Students may opt to specialize, or may pursue the general master's degree. If a student chooses to pursue a specialty, that student will state that intention by the end of the first year, choose at least two courses within that special area to take as electives, write a substantive paper on the topic of the specialty, and have a practicum experience within that area. The thesis topic should also be in that specialty. Numerous practicum sites are available to provide students with clinical experiences in child psychology and developmental disabilities. Several faculty have clinical and research experience in these areas as well.
Future plans are to develop specialty tracks in the areas of substance abuse and geriatrics.
The curriculum has been designed to give students a wide-based educational experience to prepare them to work in clinical settings, using a scientifically derived theory to drive their work. The curriculum will provide a balance of scientific and theoretical course work, clinically focused course work and practical clinical experiences. The course work that is offered in the master's degree program provides training in the theory and science of cognitive-behavioral psychology. These courses are taught with a focus on the clinical relevance of the topics being addressed. Emphasis is placed on developing an understanding of cognitive-behavioral treatment of various disorders, through both course work and practicum experiences.