Thomas Harriot College of Arts and Sciences

Department of Psychology

Kathleen A. Row, Chairperson and Director of Graduate Studies, 115 Rawl Building

Program Directors:

Beverly L. Harju, Clinical Psychology

John G. Cope, General Psychology

Samuel F. Sears, Health Psychology

Michael B. Brown, School Psychology

The Department of Psychology offers master’s degrees in general-theoretic and clinical psychology, the masters and Certificate of Advanced Study in School Psychology, and the PHD degree in health psychology. All graduate programs require the completion of research skills courses and defense of a dissertation or thesis, and written and oral specialty examinations. The student will consult with his or her program director in order to decide which approved elective courses best meet the needs of his or her program. Additional alternative courses may be considered, subject to the approval of the student’s doctoral committee or masters program directors and the departmental chairperson. It is important to note that requirements of both the Graduate School and the Department of Psychology must be met before a degree is awarded.

MA, Psychology, General - Theoretic

The general psychology program offers students the opportunity to specialize in one of three concentrations. The academic concentration (30 s.h.) is designed to provide the preparation necessary to teach psychology at the community college level. Students can opt for on or off campus instruction. The research concentration (30 s.h.) focuses on courses for those who wish to conduct research or prepare for doctoral training. The industrial/organizational concentration (45 s.h.) is designed for students wishing to apply psychological expertise to situations involving human resources in organizations.
The industrial/organizational concentration requires a summer internship between the first and second year. Program requirements include:

1. Research skills requirement: PSYC 6430 - 3 s. h.
2. Thesis or Teaching Portfolio - 6 s. h.

   Academic concentration:

   PSYC 6800, 6810 (Teaching Practicum)

   Research concentration:

   PSYC 7000 (Thesis)

   Industrial/Organizational concentration:

   PSYC 7000 (Thesis)

3. Electives - 6-15 s.h.

   Academic concentration:

   6 s.h. from PSYC

   Research concentration:

   6 s.h. are required of which 3 s.h. must be PSYC

   Industrial/Organizational concentration:

   15 s.h. are required of which 6 s.h. must be PSYC

4. Concentration areas (Choose one.) - 15-21 s.h.

   Academic concentration:

   PSYC 6406, 6421; 6428 or 7427; 6450 or 6475, 7412

   Research concentration:

   PSYC 6421; 6428 or 7427; 6431; 6450 or 6475; 7412

   Industrial/Organizational concentration:

   PSYC 6327, 6343, 6420, 6465, 6521, 6970, 7431

MA in Clinical Psychology

The clinical psychology program of study leads to a master of arts degree in psychology and eligibility for licensure in North Carolina as a licensed psychological associate. Students are admitted into one of two concentration areas within the program: child clinical psychology or adult clinical psychology. The program requires a minimum of 51 s.h. of instruction and is generally completed in two years. During the second year, the student will spend a minimum of 500 hours in an on-site internship placement under the supervision of a licensed psychologist. The program provides classroom training in ethics, psychological assessment and diagnosis, and psychotherapy. In addition to classroom learning, the student will also engage in supervised practica experiences during the first-year of training in addition to the second-year practicum. Finally, students will gain research experience through the completion of a master’s thesis project during the second year of training.

Admission to the clinical program follows a review of credentials as well as an on-site interview. Continuation in the program is based upon satisfactory course work and effective personal functioning and ethical behavior. At the end of each semester of the student’s enrollment, the clinical faculty will conduct a review of student performance. Continuation in the program is contingent upon a favorable review during these evaluations. Students who consistently show borderline course performance, who are not developing good applied skills in the practice of psychology, who fail to complete course work on a timely basis, or who otherwise perform unprofessionally or unsatisfactorily, may be required to complete additional courses or practicum work, or may be removed from the program.

Program requirements include:

1. Core courses - 28 s.h.

   Clinical-Ethics requirement: PSYC 6465 - 3 s.h.

   Externship: PSYC 7995 (May repeat once) - 3 s.h.

   Practicum: PSYC 6460, 6461 - 4 s.h.

   Research skills requirement: PSYC 6430 - 3 s.h.

   Therapy: PSYC 6466 - 3 s.h.

   Thesis: PSYC 7000 (May repeat once) - 3 s.h.

   Core electives - 6 s.h.
   Choose two from: PSYC 6406, 6421, 6426, 6428, 6475, 7412, 7427

2. Concentration area (Choose one.) - 15 s.h.

   3 s.h. assessment elective

   3 s.h. therapy elective

   Adult clinical psychology concentration:
   PSYC 6450, 6468, 6485

   Child clinical psychology concentration:
   PSYC 6452, 6467, 6484

3. Electives - 8 s.h.

MA in School Psychology/CAS in School Psychology

The graduate program in school psychology is a three-year program to train psychologists for practice in school and related settings and requires 63 s.h. credit. The program requires full-time attendance, and students must complete both the MA and CAS degrees. The first two years of the program provide classroom training and field experiences in assessment, consultation, and interventions for children, adolescents, families, and systems. The third year consists of a full-time paid internship in a public school setting.

Program completion meets the current requirements for licensure by the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction as a Level II school psychologist, for certification by the National School Psychology Certification Board, and satisfies the educational requirements for licensure by the North Carolina Psychology Board as a licensed psychological associate. The program is approved by the National Association of School Psychologists, the National Council for the Accreditation of Teacher Education Programs, and the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction.

Program requirements include:

Assessment: PSYC 6409, 6410, 7411 - 9 s.h.

Consultation/Intervention: PSYC 6402, 6467, 7442 - 9 s.h.

Internship: PSYC 7992, 7993 - 6 s.h.

Practicum: PSYC 7950, 7951 - 6 s.h.

Professional school psychology: PSYC 6404 - 3 s.h.

Psychological foundations: COAD 6407; PSYC 6405, 6406, 6452, 7413 - 15 s.h.

Research skills requirement: PSYC 6430 - 3 s.h.

Thesis: PSYC 7000 (May repeat once) - 3 s.h.

EDUC electives - 6 s.h.

PhD in Health Psychology

The PhD program in health psychology is a post-baccalaureate 5-year program (100-106 graduate semester credit hours) with concentrations in clinical behavioral medicine (100 s.h.) pediatric school psychology (105 s.h.). A one-year pre-doctoral internship is required.

Completion of the clinical behavioral medicine concentration meets the current requirements for licensure by the North Carolina Psychology Board as a licensed psychologist. Completion of the pediatric school psychology concentration meets the current requirements for licensure by the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction as a Level III school psychologist, for certification by the National School Psychology Certification Board, and satisfies the educational requirements for licensure by the North Carolina Psychology Board as a licensed psychologist.

Program requirements include: