enough to foster the development of close faculty-student ties, but large enough to offer numerous academic, cultural and social opportunities.

Contact

For more information, contact:
Dr. Wesley Allan
Phone (217) 581-6611
Graduate Program in Clinical Psychology E-mail: wallan (@eiu.edu)
Department of Psychology
Eastern Illinois University
Charleston, IL 61920-3099