Master of Arts - Psychology
Emphasis in Clinical Skills
Mission
The graduate program of the Psychology Department of Washburn University serves a small, carefully screened group of post-baccalaureate students pursuing graduate study in clinical psychology. The MA in Psychology with an emphasis in Clinical Skills offers professional training to prepare program graduates for licensure and practice under Kansas statutes.
Upon completion of the Master of Arts degree in Psychology with an emphasis in Clinical Skills, graduates should:
- Be eligible to sit for the licensing exam in the state of Kansas.
- Be prepared to pass the licensing exam.
- Have appropriate skills and training needed in the Kansas mental health care delivery system.
- Have a foundation for pursuing doctoral training in clinical (or another area of) psychology in the future.
Student Learning Outcomes
Upon completion of the program students will be able to:
- Clearly articulate the application of the peer-reviewed literature to a specific issue or situation relevant to psychology.
- Evaluate, administer, and interpret psychological assessments.
- Competently execute empirically-based therapy techniques and incorporate sensitivity to individual client characteristics and contextual factors in their implementation.
- Engage in ethical practice, utilize supervision and consultation appropriately, and carry out responsibilities professionally.
Academic Status
Full Time Graduate Student
Graduate students enrolled for 9 or more semester hours are considered to be full-time students.
Enrollment
Students will be evaluated by Psychology Department faculty each semester. Continued good standing in the program and enrollment will be contingent upon both course work and faculty judgment that the student is considered to be mature, emotionally stable, and a potentially competent master’s-level professional in psychology.
Students must be continuously enrolled until all requirements for the degree are completed. Candidates who have completed all course requirements, including enrolling in six hours of PY 799 Thesiss and PY 780 Internship , but who still must complete their thesis or internships, are required to enroll in PY 795 Directed Research each semester until defense of the thesis is successfully accomplished. The number of hours of enrollment each semester will be determined by the candidate’s advisor and must reflect as accurately as possible the candidate’s demand on a faculty member’s time and university facilities.
Grades
The symbols used in grading for graduate courses are as follows: A, excellent; B, satisfactory; C, unsatisfactory; F failure; W, withdrawn; I, incomplete. Practicum, Internship, Independent Research and Thesis will be graded Pass/Fail. Grades of B or better are required in all graduate courses.
Students with two C’s or one F will have their status reviewed by the Department faculty to determine whether or not they will remain in the program.
Admission Requirements
To be admitted to the graduate program, the candidate must have a bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university, with a minimum of 21 hours of undergraduate psychology courses including an introductory psychology course (or passing CLEP exam score), a statistics course, a research methods or experimental laboratory course, a course in abnormal psychology, and three upper division psychology courses. Students lacking required courses may be admitted on a provisional basis with the understanding that they must complete any deficiencies before being fully admitted into the program.
Application Procedures
Students who wish to apply must submit:
- A completed online admission form, which can be found on the Graduate Degree page of the Psychology Department website.
- Unofficial copies of all undergraduate transcripts.
- Three letters of recommendation are required. After a completed application has been submitted, the system will generate an email to each letter writer. That email will direct the letter writers to a link where they will upload their letters.
Deadline for submission of all application materials for fall admission is March 15. Spring and late admission requests will be considered on a space-available basis. Please email the department chair to inquire about the possibility of spring or late admission.
Official transcripts of all college work should be on file with the Office of Admissions before the student enrolls in his or her first graduate class. It is the student’s responsibility to have transcripts transferred, and the University may drop a student whose transcripts are not on file within six weeks from the date of initial enrollment.
Special Student Admission
Several psychology graduate courses are available to social workers, nurses, teachers, and members of other professional groups eligible for continuing education credit. In addition, the department accepts students as part-time, non-degree candidates, or students presently enrolled in other graduate programs who need graduate courses in psychology. Students who were not competitive for regular admission may use special student status to prove that they are capable of graduate work, improving their regular application.
Students who wish to enroll with special student status email psychology@washburn.edu and request a special student application.
Transfer Credit
Transfer credits will be determined on a case-by-case basis. Students requesting transfer credit should contact the Department Chair and be prepared to provide detailed documentation of the content of graduate-level courses completed at other institutions. Consistent with the requirement that 2/3 of the 60 semester credits required to complete the Master's in Psychology must be completed at Washburn University, a maximum of 20 credits can be considered for acceptance as transfer credits.
Degree Requirements
In order to meet graduation requirements, the student must complete a minimum of 60 hours, have a cumulative grade point average of at least 3.0, take at least two-thirds of the semester hours required for the degree at Washburn University, and complete all course work within six (6) calendar years.
Program Requirements
The student must complete a minimum of 60 hours including:
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Core Courses | ||
| PY 602 | Advanced Physiological Psychology | 3 |
| PY 603 | Advanced Health Psychology | 2 |
| PY 604 | Social Emotional Foundations | 3 |
| PY 605 | Psychology of Learning and Cognition | 2 |
| PY 610 | Intermediate Statistics | 3 |
| PY 611 | Graduate Research Design | 1 |
| PY 612 | Scientific Writing | 2 |
| PY 635 | Ethics Psychological Practice | 2 |
| PY 638 | Seminar in Multicultural Psychology | 1.5 |
| PY 720 | Seminar in Psychology | 1.5 |
| Subtotal | 21 | |
| Clinical Courses | ||
| PY 632 | Psychological Assessment of Adults | 3 |
| PY 633 | Psychological Assessment of Children | 3 |
| PY 625 | Advanced Psychopathology | 3 |
| PY 640 | Introduction to Psychotherapy Techniques | 3 |
| PY 670 | Individual Adult Psychotherapy | 3 |
| PY 700 | Child and Family Therapy | 3 |
| Subtotal | 18 | |
| Practicum Courses | ||
| PY 615 | Counseling Skills and Interviewing Techniques | 1.5 |
| PY 631 | Psychological Assessment of Adults Practicum | 1.5 |
| PY 634 | Psychological Assessment of Children Practicum | 1.5 |
| PY 641 | Psychotherapy Practicum I | 1.5 |
| PY 671 | Psychotherapy Practicum II | 1.5 |
| PY 701 | Child and Family Therapy Practicum | 1.5 |
| Subtotal | 9 | |
| Internship Courses | ||
| PY 780 | Internship (courses) | 6 |
| Subtotal | 6 | |
| Thesis/Case Study | 6 | |
| Complete an acceptable thesis or empirically supported case study: | ||
| Thesis | ||
| Subtotal | 6 | |
| Total Hours | 60 | |