Top Master's Degree Programs in Clinical Psychology

Northwestern University is affiliated with Northwestern Memorial Hospital, one of the largest and highest-rated hospital systems in the Chicagoland region. It is one of relatively few clinical psychology master's programs based in a school of psychiatry within an academic medical center (AMC). 

The program prepares students for a career in academic clinical psychology. It emphasizes research and theory and does not include clinical training or other fundamentals for clinical practice. Students must complete at least 10 hours per week of research lab experience and a capstone project, such as a grant proposal, authorship of an article in a peer-reviewed journal, or an oral/poster presentation at a conference.

The program is embedded within Northwestern's Ph.D. program, and students participate in lab work and other projects with Ph.D. students. However, the master's program is not a "gateway" to the doctoral program. 

The University of Central Florida's clinical psychology master's program offers two tracks. One is an applied pre-licensure non-thesis track that prepares graduates to meet Florida's licensing requirements for mental health counselors (after supervised postgraduate experience). This option takes two years and includes a practicum and an internship. 

The research/thesis track prepares students for careers in academia or research. The course load is lighter for this track because students spend more time conducting research, and this pathway does not lead to licensure. However, students can choose to complete a practicum. Please note this track only accepts five or six students per year. 

Tuition for in-state students is $370 per credit hour and $1,194 per credit hour for out-of-state students. 

New York University's master's program in clinical psychology is an informal track within the master of psychology program, and it does not receive special designation on student transcripts. Applicants should apply to the psychology program and specify their interest in clinical psychology.

The program does not lead directly to licensing. Most graduates either pursue a Ph.D. track that emphasizes research or a Psy.D. that prepares them for clinical practice. 

The school recommends a specific group of core courses for the clinical psychology track, but students are allowed to take other core courses. It also recommends specific electives.

Students in the clinical psychology master's program are encouraged to take advantage of NYU's other schools and take cross-disciplinary courses, but an advisor must approve cross registrations. All students must complete either a thesis or a comprehensive examination.

Harvard University's master's program in clinical psychology is integrated into its Ph.D. program. At the end of their second year in the Ph.D. program, students may be recommended for the master's degree, but this is not automatic. 

While the doctoral program emphasizes research, it meets licensure requirements for the state of Massachusetts and is accredited by the Psychological Clinical Science Accreditation System (PCSAS) and by the American Psychological Association (APA).

During each of the first two years of the program (the two years that may lead to a master's degree), students propose and carry out a major research project that must be completed by the end of the year. 

Tuition is $52,456 per year, but the standard financial aid for Ph.D. students includes tuition, health fees, an academic year stipend, and a summer research award. 

Boston University's master's program in clinical psychology is one of the shorter courses on the list, taking just one year to complete. The school admits both psychology majors and students who have a basic undergraduate grounding in psychology. 

The degree program prepares students for a license, and clinical psychology is a potential informal specialization within the general master's in psychology rather than a specific degree. Most of the courses in the university's graduate school are open to master's-level students. Ph.D. program faculty are available for academic supervision. 

Students must complete a research paper and deliver a presentation at the level of a professional conference presentation.

Divine Mercy University offers a master's program in clinical psychology that centers around "a Catholic-Christian vision of the person." The program does not lead to licensing but provides clinical psychology education to professional ministers or others working within a religious framework. 

Students can specialize in marriage and family studies (based on "perspective of the Catholic-Christian teaching on marriage and family," leadership, human services counseling, a pre-Ph.D. track that emphasizes research, and a self-designed program in which students pick their own electives. 

Applicants must have a GPA of 2.5 or higher, though a 2.75 or higher is considered competitive. The program can be completed in 16-24 months. 

The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley's master's program in clinical psychology has both a thesis and a non-thesis option. The thesis option benefits students who plan on earning a doctorate. The non-thesis option meets the educational requirements for licensing as a psychological associate or a licensed professional counselor (with three additional courses) for the state of Texas. Both programs require practicums and internships. The capstone for the thesis option is the thesis itself and a comprehensive examination for the non-thesis option. 

Unlike many programs, applicants must submit GRE scores from within the last five years. The preferred minimum verbal score is 153 and the preferred quantitative score is 144.

CUNY City College's master's program in general psychology offers a 40-credit non-thesis program or a 31-credit thesis program. All programs have a capstone project. The program does not lead to counseling licensing, though the Credentialed Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Counselor (CASAC) 40-credit track does meet New York state requirements to become a substance abuse counselor. Students must maintain a 3.0 GPA. 

Applicants do not need an undergraduate major in psychology, but must have had some psychology coursework, such as introductory psychology, statistics, and psychological research methods/experimental psychology courses. Performance in statistics and psychological research methods is an important factor for admission. Students whose curriculum did not include a course in research methodology must complete an undergraduate-level course during the first year of their master's program. All applicants must provide GRE scores. 

DePaul University offers two tracks in its master's program in clinical psychology, a clinical-child and a clinical-community track. Please note that the master's program is part of the Ph.D. track, and students must complete the Ph.D. track. 

DePaul uses a quarter hours system. The master's program requires 76 quarter hours, while the Ph.D. requires at least 28 more quarter hours and a dissertation. The clinical psychology master's program has held American Psychological Association accreditation since 1976.

Students must complete three term-long practicums, which do not count for course credit. The master's program also requires a thesis and a defense. The minimum grade for every course is a B+.

The University of Houston-Clear Lake's master's program in psychology can lead to licensing as a professional counselor or as a psychological associate in Texas. Students focus on specialties, such as behavioral medicine, anxiety disorders, cognitive behavioral therapy, mindfulness and acceptance-based therapies, or behavioral parent training for childhood externalizing behaviors.

Students participate in a two-semester practicum onsite at the university's Psychological Services Clinic and then complete a 500-hour internship at designated sites within the Houston area. 

To apply, students must submit GRE scores from within the last five years, official transcripts, three letters of recommendation, and a CV.  Learners must also participate in on-campus interviews, typically in March. 

Students must complete at least 15 hours in undergraduate psychology, with courses in introductory psychology and abnormal psychology and at least three upper-level psychology courses. Applicants who have already completed these courses will receive preference in admissions.