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Psychology M.A., Clinical

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The MTSU Clinical Psychology master’s program emphasizes a broadly based scientist-practitioner approach. The course of study offers preparation to pursue doctoral training or employment involving clinical interviewing and psychological assessment. The skills training does not provide preparation to practice psychotherapy or professional counseling at the terminal master’s level. The curriculum and practica of the program are designed to meet certification requirements for the State of Tennessee’s Certified Psychological Assistant designation. In addition to the core requirements, the Clinical program offers training in two specializations: general clinical and health/neuropsychology. The psychology department has a limited number of graduate assistantships available, and a limited number of faculty have money for research assistants built into their grants.

What We're Doing

Myra Pennington

Alum credits Clinical Psychology program for preparedness as a psychometrist

As a lifelong Tennessean, Myra Pennington is now a Psychometrist at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville. As a student in MTSU’s Clinical Psychology program, Pennington said she gained “valuable knowledge” about psychology across multiple fields. “My specialization in the program was the neuropsychology track, where I acquired important insights into how the brain plays significant roles in everything we do. I have been told by staff whom I work with at Vanderbilt that due to my training and education in MTSU’s Clinical Psychology program, I was the most qualified applicant for the position. I am honored to say that I have been very efficient in my role, and; I owe that to the preparedness the program provided me.” Pennington said the relationships she made during the program are irreplaceable. “The relationships built with my cohort members and with the professors in the program mean so much to me. I now have a wonderful network of connections within the field. The faculty in the program are all kind, down-to-earth people who love their students.”

Analyst works with crime data, trends for TBI

Analyst works with crime data, trends for TBI

Caitlin Orman began working as a statistical analyst for the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation soon after earning her master’s in Clinical Psychology in August 2013. She helps coordinate the production of several annual crime publications and provides technical assistance to contributing agencies in the collection and analysis of crime incident data and crime trends. “The Clinical master’s program at MTSU provided me with the research, writing, and critical thinking skills needed to perform my job,” Orman says. “The program also cultivated my passion for crime research, which I was able to explore through my master’s thesis that focused on unwanted sexual experiences and self-blame in women.” Orman served a clinical psychology practicum at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, assisted with research as a graduate assistant, and also taught as an adjunct instructor in fall 2013.

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Graduates from the Clinical Psychology master’s program will be prepared to pursue doctoral training and/or to work in various mental health and related settings. Some occupations of recent alumni include

  • Adjunct professor
  • Behavior therapist
  • Behavioral consultant
  • Board-certified behavior analyst
  • Case manager
  • Certified psychological assistant
  • Certified sex offender treatment provider
  • Psychometrist
  • Research field assessor
  • Research interview specialist
  • Statistical analyst III

Employers of MTSU alumni include

  • AGAPE
  • Clarksville Behavior Health
  • Kreig Roof & Associates
  • Frontier Health
  • Haynesville Correctional Center
  • MTSU Advising Center
  • Positive Behavior Supports Corp.
  • Scarab Behavioral Health Services
  • Tennessee Bureau of Investigation
  • Tennessee Family Solutions
  • University of Alabama-Birmingham, Neurology Department
  • Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Psychiatry Clinic

Doctoral programs where MTSU graduates have attended include

  • East Tennessee State University
  • Florida Institute of Technology
  • Tennessee State University
  • Trevecca Nazarene University
  • University of Kwazulu-Natal
  • University of Missouri
  • University of Montana
  • Utah State University
  • Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University

Graduate

Department of Psychology programs lead to two graduate degrees:

A minor in Psychology at the graduate level is also available to other students.

Clinical Psychology master's candidates choose from two areas of elective specialization:

  • General Clinical, designed to allow students to sample a broad range of electives including additional coursework in assessment.
  • Health Psychology/Neuropsychology,enhancing knowledge and skills in the areas of biologically/neurologically-based assessment and physical health/psychological health links.

Admission to graduate study in Clinical Psychology is competitive and not automatic for students meeting minimal admission requirements.

For unconditional admission, applicants must have an undergraduate grade point average (GPA) of 3.00 or higher and a minimum score of 291 (current scale)/ 900 (former scale) on the Graduate Record Exam (GRE) combined Verbal and Quantitative sections.

Most applicants have completed 15 semester hours of psychology classes, but those admitted without the prerequisite undergraduate courses must complete those credits in addition to their graduate program.

Professional liability insurance ($1,000,000 each incident/$3,000,000 annual aggregate) must be maintained throughout enrollment in the program with a current insurance binder filed with the department at all times.

For complete curriculum details, click on the REQUIREMENTS button to the right.

Undergraduate

Three undergraduate majors lead to a Bachelor of Science (B.S.) in Psychology, Pre-Graduate Psychology, and Industrial-Organizational Psychology. The department also offers an online psychology degree in conjunction with the University College.

Undergraduates can earn a minor in one of five psychology fields: Psychology, Life Span Development, Mental Health Services, Industrial-Organizational, and Neuroscience. The department participates in an interdisciplinary minor in Behavioral Research.

Professional Licensure Disclosure

MTSU discloses that Master of Arts (M.A.) in Psychology, Clinical Concentration, meets the educational requirements for licensure as a Certified Psychological Assistant by the Tennessee Department of Health. Admission to a program does not guarantee that students will obtain a license or certificate.Additionally, licensing authorities for each state set and enforce their own requirements and standards and those requirements and standards are subject to change. Students should be aware that state licensure boards may have additional and recurring requirements such as an application, supervision, examinations, continuing education, fees, fingerprinting, background check, etc.

Prospective and current students in MTSU’s M.A. Psychology-Clinical program who are located outside the state of Tennessee or who plan to practice as a Psychological Assistant/Associate/Technician outside Tennessee should consult this table for state-by-state disclosures and licensing board information and must discuss their plans with an advisor. Additionally, if you take even a casual interest in practicing outside of Tennessee upon graduation, we strongly encourage you to review the licensure and certification requirements for your states of interest.

Psychology, Clinical Concentration, M.A.

James Loveless, program coordinator
615-898-5288
James.Loveless@mtsu.edu

The Department of Psychology offers programs which lead to two graduate degrees: the Master of Arts with a major in Psychology and concentrations in Clinical, Experimental, Industrial/Organizational, Pre-Specialist in Education: School Psychology, and Quantitative Psychology and the Specialist in Education with a major in Curriculum and Instruction and concentration in School Psychology. The department also offers a minor at the graduate level.

The MTSU Clinical Psychology master's program emphasizes a broadly based scientist-practitioner approach. The course of study offers preparation to pursue doctoral training or employment involving clinical interviewing and psychological assessment. The skills training does not provide preparation to practice psychotherapy or professional counseling at the terminal master's level. The curriculum and pratica of the program are designed to meet certification requirements for the State of Tennessee's Certified Psychological Assistant designation. In addition to the core requirements, the clinical program offers training in two specializations: general clinical and health/neuropsychology. The psychology department has a limited number of graduate assistantships available, and a limited number of faculty have money for research assistants built into their grants.

Please see undergraduate catalog for information regarding undergraduate programs.

Admission Requirements

Admission to graduate study in Clinical Psychology is competitive and not automatic for students meeting minimal admission requirements. Students are selected from a pool of qualified applicants. Each year the number of students admitted to the program depends on the availability of adequate faculty supervision.

In order to be considered for admission, candidates must meet two standards: an undergraduate grade point average (GPA) of 3.00 or higher and a minimum score on the Graduate Record Exam (GRE). A minimum of 291 on the combined Verbal and Quantitative sections is expected for the Clinical Psychology concentration within the Master of Arts in Psychology.

Applications for Summer/Fall admission must be completed by March 1 and applications for Spring admission must be completed by October 1. Late applicants who meet the admission criteria may be considered on a case-by-case basis. Applicants to the Clinical Psychology program should see below for a supplemental application and reference forms.

Applicants must demonstrate knowledge of the core areas of psychology by completing the following courses at either the undergraduate or graduate level prior to entering the Clinical Program or during enrollment in the program (relevant courses offered at MTSU are listed in parentheses):

  1. group measurement/testing (PSY 4260/PSY 5260 or PSY 6050);
  2. abnormal psychology (PSY 3230/PSY 5230);
  3. learning or cognition (PSY 4040,  PSY 4480, PSY 5480*, or PSY 6190*);
  4. social or developmental (PSY 2210, PSY 2300, PSY 4190, PSY 4210/PSY 5210, PSY 4610/ PSY 5610, PSY 6120*, PSY 6130*, PSY 6410);
  5. brain and behavior, sensation and perception, or research methods (PSY 3070, PSY 4780/PSY 5780, PSY 4240/PSY 5240, or PSY 4030/PSY 5030);
  6. basic statistics (PSY 3020).

Courses marked with an asterisk (*) may be counted as approved graduate electives depending upon specialization.

Most applicants have completed 15 semester hours of psychology classes prior to admission to their graduate programs. Those applicants without 15 semester hours of undergraduate psychology may be admitted to the programs but must complete those credits in addition to their graduate program requirements.

Previous students seeking readmission to the Clinical Psychology program should contact the graduate program coordinator and refer to the program handbook for readmission policy. All potential students must apply to the clinical program and will be evaluated on the current criteria as delineated in the graduate catalog (i.e., GRE, GPA, transcript, three supplemental reference forms, current resume or curriculum vita, and the supplemental clinical application).

If a student already has an M.A. degree from either the Clinical or School Psychology programs at MTSU and wants to return to take specific courses to prepare for the psychological assistant, they may be considered in the applicant pool. If admitted, however, no new degree would be obtained; the student would be a non-degree-seeking student but would be admitted to take specific clinical courses.

If a student has a master's degree or graduate coursework from another MTSU program or from another university, they may also be considered in the applicant pool. If accepted, credit for previous coursework would be allocated on an individual basis, consistent with the following MTSU policies:

  1. If no previous graduate degree was obtained, up to 12 graduate credit hours may be applied to the Clinical master's degree.
  2. If a previous master's degree was obtained, no credit that applied to that degree can be applied to the Clinical master's degree at MTSU. Additional coursework would be necessary to meet the 43-46 hour program requirement.

Application Procedures

All application materials are to be submitted to the College of Graduate Studies.

Applicant must

  1. submit an application with the appropriate application fee (online at www.mtsu.edu/graduate/apply.php). Once this initial application has been accepted, the applicant will receive directions on how to enter the graduate portal to be able to submit other materials.
  2. submit official transcripts of all previous college work;
  3. submit official scores on the Graduate Record Examination (GRE);
  4. submit the required supplementary application (online at www.mtsu.edu/psychology/forms/clinicalsupappl.pdf);
  5. submit three required supplemental reference forms (online at www.mtsu.edu/psychology/forms/clinicalsupref.pdf);
  6. submit a current resume or curriculum vitae.

NOTE: To be considered for a graduate assistantship, students must submit additional materials. Information about the application procedure is available at www.mtsu.edu/psychology/grad/assistantship.php.

Degree Requirements

The Master of Arts degree in Psychology with a Clinical concentration requires completion of 43-46 semester hours. Only 30 percent of the total number of hours may be dually listed (5000-level meeting in conjunction with 4000- or 3000-level) courses.

Candidate must

  1. complete core clinical courses (31 hours) and a specialization (6 hours);
  2. pass a written comprehensive examination prepared by the faculty in the student's concentration (may be taken no more than twice);
  3. complete an assessment field practicum (PSY 6851);
  4. complete either (a) an empirical thesis (PSY 6640) or (b) an advanced practicum including an empirical case project (PSY 6860).

Curriculum: Psychology, Clinical

The following illustrates the minimum coursework requirements. In addition, a maximum of 6 hours of thesis research may be required to fulfill degree requirements.

Core Clinical Courses (31 hours)

All clinical students are required to take the following:

  • PSY 5780 - Human Neuropsychology

    3credit hours

    Prerequisite: PSY 5240 or consent of instructor. Organization and function of specific brain areas and the behavioral deficits and changes resulting from focal and diffuse brain damage.

  • PSY 6100 - Intellectual Assessment

    3credit hours

    Corequisite: PSY 6101; prerequisite: PSY 4260/PSY 5260 or PSY 6050. Practical didactic instruction in theory and practice of cognitive assessment. Practical supervised experience in rapport, administration, scoring, and interpretation of individual intelligence tests for all age levels. Liability insurance required.

  • PSY 6101 - Laboratory in Intellectual Assessment

    1credit hours

    Corequisite: PSY 6100. Skill development in completing intellectual assessments, calculating scores, and conducting conferences in a laboratory setting.

  • PSY 6250 - Objective Personality Assessment

    3credit hours

    Prerequisites: PSY 4260/PSY 5260 or PSY 6050; PSY 6100. Practical supervised experience in objective measurement and analysis of key variables of personality, both for normative and specific diverse populations. Emphasis on MMPI. Liability insurance required prior to enrollment.

  • PSY 6510 - Psychopathology  3 credit hours  

    PSY 6510 - Psychopathology

    3credit hours

    Prerequisite: PSY 3230/PSY 5230. Extensive examination of the disorders included in the current diagnostic manual. Emphasis on adult disorders. Objectives are to enhance understanding of psychopathology and to develop minimal competence in diagnosing.

  • PSY 6615 - Basic and Applied Research Methods in Psychology

    3credit hours

    Survey of experimental and quasi-experimental research designs employed in mental health fields. Theoretical and practical knowledge of various research designs and data analysis procedures explored through class lectures and lab assignments. Offers preparation for those training to become mental health practitioners to understand and critically evaluate psychological research.

  • PSY 6690 - Professional Issues and Roles

    3credit hours

    Systematic survey of ethical and legal requirements for psychological practice. Examines critical issues facing psychology and roles of psychologists.

  • PSY 6801 - Interviewing and Intervention

    3credit hours

    Interview and intervention techniques common to most psychological assessment procedures and therapies: rapport-building, interviewing skills, management of dangerous or suicidal clients, consultation, and referrals.

  • PSY 6841 - Theories of Individual Psychotherapy

    3credit hours

    Prerequisite: PSY 6801. Intensive presentation of theory and methods used in psychotherapy. Evaluation of standard of care and treatment effectiveness.

 

  • PSY 5720 - Multicultural Perspectives in Psychology and Education  3 credit hours  
    OROR  dotslash:OR title:OR 
    OR 

    PSY 5720 - Multicultural Perspectives in Psychology and Education

    3credit hours

    Theories and research relative to the education of multi-ethnic/racial minorities. Relation of culture and socialization to learning styles, assessment practices, and counseling considerations.

 

  • PSY 6280 - Psychological Statistics: Regression  3 credit hours  
    **  dotslash:* title:* 
    * 
    ANDAND  dotslash:AND title:AND 
    AND 

    PSY 6280 - Psychological Statistics: Regression

    3credit hours

    Prerequisite: PSY 3020 or equivalent or admission to Psychology graduate program. Corequisite: PSY 6281. Review of basic statistics; various correlation coefficients; multiple and partial correlation; simple and multiple regression. Laboratory included.

OR

  • PSY 6290 - Psychological Statistics: ANOVA  3 credit hours  
    **  dotslash:* title:* 
    * 
    ANDAND  dotslash:AND title:AND 
    AND 

    PSY 6290 - Psychological Statistics: ANOVA

    3credit hours

    Prerequisite: PSY 3020 or equivalent or admission to Psychology graduate program. Corequisite: PSY 6291. Review of basic statistics. Scientific quantification, research design, and statistical analysis from the perspective of analysis of variance: one-way, factorial, repeated measures, and mixed designs. Laboratory included.

Specialization (6 hours)

In addition to the required courses in the clinical core area and the research area, students in the Clinical concentration must take 6 elective credits to form a specialization. Students must choose a specialization from the following set within the Clinical concentration:

Psychological Assistant: General Clinical Specialization (6 hours)

Choose two courses (6 hours) from the following list. At least one of these courses must be marked with an asterisk (*).

  • PSY 5480 - Learning Theories  3 credit hours  
    **  dotslash:* title:* 
    * 

    PSY 5480 - Learning Theories

    3credit hours

    Research and experiments in learning and the related growth of the major theories of learning with emphasis on classical and instrumental conditioning and related topics.

  • PSY 5610 - Adult Development and Aging

    3credit hours

    Prerequisite: PSY 1410 and PSY 2300 recommended but not required. A survey of the research on adult development. Examines the physical, intellectual, social, vocational, and personality changes during the adult years.

  • PSY 6080 - Interventions with Children and Adolescents

    3credit hours

    Prerequisite: PSY 5250 or PSY 6400 or permission of instructor. Theoretical and practical issues related to interventions with children and adolescents exhibiting behavioral and emotional problems. Intervention strategies for specific problems. Experience designing and evaluating intervention plans. Legal, ethical, and practical issues.

  • PSY 6120 - Developmental Psychology: Child

    3credit hours

    Reviews the major areas of child development. These areas include cognitive, emotional, and social development. Primary attention  will be devoted to the period of infancy through early adolescence. Covers both developmental theory and research.

  • PSY 6130 - Developmental Psychology: Adolescent

    3credit hours

    Survey of research on adolescence from a biopsychosocial perspective. Student observation and study of developing adolescents from cognitive, biological, social, and psychological frameworks.

  • PSY 6190 - Advanced Cognitive Psychology  3 credit hours  
    **  dotslash:* title:* 
    * 

    PSY 6190 - Advanced Cognitive Psychology

    3credit hours

    Topic-oriented overview of cognitive psychology. Models of attention, perception, memory, language, reasoning, problem solving, and decision making. Issues in cognitive development and cognitive neuropsychology.

  • PSY 6280 - Psychological Statistics: Regression

    3credit hours

    Prerequisite: PSY 3020 or equivalent or admission to Psychology graduate program. Corequisite: PSY 6281. Review of basic statistics; various correlation coefficients; multiple and partial correlation; simple and multiple regression. Laboratory included.

  • PSY 6290 - Psychological Statistics: ANOVA

    3credit hours

    Prerequisite: PSY 3020 or equivalent or admission to Psychology graduate program. Corequisite: PSY 6291. Review of basic statistics. Scientific quantification, research design, and statistical analysis from the perspective of analysis of variance: one-way, factorial, repeated measures, and mixed designs. Laboratory included.

  • PSY 6340 - Behavioral Medicine: Theory and Application

    3credit hours

    Prerequisite: Consent of instructor. Review theory, methodology, and application of behavioral medicine. Includes behavioral science issues in health and applications of this information to diagnosis, prevention, treatment, and rehabilitation of health problems for which "life-stress" factors predominate. See PSY 6350.

  • PSY 6390 - Independent Research in Psychology: Clinical  1 to 9 credit hours  
    (3 credit hours total)(3 credit hours total)  dotslash:(3 credit hours total) title:(3 credit hours total) 
    (3 credit hours total) 

    PSY 6390 - Independent Research in Psychology: Clinical

    1 to 9credit hours

    Prerequisite: Permission of instructor. Individualized empirical research and library research approved by the instructor. (1-3 credits applicable to degree)

  • PSY 6440 - Advanced Applied Behavioral Analysis

    3credit hours

    Prerequisite: PSY 4400 or permission of instructor. Intensive presentation of methods used in behavioral assessment and interventions. Application of various behavioral techniques.

  • PSY 6500 - Behavioral Methodology

    3credit hours

    Techniques for design and evaluation of clinical treatment and research. Includes single subject and group designs. Emphasis on direct observation and data collection procedures, reliability, social validity, and generalization.

  • PSY 6520 - Psychopharmacology  3 credit hours  
    **  dotslash:* title:* 
    * 

    PSY 6520 - Psychopharmacology

    3credit hours

    Biochemical, neurophysiological, and neuroanatomical basis; emphasis on drugs used in investigating and treating psychological disorders.

  • PSY 6780 - Clinical Neuropsychology  3 credit hours  
    **  dotslash:* title:* 
    * 

    PSY 6780 - Clinical Neuropsychology

    3credit hours

    Prerequisites: PSY 5780, PSY 6100, and PSY 6250 or consent of instructor. Review of human neuroanatomy and neurophysiology. Administration of representative neuropsychological test batteries, especially the Halstead-Reitan Neuropsychological Test Battery. Applied experience with clinical population. Liability insurance required prior to enrollment.

  • PSY 7520 - Assessment and Treatment of Addictions

    3credit hours

    Systematic analysis of the addictional phenomena with particular emphasis on dynamics and behavioral manifestations. Alcohol, street and prescription drugs, gambling, TV, religion, politics, and sex as aberrational forms of altering consciousness explored. Causation, clinical diagnostics, and treatment procedures as well as prevention are addressed in detail.

Health/Neuropsychology Specialization (6 hours)

  • PSY 6340 - Behavioral Medicine: Theory and Application

    3credit hours

    Prerequisite: Consent of instructor. Review theory, methodology, and application of behavioral medicine. Includes behavioral science issues in health and applications of this information to diagnosis, prevention, treatment, and rehabilitation of health problems for which "life-stress" factors predominate. See PSY 6350.

  • PSY 6780 - Clinical Neuropsychology

    3credit hours

    Prerequisites: PSY 5780, PSY 6100, and PSY 6250 or consent of instructor. Review of human neuroanatomy and neurophysiology. Administration of representative neuropsychological test batteries, especially the Halstead-Reitan Neuropsychological Test Battery. Applied experience with clinical population. Liability insurance required prior to enrollment.

Thesis Option (6-9 hours)

  • PSY 6851 - Assessment Field Practicum (Clinical)

    3credit hours

    Prerequisites: Admission to the clinical master's program (or permission of instructor) and successful completion of clinical master's program core coursework. Supervised clinical training in psychological assessment and diagnostics in a community mental health or related agency. Supervision by a licensed psychologist at the agency required and provided. Liability insurance required prior to enrollment.

  • PSY 6640 - Thesis Research  1 to 6 credit hours  
    (3 credit hours required)(3 credit hours required; maximum 6 credit hours)  dotslash:(3 credit hours required; maximum 6 credit hours) title:(3 credit hours required) 
    (3 credit hours required; maximum 6 credit hours) 

    PSY 6640 - Thesis Research

    1 to 6credit hours

    Selection of a research problem, review of pertinent literature, collection and analysis of data, and composition of thesis. Once enrolled, student should register for at least one credit hour of master's research each semester until completion. S/U grading.

Non-Thesis (Practicum) Option (6 hours)

  • PSY 6851 - Assessment Field Practicum (Clinical)

    3credit hours

    Prerequisites: Admission to the clinical master's program (or permission of instructor) and successful completion of clinical master's program core coursework. Supervised clinical training in psychological assessment and diagnostics in a community mental health or related agency. Supervision by a licensed psychologist at the agency required and provided. Liability insurance required prior to enrollment.

  • PSY 6860 - Advanced Field Practicum (Clinical)

    3credit hours

    Prerequisite: PSY 6851 and permission of instructor. Must be taken in semester immediately following PSY 6851. Includes 100 clock hours of supervised clinical training in a community mental health agency and a capstone clinical case project. Clinical supervision by a licensed psychologist at the agency. Liability insurance required prior to enrollment.

Program Notes

Students must be admitted to the Clinical Program prior to enrolling in most required clinical core courses. Non-degree-seeking students may not enroll in required clinical courses, except by special permission.

Professional liability insurance ($1,000,000 each incident/$3,000,000 annual aggregate) must be maintained throughout enrollment in the program with a current insurance binder filed with the department at all times.

Students must be able to meet the demands required for professional work in psychology. Therefore, students may be subject to dismissal from the Psychology Department if they (a) commit a serious breach of ethics or gross professional negligence or (b) present evidence of impaired psychological functioning that would present a danger to themselves or others in a professional role. Students who are dismissed may reapply and will be considered for readmission on a competitive basis. Students who reapply may be asked to provide evidence of improved ability to meet performance requirements.

If changes to the program are needed (such as course substitutions), students should file a Revision Form available on the Graduate Studies website at www.mtsu.edu/graduate/forms.php.

Dr. Paul S. Foster

Professor

Dr. James P. Loveless

Assistant Professor

Dr. Ciera E. Schoonover

Assistant Professor

Dr. James Tate

Professor

Dr. Kim Ujcich Ward

Professor

Dr. Paul S. Foster

Professor

Dr. James P. Loveless

Assistant Professor

Dr. Ciera E. Schoonover

Assistant Professor

Dr. James Tate

Professor

Dr. Kim Ujcich Ward

Professor

Our adjunct faculty bring outstanding professional experience to our programs. Many are industry leaders with decorated careers and honors. Importantly, they are innovative educators who offer hands-on learning to our students to prepare them to enter and thrive in a dynamic, and oftentimes emerging, industry and professional world. They inspire, instruct, and challenge our students toward academic and professional success.

Training Model

The clinical program operates on the scientist-practitioner model of training. The coursework emphasizes empirically-based clinical methods. To further emphasize the "scientist" component of training, all students are required to take six semester hours of graduate statistics and research methods. Additionally, students can elect to complete an empirical thesis as a part of their training. Some recent students have presented their thesis work at national professional conferences including the American Psychological Association, the Association for Advancement of Behavior Therapy, the Society of Pediatric Psychology, and the Society for Research in Child Development. For additional research experience, students may take an elective in Independent Research. The "practitioner" component of the program is emphasized through course content, skills-based coursework (e.g., cognitive assessment, personality assessment), and the clinical practica. Meetings on professional issues (e.g., applying for licensure or certifications) conducted by the practicum coordinator also is part of the required practicum course. Finally, the curriculum and practica are designed to meet certification requirements for the State of Tennessee's Certified Psychological Assistant (CPA), the current master's level psychology certification. Because of frequent change in the Tennessee licensure and certification laws, however, we cannot guarantee that our program will fully meet the requirements when you apply for certification.

Online or Hybrid Programs at a Glance

This program is available .

For More Information or Explore Your Options​

Contact your department / program coordinator or advisor for more details about the program OR work one-on-one with your advisor to explore your options.

MTSU online logo

The Online Advantage​

With over 25 years of experience in online teaching and learning, MTSU Online offers students access to innovative, high-quality programs. Designed with students in mind, our courses allow maximum flexibility for those unable to participate in person. ​

Resources and services for online students are available from MTSU Online or contact us at distance@mtsu.edu.

Contact Information

Ciera Schoonover
Ciera.Schoonover@mtsu.edu
615-898-2584

Who is My Advisor?

Ciera Schoonover
Ciera.Schoonover@mtsu.edu
615-898-2584

Kim Ujcich Ward
Kimberly.Ward@mtsu.edu
615-898-2188

Chris Tate
James.Tate@mtsu.edu
615-898-5452

Paul S. Foster
Paul.Foster@mtsu.edu
615-898-2007

James Loveless
James.loveless@mtsu.edu
615-898-5288

Related Links

Mailing Address

Department of Psychology
ATTN: James Loveless
Middle Tennessee State University
MTSU Box 87
1301 East Main Street
Murfreesboro, TN 37132

College of Graduate Studies
Middle Tennessee State University
MTSU Box 42
1301 East Main Street
Murfreesboro, TN 37132

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