Graduate Program Clinical Psychology

Overview
Areas of Specialization
Application Information
Funding
Forms and Manuals
Organizations
Professional Opportunities
To Apply
Additional Information

Applications are due December 1 for admission during the next Fall term.  Applications are submitted through the Graduate School admissions office.


The Clinical Psychology Program at TU is fully accredited by the American Psychological Association and has been continuously accredited since January, 1991 (American Psychological Association, Office of Program Consultation and Accreditation , 750 First Street, NE, Washington, DC 20002-4242; 202-336-5979). Full information pertaining to the University of Tulsa's accreditation is available at the APA's website.

Overview

The M.A. and Ph.D. programs in Clinical Psychology at The University of Tulsa train students to do what psychologists actually do in today’s society: ethically apply knowledge of psychological theory, assessment, research methodology and clinical skill to complex clinical problems. Our programs are based upon the scientist-practitioner model: we define psychological practice is defined as the application of the theory, methods, and results of scientific psychology to clinical problems.

Research Environment. The clinical faculty members are highly productive and distinguished researchers. Many have federal or privately funded research grants supporting their research efforts and/or research laboratories. Although each research laboratory is structured differently based on mission, students have many opportunities to work closely with faculty. The program emphasizes close faculty and student collaboration on research and scholarly endeavors.

Departmental Culture . The culture is very collegial. The faculty pride themselves on the breadth of their research interests, offering graduate students a broad view of psychology. Opportunities abound for graduate student research and authorship. Professors and graduate students regularly collaborate to publish articles. Graduate students are also encouraged to collaborate with one another. While encouraging collaboration, the culture also expects excellence from all its constituents: faculty, students and staff. Students are expected to complete requirements, engage in professional activities, behave ethically and be active organizational citizens in the department. The benefits of these high expectations include the fact that the TU faculty will have intimate knowledge of your skills and capabilities when it is time for you to move to the next phase of your career. The faculty will be able to assist you through their broad industry and academic connections.

While we encourage students to develop specific areas of expertise under the mentorship of a faculty member, our programs are designed so that students develop a broad familiarity with a range of psychological theories, methods, and results. We expect students will understand the limits of human perception, reason and intuition and to appreciate scientific methods as correctives to the flaws and biases of human judgment. The graduate programs in Clinical Psychology hope to cultivate a life-long thirst for new psychological knowledge, new skills in the application of that knowledge, and continued development in the ethical and legal dimensions of practice

The doctoral program has been continuously and fully accredited by the American Psychological Association (American Psychological Association, Office of Program Consultation and Accreditation, 750 First Street, NE, Washington, DC 20002-4242; 202-336-5979) since 1991.  Our next site visit is scheduled for 2014.

General Training Approach and Specialization: Both MA and Ph.D programs have four broad training objectives:

  • to provide a generalist model of training in diverse aspects of psychology including biological, developmental, social, and cognitive science;
  • to promote a scientific attitude toward clinical practice and prepare students for clinical research;
  • to promote high academic, ethical, and professional standards in all aspects of professional development and practice;
  • to prepare students for entry level competence in and a commitment to lifelong learning about psychotherapy and assessment including the ability to adapt their approaches to diverse populations.

Specific competencies for the Ph.D. program are listed in our handbook but both our M.A. and Ph.D. core curriculum covers topics such as psychopathology, assessment, ethics, evidence-based approaches to psychotherapy, cultural diversity, research methods, and statistics.

Areas of Specialization 

Current faculty research focuses on developmental psychopathology, gene-environment interactions, journalism and trauma, neuropsychological assessment, pain perception and physiology; personality assessment, and traumatic stress studies. Several faculty have/or have had recent state or federal grant funding related to child development, sexual assault intervention, neuropsychological assessment, and pain psychophysiology.

Courses: The department offers a sequence of clinical core courses for students in the program. These are designed to provide a broad overview of the field and an introduction to specific assessment and counseling skills.

Practicum Experience: Practicum experiences begin early within the program (third semester) and occur in a wide variety of agencies in community settings, and allow the student to interact with various mental health professionals. Placements include community mental health centers, hospitals, youth service agencies, and chemical dependency treatment programs. Click here for a list of practicum sites.  Attempts are made to allow students to choose practicum activities that are most consistent with their professional goals, although it is recognized that a diversity of experiences can provide the best foundation for professional development. Practicum activities are supervised by an on-site professional, and the practicum experience is organized and monitored by the Coordinator of Practicum Training in conjunction with the Clinical Program Committee. 

Unique Features: Our faculty is unusually active in research and, due to our small size, students have ample opportunities for collaboration in faculty research and informal discussions of research projects. Our graduate programs have developed over the last decade in such a way that they complement and support each other. As a result, students are exposed to a wide variety of viewpoints and research methods. The department has strong relations with the mental health agencies in Tulsa. Students can apply knowledge and gain experience in a wide variety of settings. 

Ph.D. Program Cost and Education/Training Outcomes.

Application Information


Applications for the Master's and the Doctoral programs are submitted to the Graduate School Admissions Office.

Supplemental application form :  Beginning December 2009, applicants are required to provide a resume or curriculum vita when applying. If appropriate, clinical and research experience should be listed as well as any professional presentations or publications.

  • Master’s Degree: The Master's program is a 45-credit-hour degree program that is designed to
    • prepare students to apply for a doctoral program; or  
    • allow students to develop basic evidence-based clinical skills that can be applied in a variety of agency settings.
    • Master's students are required to complete a clinical core, as well as 15 credit hours distributed across five knowledge areas in a general psychology core, elective courses, and at least two semesters of practicum. Students may begin practicum in their third semester. The faculty admits 3-8 students to the M.A. program in Clinical Psychology each year, with students drawn from a broad range of ages, cultures, and nationalities. Current M.A. students have GPAs of approximately 3.5 and mean percentile ranks on the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) as follows: GRE-V = 85% ( 616); GRE-Q = 47% (588); GRE-A = 65% (4.8).
    • Doctoral Degree: The Ph.D. program in Clinical Psychology requires a minimum of 90 graduate semester hours. Students in the Doctoral program complete the department's general Psychology core, the Clinical core, methods core, and can take additional elective courses both in and outside the Department of Psychology. Other requirements of Doctoral students in the department include: pre-candidacy project, comprehensive exams, and dissertation. Students also must complete a one-year APA-approved pre-doctoral internship in an approved setting.
    • Approximately five students are admitted to the Ph.D. program in Clinical Psychology each year, with students drawn from a broad range of backgrounds: age, culture, ethnicity, interests, and prior experience. Current Ph.D. students have GPA's of approximately 3.6 and mean percentile ranks on the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) as follows: GRE-V = 76% ( 540); GRE-Q = 62% (619); GRE-A = 73% (5.0).
    • Program Completion: Among our 23 doctoral students who graduated since Fall of 2003, the average time to completion was 5.6 years (median = 5.5 years) including the internship year. Among students entering with a Masters degree from the University of Tulsa, completion time was a mean of 4.04 years and a median of 4.25 years. Since 2000, 29% of our students completed in less than 5 years, 38% in 5 years, 17% in 6 years, and 4% in 7 years and 12% in more than 7 years. Among the 76 students who entered the program between 1993 and 2006, the attrition rate was 16% (including attrition for health, relocation, dismissal, and transfer to the M.A. program). For the doctoral program, interviews are held on “Interview Day”.
    • Dates & Deadlines: Applications are due December 1st for admission to the next Fall term for both programs. There are no exceptions to this rule.
    • Ph.D. Program Costs Student Assistantships and Funding: Detailed information on program costs is available from the Graduate School.  The availability of assistantships for students varies by year. Below is data on the funding of first year clinical PhD students for the last 7 years.

    Funding of First Year Clinical PhD Students

    NOTE: In 2001-2002 one student received funding for spring semester only.

    • The Clinical Psychology Department has six Graduate Assistantships (GA's) with stipends and tuition coverage totaling from $24,738 to $25,674 per student annually. Typically these are distributed as one or two per year at maximum. Some clinical psychology faculty may have research assistantships available from grant funding which they will make known during interview day. Additional graduate and research assistantships are awarded competitively through other University departments as well as through grants obtained by Psychology Department Faculty. Due to the success of our faculty at attracting research grants, more students have been supported on psychology research assistantships. Additionally, some graduate students have received scholarships funded through the University and the State of Oklahoma. Overall, the Psychology Department works very hard to facilitate helping those students interested in finding funding opportunities. It is essential to complete the Assistantship Application Form.
    • Funding of first Year Masters Students: Masters Students Funding is more limited. Typically students seek graduate assistantships through other University departments. It is essential to complete the Assistantship Application Form.
    • Other Support: In addition, the Graduate School provides several sources for helping graduate student, both masters and clinical students, defray direct costs associated with their research projects as well as travel costs when those projects are presented at regional or national conferences.

    Forms & Manuals 

    Detailed information about the program requirements, courses, and program mechanics can be found below in the following manuals and balance sheets.

    Organizations of Interest to Faculty and Students


    On-campus Institutes and Centers

    National and International Organizations

    • The American Pain Society. Students present research at this organization’s conference annually.
    • Dart Center for Journalism and Trauma: The Dart Center for journalism and trauma has a research hub at the University of Tulsa directed by Elana Newman, Ph.D. Graduate and undergraduate students are involved in research and writing projects supported by the Center.
    • The International Neuropsychological Society (INS) is a multi-disciplinary non-profit organization dedicated to enhancing communication among the scientific disciplines which contribute to the understanding of brain-behavior relationships. Many students present at this organization’s conference each year.
    • The International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies (ISTSS) the world’s premier trauma organization dedicated to trauma treatment, education, research and prevention. Through this organization, professionals share information about the effects of trauma, seeking to reduce traumatic stressors and their immediate and long-term consequences. Dr. Newman is a past president of the organization and Dr. Davis is a past program co-chair. Many students present research at this organization’s conference annually.
    • Society for Personality Assessment. Students present research at this organization’s conference annually.
    • Society for Psycho physiological Research. Students present research at this organization’s conference annually.

     Professional Opportunities

    • Internships: Between 1001-2007, 39 Doctoral students applied for internship.  Overall placement success was 92% for paid, APPIC, APA-accreditied, full-time internships.  Three of these students obtained their internship placement after match day.  For more information go to www.appic.org.
    • Professional Opportunities: Graduate students may also develop personal and professional skills through membership in a variety of organizations on campus, locally, and nationally. Graduate students may also join the Graduate Students of Psychology (GRASP) or participate in research/community activities through Center for Community Research and Development (CCRD). Students are highly encouraged to join professional societies as student members, and they frequently attend annual conferences as presenters.

    To Apply 

    To apply for either the MA or Ph.D program, please submit: 

    • A statement of interest
    • An application form
    • A resume/vita.
    • Three letters of recommendations from individuals who know your academic potential (see optional form) 
    • Official undergraduate transcripts
    • Official general GRE scores are required.
    • A writing sample is optional.

    For more information visit the Graduate School.   If you are an international student, see the Graduate school for additional requirements .

    For additional information contact

    Elana Newman, Ph.D.
    The University of Tulsa
    800 South Tucker Drive
    Tulsa, Oklahoma 74104-3189
    Phone: (918) 631-2894
    Email: elana-newman@utulsa.edu