The M.S. Psychology degree at Cal Poly has about forty
students currently enrolled in the program, in a department
with a total enrollment of 550 students. Graduate courses
are scheduled so that a full-time student carrying 12-16
units per quarter could complete degree requirements in
two years. A more realistic time-table, however, is three
years.
There are 22 tenure-track faculty in the Psychology and
Child Development Department with degrees in a variety
of disciplines including Psychology, Education, Child
Development, Family Studies, and Human Development. Three
faculty coordinate the M.S. program and regularly teach
graduate classes. The faculty are diverse in terms of
professional degrees, clinical training, ethnic background,
and gender. Three of them are licensed psychologists,
and have active clinical practices. Our graduate classes
are always small and our graduate students receive much
individual attention in our on-campus practicum clinic
and in community fieldwork sites.
Master's
Degree Information
General
Description
The M.S. in Psychology is a 90-quarter unit professional
degree program designed for persons who desire to practice
in the field of clinical/counseling psychology. Cal Poly's
M.S. in Psychology fulfills the educational requirements
for the state of California's Marriage and Family Therapist
(MFT) license.
The program's mission is to provide the state of California
with highly competent master-level clinicians who are
academically prepared for the Marriage and Family Therapist
(MFT) license and counseling with individuals, couples,
families, and groups in a multicultural society. Its mission
is also to provide students who want to proceed on to
doctoral programs in clinical or counseling psychology
with sound research skills, thesis experience and clinical
intervention training.
Graduates find career opportunities in public social
service agencies such as Mental Health and Departments
of Social Services as well as in private non-profit and
private practice counseling centers. Ten to twenty percent
of graduates go on to doctoral programs in clinical or
counseling psychology.
Program
Strengths
Cal Poly's M.S. degree program emphasizes personal, academic
and practical knowledge and skill development which will
enable each graduate to become competent in assessment,
diagnosis, treatment, and treatment planning for individuals,
families, and children. Research competence and ethical
practices are also emphasized.
Closely supervised pre-fieldwork practicum experiences
leading to challenging fieldwork in agencies is the cornerstone
of Cal Poly's preparation for the future clinician. Closely
supervised experience in Cal Poly's on-campus practicum
clinic serving clients from the community provides trainees
with the opportunity to develop skills and confidence
before undertaking fieldwork in community agencies.
The Central Coast of California offers numerous well-supervised
clinical traineeships in public and private non-profit
agencies with a variety of client populations.
Application
Information
The Psychology Program admits new students once a year
for the subsequent fall quarter. The application deadline
for the Fall 2009 class is 5 p.m. on January 15, 2009.
You must submit an on-line application for Graduate Admission
to the California State University at www.csumentor.edu by January 15, 2009.
Items 1-2 below must be received
in the Admissions Office (Cal Poly Admissions
Office, 1 Grand Ave, San Luis Obispo, CA 93407) (805-
756-2311) before February 15, 2009.
Mail to: Cal Poly Admissions Office, 1 Grand Ave San Luis Obispo, CA 93407
1. One official copy
of all undergraduate and graduate transcripts. Transcripts
should be mailed to the Cal Poly Admissions Office from
the issuing institution.
2. Graduate Record Examination (GRE)
General Tests scores (Verbal, Quantitative,
Analytical Writing); the GRE Advanced Test in Psychology
is not required. GRE scores must be from tests taken within
five years of admission.
Items 3-4 below must be received in the Psychology Department Office by February 15, 2009.
Mail to: Cal Poly Psychology and Child Development Department, Attn. MS PSY Program, San Luis Obispo, CA 93407
3. A “Personal Statement”
whose length is limited to two typewritten, double-spaced
pages. At the top of the page write "Personal Statement"
and your name. The statement of
purpose on the CSU application cannot
be used in lieu of the personal statement.
The Personal Statement is an important part of your application.
It gives you the opportunity to show how various personal,
sociocultural, educational, and occupational factors informed
your decision to enter the helping profession. It also
gives faculty an opportunity to gauge your level of insight,
maturity, thoughtfulness and other qualities conducive
to success in the field. Please address the following
in two, typewritten, double-space pages:
a. Educational experience: Please describe coursework
(e.g., Introduction to Clinical/Counseling Psychology),
fieldwork (e.g., Internships), and/or research (e.g.,
Assistantships) that helped clarify your career goal.
b. Professional activity: Please describe paid
or volunteer work in counseling, education, social services,
or health-care that informed your career goal. If you
have little related work-experience, we strongly suggest
you consider applying after such experience has been obtained.
c. Sociocultural experience: Please describe
whether or not you’re bilingual, have traveled or
lived abroad, and any other diversity experiences contributing
to your interest in psychotherapy.
d. Personal experience: Please describe family,
social, and/or other personal factors influencing your
interest in the profession. Feel free to note whether
or not you’ve benefited from counseling. Simply
saying your grew un in a dysfunctional family, that people
have always found it easy to talk to you, or that you’ve
always wanted to be a therapist are generally uninformative.
4. Letters of recommendation. Four letters
of recommendation are REQUIRED. Carefully choose your
recommenders. Obtain letters from individuals who know
you well and can attest to your academic, social, occupational,
and/or personal attributes. Letters from friends and relatives
are usually less useful. Please download and print the
recommendation form highlighted: Recommendation
Cover
The Psychology Program accepts applicants with a wide
variety of undergraduate degrees. All applicants must
have a baccalaureate degree from an institution accredited
by a regional association and have a minimum GPA of 3.0
in the last 60 semester (90 quarter) units attempted.
Applicants with a GPA of at least 2.5 will be considered
if their application packets indicate that they are strong
candidates in other areas.
There are additional requirements for foreign students
and questions concerning applications from foreign students
should be directed to the Cal Poly Office of Admissions.
Program
Requirements
Course prerequisites are abnormal psychology, personality,
behavioral disorders in children, introductory statistics,
and research methods in psychology (or related discipline).
Applicants who have not completed such courses will not
be denied admission to the university, but will be required
to remove deficiencies within three quarters of admission.
The M.S. degree program requires the completion of 90-quarter
units. In order for the University to verify that the
student fulfilled the educational competencies for MFT
licensure as prescribed by California legislation, the
student must complete the program's specified 90-quarter
units.
Required
Courses
PSY 459, PSY 450, PSY 504, PSY 555, PSY/EDUC 556, PSY
558, PSY 560, PSY 564, PSY 565, PSY 566, PSY 569, PSY
571, PSY 572, PSY 574, PSY 575, PSY 576, PSY 585, PSY
590, PSY 599 or comprehensive examinations and a four-unit
elective.
Curriculum
PSY 450 Family Intervention
PSY 459 Lifespan Theories
PSY 504 Psychopharmacology
PSY 555 Counseling and Communication
PSY/EDUC 556 Ethnic Counseling
PSY 558 Career Counseling
PSY 560 Individual Therapy: Theory and Application
PSY 564 Ethics and the Law: MF Therapy
PSY 565 Diagnosis/Treatment: Psychopathology
PSY 566 Group Therapy: Theory and Application
PSY 569 Counseling Clinic Practicum
PSY 571 Family Therapy: Theory and Application
PSY 572 Child and Adolescent Therapy: Theory and Application
PSY 574 Psychological Assessment
PSY 575 Gender, Couple and Sexual Dysfunction Therapy
PSY 576 Field Experience: Marital and Family Counseling
PSY 585 Research Methods for Counseling Psychology
PSY 590 Research Applications in Psychology and Human
Services
PSY 599 Thesis or 4 units of approved electives
and written comprehensive examination
MFT
Licensure Information
The department does not issue licenses, but the M.S.
Psychology degree is designed to meet the educational
requirements for the MFT license in the State of California.
The Board of Behavioral Sciences is the state agency that
regulates MFT licensing.
Financial
Information
The department offers neither scholarships nor fellowships.
Financial aid information is available through the Financial
Aid Office (805-756-2927).
For specific information about applying to one of Cal
Poly's graduate programs, follow the links below.
Applying
CSUMentor
(Online Graduate Application)
Portfolio
Completion Deadlines
Additional
Information
'Research
& Graduate Programs' Webpage
Graduate Record Examinations
(GRE)
International
Applicants
If you have questions about the program that you would
like to talk with someone about, contact Margaret Booker
at mbooker@calpoly.edu or (805) 756-2456.
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