Master of Arts in Clinical Psychology
The Degree
The Department of Psychology offers the Master of Arts Degree in Clinical Psychology for students who have interests in applied psychology. Graduates with this degree are employed in settings such as mental health agencies, psychiatric hospitals, substance abuse treatment facilities, correctional settings and family service agencies.
The 48 credit hour 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 experience is the two semester clinical internship.
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, behavioral management or learning, and psychological statistics. Coursework in 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 was 1150 (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 March 1 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 4 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 Marriage and 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 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:
PSY 5580 Advanced Crisis Intervention 3 s.h.
PSY 5800 Psychotherapy with Diverse Populations 3 s.h.
PSY 5890 Practicum 3 s.h.
PSY 5970 Seminar: Human Development 3 s.h.
CSD 5920 Life Style and Career Development 3 s.h.
CSD 5970 Counseling the Chemically Dependent 3 s.h.
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 that state.
The Faculty
The 20 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, and many other intricate 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. Anu Sharma
Phone (217) 581-2127
Graduate Program in Clinical Psychology E-mail: asharma (@eiu.edu)
Department of Psychology
Eastern Illinois University
Charleston, IL 61920-3099