Clinical Psychology (MA) – Applied Pre-Licensure/Non-Thesis

The Master of Arts Clinical Psychology Program is a terminal master's program offered at the UCF Sanford/Lake Mary Campus. The Applied Pre-Licensure/Non-Thesis Track is designed for students interested in delivering clinical services in a variety of settings including community agencies and private practice. After completing the program and after two years of postgraduate supervised clinical experience, graduates are eligible to become Licensed Mental Health Counselors (LMHCs) in the state of Florida. Please visit the program's website for more information, including a list of program faculty members and answers to frequently asked questions (FAQs): https://sciences.ucf.edu/psychology/graduate/ma-clinical/faqs/.

The Clinical Psychology Applied Pre-Licensure/Non-Thesis Track requires a minimum of 61 credit hours beyond the Bachelor's degree, including 49 credit hours of required courses and 12 clinical internship credit hours. This track is for students primarily interested in clinical practice at the Master's level upon graduation; however, some students in this track have applied to and gained admission into doctoral programs after graduation.

The primary areas of emphasis include assessment or evaluation skills and intervention or psychotherapy skills, and the program curriculum is consistent with the educational criteria for licensure as a mental health counselor in the state of Florida. Program graduates have been involved in mental health service delivery through individual, marital, family, and group psychotherapy, as well as crisis intervention and other specialized therapeutic procedures. Although research is not required in this track, students in this track do have the opportunity to engage in collaborative research with program faculty.

Total Credit Hours Required: 61 Credit Hours Minimum beyond the Bachelor's Degree

Track Prerequisites

A bachelor's degree in Psychology or a related area. A minimum of 15 semester hours of undergraduate psychology courses are required as a prerequisite for applicants with a degree in a field other than psychology. Completion of courses in abnormal psychology (or psychopathology) and research methods and/or statistics is strongly recommended. Other recommended courses include clinical psychology, developmental psychology, personality theory, physiological psychology, and psychology of diversity.

Degree Requirements

Required Courses

• Complete the following:
  • CLP5166 - Advanced Psychopathology (3)
  • CLP6181 - Psychological Theories of Substance Abuse Treatment (3)
  • CLP6191 - Multicultural Psychotherapy (3)
  • CLP6195C - Introduction to Psychotherapy (3)
  • CLP6321 - Psychotherapy in Community Settings (3)
  • CLP6441C - Individual Psychological Assessment I (3)
  • CLP6457C - Group Psychotherapy (3)
  • CLP6459C - Human Sexuality, Marriage, and Sex Therapies (3)
  • CLP6461 - Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (3)
  • CLP6449C - Career and Lifestyle Assessment (3)
  • CLP6932 - Ethical and Professional Issues in Mental Health Practices (3)
  • CYP6942 - Practicum in Psychological Counseling (3)
  • DEP5057 - Developmental Psychology (3)
  • PSY6216C - Research Methodology (4)
  • PSB5005 - Physiological Psychology (3)
  • CLP6460C - Introduction to Child, Adolescent, and Family Therapies (3)

Internship

• Complete all of the following
  • Earn at least 12 credits from the following:
    • CYP6948C - Psychology Internship (1 - 99)
  • The purpose of the internship requirement is to provide the MA candidate in Clinical Psychology with comprehensive, practical experiences under the supervision of licensed mental health professionals. A public agency or nonprofit institution with nondiscriminatory practices is the prototype. The intern works at an acceptable agency during a minimum of three consecutive academic semesters (20 hours per week for 16 weeks during fall and spring terms of second year, and 20 hours per week for 8-12 weeks during the summer term of second year). The internship and practicum requirements combined must result in at least 1000 hours of experience. An additional commitment of three hours per week is required for the interns to meet as a group with a departmental faculty member for review, feedback, and discussions. A major portion of intern training is in the area of psychotherapy/counseling. The intern also engages in differential diagnosis and participates in a wide variety of psychological assessment procedures. It is believed that supervision by qualified and experienced personnel is the primary learning mode by which the intern develops professional expertise and augments classroom didactics. Satisfactory completion ("B" [3.0-grade point average] or better) of the following courses is required prior to internship: CLP 5166, CLP 6195C, CLP 6441C, CLP 6932, and CYP 6942. Students must also have satisfactory completion of the courses CLP 6321 and CLP 6461, though students who begin their internship during the summer semester of their first year will be taking these courses concurrently with the start of their internship. The program director and practicum/internship coordinator approve practicum and internship placements. Interns are provided with a system for maintaining accurate accounts of their activity during each week of their internship. In addition, both the intern and supervisor(s) complete an Internship Evaluation form each semester.

Comprehensive Exam and Case Presentation

• The culminating academic experience for all students in the program is successful completion of a comprehensive exam and case presentation. All students must complete the comprehensive exam no later than their final semester. The exam covers the core professional knowledge required by state licensing agencies. Students also are required to complete a written and oral clinical case presentation. Criteria for passing the exam and presentation are provided in the program handbook.

Grand Total Credits: 61

Application Requirements

Financial Information

Graduate students may receive financial assistance through fellowships, assistantships, tuition support, or loans. For more information, see the College of Graduate Studies Funding website, which describes the types of financial assistance available at UCF and provides general guidance in planning your graduate finances. The Financial Information section of the Graduate Catalog is another key resource.

Fellowship Information

Fellowships are awarded based on academic merit to highly qualified students. They are paid to students through the Office of Student Financial Assistance, based on instructions provided by the College of Graduate Studies. Fellowships are given to support a student's graduate study and do not have a work obligation. For more information, see UCF Graduate Fellowships, which includes descriptions of university fellowships and what you should do to be considered for a fellowship.

For all students in the Clinical MA program, successful completion requires demonstration of academic and clinical excellence. Students who receive grades lower than B (including B- and grades of U in courses graded satisfactory/unsatisfactory) in six semester hours or more will be dismissed from the program. It is a program requirement that all coursework with a grade lower than B be retaken and completed successfully, although both grades are still calculated in the GPA.

In addition to academic excellence, students are expected to demonstrate clinical skills and personal resources necessary to meet the demands of the program and for clinical practice. At the end of each semester, students will receive written feedback from the faculty on the extent to which they are meeting the programs requirements and performance expectations. Student progress will be rated as satisfactory or unsatisfactory. Students who receive an unsatisfactory rating will be asked to complete remediation as determined by the faculty. If the identified problems are not remedied and/or a second unsatisfactory rating is received, the student will be dismissed from the program.

Summer enrollment is required for all students in this track.

There are several independent learning experiences built into the programs of study that help to individualize the training program. Students work with the practicum/internship coordinator and academic advisor to select specific practicum and internship placements. During practicum and internship students will have the opportunity to present cases that incorporate an integration of assessment data and its interpretation, theoretical conceptualization, treatment planning, course of therapy, and available outcome data. This is done ensuring client confidentiality and the highest ethical standards. Although not required for this track, students in this track do have the opportunity to engage in collaborative research with program faculty.

Can you provide an overview of the Pre-licensure Track? Is this the right track for me to apply to?

This track has been offered for decades. As mentioned in our catalogue description, the primary goal of this track is to train students to become licensed, master’s-level clinicians. More specifically, graduates of this track are eligible to become Licensed Mental Health Counselors (LMHCs) in the State of Florida, and they will likely be eligible for master’s level licensure in most other states. This track includes a full course load (9-12 credits/per semester) for two years. Students in this track complete a practicum (10 hours/week in the first spring in the program) and internship (20 hours/week in the fall, spring, and summer semesters in the second year in the program). A majority of the graduates of this program enter clinical practice and obtain licensure at the master’s level. We usually admit 10 to 14 students into this track each fall term.

How do I get licensed?

Students in the applied/prelicensure track meet the eligibility criteria for licensure as a Licensed Mental Health Counselor (LMHC) in the State of Florida. Please note that more details about eligibility criteria can be found on the Florida Department of Health website. In addition, our students are also eligible for similar licensure in most other states; however, we are unable to confirm the licensure and certification requirements of other states. Consequently, if you intend to pursue such credentialing outside of Florida, we advise you to contact the applicable state credentialing authority to familiarize yourself with its specific requirements and determine if our program meets its eligibility criteria.

Can I get into a doctoral program if I complete the pre-licensure track?

Yes! As mentioned above, most students in the pre-licensure track practice at the master’s level upon graduation. Having said that, each year we have a number of graduating students who apply to and get into Ph.D. or Psy.D. programs (usually around 2-4 students out a cohort of 14-16 students). Engagement in research may increase students’ competitiveness when applying to doctoral programs.

Can I do research if I am in the pre-licensure track?

Yes. Research is not required as part of this track; however, students in the pre-licensure track are often engaged in collaborative research with faculty. It is common for students in this track to present research at scientific conferences, and some of these students become coauthors of peer-reviewed publications in scientific journals.