International FAQ’s/Information for Newsletter
Q. What qualifications must I have to get into a U.S. graduate program in psychology?
A. To begin a graduate program in psychology in the United States, you need to have a Bachelor’s degree or an equivalent to it. If you have already a diploma in psychology, you might be eligible to apply for a Master’s program. If not, most universities might ask you to take the undergraduate exams before you are accepted into a graduate program. In any case, the final decision is that of the university to which you apply.
See www.apa.org/ed/
Q. How can I learn more about U.S. graduate programs in Psychology?
A. The APA publishes a book entitled Graduate Study in Psychology, which is usually located in university libraries or you may order the publication on the Internet from APA
(www.apa.org/books/). There you can look up the U.S. states you are interested in and find detailed descriptions about programs of all institutions including application information, financial aid, tuition and housing.
Q. What is an accredited school or institution?
A. In the United States, there are regional associations that accredit the universities. The universities become regionally accredited by meeting a set of specific criteria. For more information on regional accreditation, please refer to the above-mentioned book, Graduate Study in Psychology. It is typically easier to obtain your license to practice psychology in the U.S. if your doctoral program is from a regionally accredited school.
Q. What is an accredited program in psychology?
A. Within the graduate departments of regionally accredited schools, the doctoral programs in professional psychology (school psychology, clinical psychology, counseling psychology), requiring licensure for independent practice, must be accredited by the APA Committee on Accreditation. The list of currently accredited programs can be found on the APA website at www.apa.org/ed/accreditation.
Q. What are the qualifications to become licensed as a psychologist in the U.S.?
A. In the U.S., the doctoral degree is generally recognized and accepted as the education credential for license eligibility to practice independently as a clinical psychologist. There are master’s degree programs, however, some of which are preparatory for doctoral training and others of which are for terminal degrees.
Additionally, each state has requirements for licensure. A summary of those requirements is afforded in a publication of an organization by the name of Association of State and Provincial Psychology Boards (ASPPB) which includes Canadian province requirements for license as well as state requirements in the U.S. The publication’s title is Handbook of Licensing and Certification Requirements for Psychologists in the U.S. and Canada. You can inquire about that through the ASPPB Internet website: www.asppb.org.
Q. Are there distance learning graduate programs in psychology?
A. Among accredited doctoral programs in clinical or counseling psychology, the closest to being a "distance learning" program is the clinical program offered through The Fielding Graduate Institute of Santa Barbara, CA. That program does require certain combinations of "residential" experience, however, such that its graduates cannot complete the program entirely by work on the Internet or through other electronic distance learning media.
Among non-accredited doctoral programs in clinical or counseling psychology, you might inquire of Walden University in Minneapolis, MN and the Union Institute in Cincinnati. OH.
In any inquiry about such programs, it is recommended that you inquire about such matters as:
- rate of attrition and completion from the program
- median time to degree of students in the program
- total accumulated debt if any upon completion of the program
- success rate of program graduates in being licensed as psychologists
- typical employment outcomes of graduates.
