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Is the program APA-accredited?

Doctoral programs in Clinical Psychology need to be accredited by the American Psychological Association to ensure that graduates will be eligible for state licenses to practice psychology and to be competitive for some internships.  However, the APA does not allow a new program to seek accreditation until there is at least one student matriculating in every year of the program, including internship.  ETSU’s program is designed following the guidelines for an APA-accredited program with a scientist-practitioner orientation.  We will seek accreditation as soon as we are eligible.  The good news is that once accreditation is received, it is retrospective to all students who have matriculated or graduated during the data collection period.

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How long is the PhD program?

The PhD program is designed as a five-year program of study, including a full calendar year of clinical internship.  This clinical internship is a full-time supervised employment situation in a formal internship location.  The internship is a separate application process and conducted as a ‘match’ similar to medical school residencies.  So, the ETSU-based curriculum is four years past the bachelor’s.  Because there are practical and independent research requirements in addition to structured coursework, it is common for PhD students in clinical psychology program to take longer to graduate than the 5 years of program design.

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May I enroll in the program on a part-time basis?

No, the program must be matriculated as a full-time student.  Similar to medical school, one cannot complete this type of program on a part-time basis.  Thus, it is our intent to support every student who enrolls with graduate assistantships and tuition waivers.

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I do not have an undergraduate degree in Psychology.  May I still apply?

Yes, students in related undergraduate degree programs are often interested in graduate work in psychology, and are welcome to apply.  There are 18 undergraduate hours in psychology that are required, however to ensure at least some foundation work in psychology has been completed.

Is the program going to be offered online?

There are components of courses that will be offered online, but the nature of clinical psychology training requires face-to-face training experiences, in our opinion.

I took the GRE years ago, do I have to take it again?

GRE scores up to five years old may be used in the application.  GRE scores older than five years cannot be submitted.

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I have a master’s degree in a related discipline, will I have to complete the entire program?

If you have an equivalent master’s degree in Psychology, you can petition upon acceptance into the program to have that degree substituted for the master’s degree requirements in this program, up to 48 hours.  If you have a master’s degree in a related discipline such as social work, counseling, or others, you may petition upon acceptance to have up to nine hours of graduate work transferred to this program.  If you have already completed a master’s thesis, you may petition to have the thesis requirement waived.

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I’ve heard that I shouldn’t go to graduate school at the same school where I got my undergraduate degree.  Will you accept ETSU students?

We welcome applications from ETSU graduates.  Generally, it is desirable for a student to go to a different graduate program to broaden the educational experience.  At this time, ETSU’s program, and many of the faculty, is so new that continuing at the same institution is really not as much an issue.  Additionally, since the primary focus of our program is to train psychologists who want to live and work in this area, East Tennessee, Western North Carolina, or Southwest Virginia natives may be exceptional matches.

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I’ve heard that you are accepting students with both bachelor’s and master’s degrees.  I have a bachelor’s degree.  How can I compete for admission with students who already have a master’s degree?

Students with a bachelor’s degree are not expected to directly compete for admission with applicants already possessing the master’s.  The program is a MA/PhD articulated program.  Students possessing the bachelor’s are admitted to the first year of the program and expected to continue straight through to the PhD.  The MA is awarded along the way.  Students already possessing a master’s degree are reviewed for admission separately and would begin the program with either the second or third year coursework.

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I want to do clinical work, but I’m not sure that I want to go all the way to the PhD.  May I be admitted for just the master’s portion and decide later?

No, there is no longer a terminal master’s program in clinical psychology at ETSU, so all applicants must apply to the MA/PhD combined program with the expectation of completing the doctorate.

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Do I need to send any of the application materials, such as the psychology-specific personal statement directly to the Psychology department? 

No, send all application materials in one packet directly to the School of Graduate Studies. 

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I've taken some graduate courses that I think may transfer to the PhD program in Clinical Psychology.  Can I get my transcript reviewed before I apply?

No, you should apply and have transcripts of any degree-related and/or graduate coursework sent as part of your application.  Transcripts will not be reviewed for possible transfer of credit until after the student is accepted into the program.  The review is conducted by an advisory faculty committee. 

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Do I have to visit the campus or be interviewed in order to be accepted into the program? 

There are two parts to this question and to the answer.

Anyone interested in the Clinical Psychology program is welcome to visit the campus and speak to students and faculty in the department.  This is not a formal process. 

There is a formal interview process, which occurs after the review of applications and before offers to the program are made.  Applicants are ranked and the top 20 or so (this number is not official and is not set in stone) will be asked to attend a two-day interview.  The two days will be comprised of group and individual interview situations with current graduate students and faculty members, department and campus tours, and question-and-answer sessions. We expect the formal interview to occur some time in March.

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Contact Us

Please contact us at clinpsyc@etsu.edu for more detailed information.

Clinical PhD Program

Department of Psychology

P.O. Box 70649

East Tennessee State University

Johnson City TN, 37614-1702

423-439-4424 (main office)

423-439-5695 (fax)