Clinical Program
Chair: Michael F. Pogue-Geile, PhD
Application Deadline: December 1
The University of Pittsburgh's Clinical Psychology Program offers graduate study leading to the PhD and has been accredited by the American Psychological Association (APA) since 1948 (APA, 750 First Street, NE, Washington, DC, 20002, 202-336-5979).
The aim of the program is to train clinical scientists who will apply basic psychological and biological knowledge to the understanding of major clinical psychological and health problems. The program integrates comprehensive clinical training with research training. This is based on the conviction that research advances in clinical areas require expertise with both the clinical phenomena as well as relevant research.
Pitt's Clinical Psychology Program is also one of the founding members of the Academy of Psychological Clinical Science, an association of 34 leading research-oriented clinical psychology programs in North America.
Program faculty include presidents of national organizations, journal editors, and members of federal grant review committees. Faculty research funding was $10 million for the past year, which supports extensive laboratory facilities.
EDUCATIONAL OUTCOMES: APA FULL DISCLOSURE
1. Time to Completion of Ph.D. (including one-year clinical internship)
Those students who graduated from the Clinical Psychology Program in the past seven years (2000-2007) took the following number of years to complete the Ph.D. (including 1-year clinical internship): Mean: 7.8 years; Median 7.8 years. Twelve percent graduated in 6 years, 26% in 7 years, 41% in 8 years, and 21% in over 8 years. Eighty percent graduated in eight years or less, including the one-year internship.
2. Program Costs
All students admitted to the Clinical Psychology Program are financially supported for a minimum of four years and to date all students have been fully supported until graduation. Financial support includes full tuition remission, health insurance, and a monthly stipend. Support is available through a variety of sources, including: graduate student researcher positions, teaching assistantships, teaching fellowships, competitive University fellowships, National Institute of Health (NIH) training grant fellowships, and competitive national fellowships. Program and Departmental funds are also available for professional travel and research expenses.
3. Clinical Internship Acceptance Rates
Among the 34 students who have graduated from Clinical Psychology Program in the past seven years, 100% were accepted for full-time, one-year, paid, APPIC member (97% APA accredited) clinical internships.
4. Student Attrition
As can be seen below, of 46 students admitted from 2000 to 2006, one student left the program and is no longer enrolled due to a change in career goals.
Year |
Enrolled |
Graduated |
Currently Enrolled |
Left Program |
2000 |
7 |
6 |
0 |
1 |
2001 |
8 |
4 |
4 |
0 |
2002 |
5 |
0 |
5 |
0 |
2003 |
5 |
0 |
5 |
0 |
2004 |
5 |
0 |
5 |
0 |
2005 |
8 |
0 |
8 |
0 |
2006 |
8 |
0 |
8 |
0 |
5. Licensure
In most states licensure as a psychologist requires one year of clinical experience after completion of the clinical internship. Thus students typically can not be licensed until approximately two years after graduation. Furthermore, some students pursuing academic and research careers may find that the benefits of licensure do not outweigh this requirement of an extra year of clinical experience post-internship. Of the 41 students who have graduated from the Clinical Psychology Program in the nine years from 1998 through 2006, four did not respond to a survey in 2008, five have never applied for licensure because their positions in research or academia do not require licensure, one was in the process of applying, and 31 have been licensed. Thus of those providing information, 84% (31/34) overall have been licensed. One hundred percent of those who have applied for licensure have received it.
The Affect Analysis Group studies emotion and psychopathology in children and adults.