Clinical Psychology MA

The goals of the Clinical Psychology Master of Arts Program are to:

• Prepare graduates to pursue a career as a professional counselor to deliver science-based mental health services.
• Develop discipline-specific knowledge and profession-wide competencies in clinical psychological science.
• Integrate clinical psychological science and practice.
• Enhance competencies in communication and interpersonal skills, as well as responsible and ethical values, attitudes, and behaviors.
• Develop competencies in psychological assessment, and use of psychological assessment to inform psychological intervention.
• Develop competencies in psychological intervention, including major theories of psychological interventions, intervention factors common across models, specific science-based intervention models, and group interventions.
• Enhance knowledge of supervision models in clinical psychology.
• Develop competencies in consultation and interprofessional and interdisciplinary skills.

The following criteria are most desired in MA applicants:

• Undergraduate GPA of 3.2 or above on a 4.0 scale
• An essay describing interests in and preparation for the MA program
• Three letters of recommendation
• For international students, demonstration of English language proficiency (see below for details)
• Interest in engaging in a career as a master's level professional counselor based in clinical psychological science.
• Exposure to clinical populations (via volunteering, employment, or research)

Please note that the above criteria are desired, but not required. The MA program will consider mitigating circumstances when conducting holistic reviews of applicants who may not meet all of these criteria.

For students to be successful in our MA program, it is necessary for them to have proficiency in understanding, reading, writing, and speaking in English. An English proficiency score is required for applicants whose first/primary language is not English. English proficiency scores may not be self-reported; these must be submitted officially via the appropriate testing organization as part of the application.

For admission into the MA program, you must certify your proficiency in the English language in one of the following three ways:

• Providing official scores for either the TOEFL, IELTS, or MET exam. The test must be taken no more than two years before the intended quarter of entry (e.g., if you are applying for fall 2025 entry, test scores must be no older than September 2023.) For the TOEFL, you must score 577 or higher on the paper-based test, 233 or higher on the computer-based test, 90 or higher on the internet based test. For the IELTS, you must receive a score of 7.0 or higher. For the MET, you must receive a score of 54 or higher. We do not accept DuoLingo or TOEFL Essentials to meet the requirement.
• Providing official transcripts verifying an undergraduate degree from an accredited four-year institution or equivalent, where the language of instruction is English. For your application, only unofficial transcripts are required. If you receive an offer of admission to our program, official transcripts will be required. 
• Providing official transcripts verifying a graduate degree from an accredited institution where the language of instruction is English. For your application, only unofficial transcripts are required. If you receive an offer of admission to our program, official transcripts will be required. 

For more information on English proficiency requirements, please see: https://www.tgs.northwestern.edu/services-support/international-student-services/language-testing-support.html

The Clinical Psychology Master of Arts Program is designed to be completed within eight quarters over two years (24 months).

Courses

The MA program requires full-time study (3-4 units per quarter) for eight quarters over two years (24 months). The following courses are offered as part of the program:

Fall (Year 1)

• Introduction to Psychotherapy
• Psychological Assessment
• Individual and Cultural Diversity

Winter (Year 1)

• Transdiagnostic Psychotherapy
• Career & Lifestyle Development
• Psychology of Addiction

Spring (Year 1)

• Group Therapy
• Psychopathology
• Clinical Ethics and Laws

Summer (Year 1)

• Research Methods
• Lifespan Developmental Psychology
• Practicum/Internship

Fall (Year 2)

• Family Therapy and Systems Theory
• Advanced Assessment and Intervention I
• Practicum/Internship

Winter (Year 2)

• Advanced Assessment and Intervention II
• Practicum/Internship

Spring (Year 2)

• Advanced Scientific Foundations of Behavior
• Practicum/Internship

Summer (Year 2)

• Proseminar in Professional Counseling
• Practicum/Internship

Research Experience

The Clinical Psychology Master of Arts Program is designed to prepare students for careers as professional counselors with a strong foundation in science-based practice in clinical psychology. To facilitate the goal of grounding future professional counselors in the science of psychology, all students will join a research lab for at least two quarters. This research experience is designed to expose students to the process of research and to facilitate the integration of science and practice throughout their careers.

Clinical Training

Students engage in the clinical Internship/Practicum experience starting in the summer of their first year through the entirety of their second year (5 quarters in total). The clinical practicum and internship trainings occur within the inpatient and outpatient Behavioral Health Services offered by the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Northwestern Medicine. The clinical Internship/Practicum training is designed to provide students with practical clinical experience to develop individual and group counseling skills.  The Internship/Practicum experience will include 15-20 hours in the clinic per week for a minimum of 700 clock hours on-site. Students will engage in a range of clinical experiences with a minimum of 280 hours of direct, face-to-face contact with patients.  These experiences are designed to provide students with opportunities to engage in some of the counseling activities that a licensed counselor will be expected to perform throughout their career.  All clinical experiences will be supervision by licensed clinicians with expertise in the provision of mental health services.

Clinical Competency Exam

In the spring and summer quarters of the second year, students will complete the Clinical Competency Exam (CCE) as the final milestone for the MA degree.  The purpose of the CCE is to demonstrate competence that is sufficient for minimally competent supervised clinical practice at the master’s level. The CCE involves completion of an evidence-based case study, written and taped practice samples, and an oral exam by a faculty committee to determine clinical competence.

Information on tuition can be found at the tuition and fees page on The Graduate School’s website.

All students admitted to the MA program receive a Graduate Scholarship that provides a 45 percent tuition remission for each of the eight quarters of the program.

Additional information on financial aid is provided through our Chicago Office of Financial Aid and through the financial aid pages of The Graduate School’s website.

Online applications will open in September. Deadline for receipt of completed applications and supporting materials for the MA program is May 1, although applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis and offers of admissions will also be made on a rolling basis until the cohort is filled.

To begin the application process, read the instructions and complete the application on The Graduate School website. In the Personal Information section on page one, choose “Clinical Psychology: MA (C30MA)” as your Academic Program from the pull-down menu (Select "Feinberg School of Medicine" to find it faster).

The nonrefundable application fee must be paid via credit card at the time of application submission; it will not be processed without payment. The application fee cannot be waived by the PhD program; however, eligible students can apply for a fee waiver. See additional information regarding the application fee.

For students to be successful in our MA program, it is necessary for them to have proficiency in understanding, reading, writing, and speaking in English. An English proficiency score is required for applicants whose first/primary language is not English. English proficiency scores may not be self-reported; these must be submitted officially via the appropriate testing organization as part of the application.

For admission into the MA program, you must certify your proficiency in the English language in one of the following three ways:

1. Providing official scores for either the TOEFL, IELTS, or MET exam. The test must be taken no more than two years before the intended quarter of entry (e.g., if you are applying for fall 2025 entry, test scores must be no older than fall 2023.) For the TOEFL, you must score 577 or higher on the paper-based test, 233 or higher on the computer-based test, 90 or higher on the internet based test. For the IELTS, you must receive a score of 7.0 or higher. For the MET, you must receive a score of 54 or higher. We do not accept DuoLingo or TOEFL Essentials to meet the requirement.
2. Providing transcripts verifying an undergraduate degree from an accredited four-year institution or equivalent, where the language of instruction is English. For your application, only unofficial transcripts are required. If you receive an offer of admission to our program, official transcripts will be required.
3. Providing official transcripts verifying a graduate degree from an accredited institution where the language of instruction is English. For your application, only unofficial transcripts are required. If you receive an offer of admission to our program, official transcripts will be required. 

For more information on English proficiency requirements, please see: https://www.tgs.northwestern.edu/services-support/international-student-services/language-testing-support.html

You will also need to submit the following supporting materials to complete your application. All of the supporting documents must be submitted online; paper or "hard" copies will not be accepted for the application. Please include the following supporting documents in your online application:

Letters of Recommendation

Transcripts

Transcripts from each postsecondary institution you attended are required for your application to be complete. You must upload scanned versions of your official transcripts online. We no longer will accept paper copies in the mail.

If you are accepted into the program, TGS will require that you submit official paper copies of your transcripts (including degree awarding transcripts) directly to its admission office. TGS will compare the official transcripts received via mail to the versions uploaded during the application process to ensure that no tampering/fraud occurred. Any student found to have submitted false documentation during the application process will be immediately dismissed. Registration holds will be placed on any student’s account if their official transcripts are not received by the end of the first quarter of enrollment.

Academic Statement

Please include the following information in the Academic Statement you complete as part of your online application:

• Discuss how your background, life experiences, educational preparation, research experience and clinical exposure have contributed to your decision to pursue this degree at this point in your life.
• Indicate what you hope to obtain from your MA degree, and what you ultimately want to do after graduating from our program.
• Discuss your specific areas of interests in clinical psychology. You are welcome to discuss your alignment with specific research or clinical emphasis.

You are encouraged to submit abstracts or reprints as supplementary uploads. Please write succinctly (one to two pages, single-spaced, in a 12-point font).

Personal Statement

You are welcome to complete the optional Personal Statement according to the instructions provided on the online application. 

For more information on the differences between the Academic and Personal Statements, see https://www.tgs.northwestern.edu/admission/application-procedures/application-requirements/essays.html 

Yes! The MA program is a separate program from the PhD program, with a separate admissions process, requirements, and degree type (Master of Arts).

All students admitted into the MA program receive a 45% tuition scholarship. Students are responsible for the remaining 55% of tuition expenses. The MA program does not provide a stipend. MA students, however, are allowed to have employment outside of the MA program (either within or outside of Northwestern). Tuition details and financial aid information can be found in the "Tuition" section.  

Campus tours are not available to applicants or the general public. You are welcome to visit our Chicago campus during normal business hours, as some locations are not available to the public on weekends, after-hours, or on holidays. Campus maps and other helpful information about Northwestern’s Chicago location can be found on the university’s website.

Campus tours will be provided to enrolled MA students during the program's fall orientation.

No. Although Psychology clearly meets criteria as a STEM discipline (https://www.apa.org/pubs/reports/stem-discipline), the MA program in Clinical Psychology is classified as a Clinical Psychology graduate program, which is currently not identified as a STEM Designated Degree Program by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.  

Application fee waivers are not provided by the University or the MA Program. You can learn more about the application fee here: https://www.tgs.northwestern.edu/admission/application-procedures/application-requirements/fee.html 

Please do not contact the MA program to request a waiver of the application fee.