Clinical Psychology
Frequently Asked Questions

The Application Process
The Ph.D. Program
Miscellaneous
- I want to go into private practice...
- I'm going to be in Boulder for a few days. Can I meet with some of the faculty?
Other Psychology Graduate Programs in Colorado

The Application Process

How do I apply?

Consult the Clinical Training Info, the Department Guidelines, and the Graduate School Guidelines, then apply online.

What is the application deadline?

December 15.

Do my GRE scores and letters of recommendation have to be in by the deadline?

Some leniency is allowed for the late arrival of GRE scores and letters of recommendation, however you'll want these in by the end of the month. The committee generally begins their review right after the holidays, so materials that are submitted after December 31st won't be taken into consideration.

What is the minimum GPA required?

The minimum GPA required to be considered for admission is 3.3 (on a 4.0 scale). Practically speaking, you need at least a 3.5 to be considered competitive, unless your other qualifications (e.g., GRE scores, background experience) are strong enough to compensate for a less-than-stellar GPA.

What are the minimum GRE scores?

Recommended verbal and quantitative scores are 600 each or a combined total of 1200. However to be competitive, you need a combined verbal and quantitative score of at least 1300.

Is the psychology subject exam required?

Yes. We do not require a minimum score on the subject exam but to be competitive a score of 600 or higher is needed.

Do I need an undergraduate degree in psychology?

We require a bachelor's degree or equivalent (30-45 semester hours) in psychology. What that means is that if you have a degree in nursing, social work, or some other related field that requires a fair number of psychology courses, you have a chance of being accepted, depending on your other qualifications. We do not have a set list of prerequisite courses.

How many students apply each year?

Approximately 200.

How many get accepted?

4-6, depending on availability of funding.

How can I increase my chances of getting accepted?

Besides the obvious (have a GPA of at least 3.5 and a combined GRE score of 1350), you need to show that you are dedicated enough to the field of psychology to go above and beyond the basic undergraduate curriculum. Write an honors thesis. Work in your favorite professor's research lab. Volunteer with the suicide prevention hotline or at your local community mental health center. Do anything that will get you out of the classroom and allow you to put all that good information you memorized for your exams into practice.
Research the faculty members you are most interested in working with as a graduate student. Read papers they've published in the last few years. Outline at least two original research projects you could do based on their work. List every reason you can think of why you would be the perfect person to work in their lab.
Having done all of the above, you should now be ready to write your biographical statement. Show it to your advisor and ask if he or she would take you as a grad student based on what you've written. Double- and triple-check the application materials to make sure you've included all necessary information in the proper format.
Nicely (and in plenty of time before the deadline) request letters of recommendation from your volunteer supervisor, your honors thesis advisor, the professor you've been doing research with, and any other professors who have gotten to know you particularly well.

Would getting a Master's degree help me get into a Ph.D. program?

Possibly, but not necessarily. The students who might be most helped by pursuing a terminal Master's degree before applying to a Ph.D. program are those whose undergraduate qualifications are good, but not strong enough to get into a Ph.D. program straight out of college. In those cases, a Master's degree would at the least show a dedication to the field and the ability to successfully complete graduate-level work. It might also provide the student with the opportunity to gain needed experience in both research and clinical work.

Is financial aid available?

It is not necessary to submit a separate application for financial aid. We provide all of our students with a stipend (generally funded by teaching or research assistantships) and a tuition waiver for the first four years of the program, and the fifth year is generally when students participate in a year-long internship off-campus.

Is there an interview process?

An interview weekend is held in late February or early March. The top 15-20 applicants are invited to come to Boulder at that time to meet with the faculty, staff, and students in the Clinical Ph.D. program. An in-person interview is mandatory for acceptance into the program. If an invited applicant is unable to come to the interview weekend, he or she must make arrangements to come to Boulder to interview at another time in order to be considered for admission.

I applied last year and would like to apply again this year, are there special considerations for reapplying?

In order to reapply you will need to complete the entire online application again. Please note that you cannot sign in using your old PIN number, you will need to create a new account. However the system will likely recognize you and prompt you with a "duplicate account warning", if this is the case click "continue and create new account". You can reuse supplemental material that was submitted the prior year, such as transcripts, GREs, letters of recommendation, etc. To do so, please contact the Program Asst. (303) 492-8805 to request which specific materials you'd like pulled from your old file and placed into your new file.

The online application says that I have to submit both a Statement of Purpose and an Autobiographical Sketch, are these the same thing?

Yes. You only need to submit one essay. Please follow the directions for the autobiographical sketch listed under the Psychology Only section. You may upload the document in either area, but again we only need one.

The Ph.D. Program

Do you have a Master's program?

No. Our students do earn a Master's degree around the second or third year as part of their doctoral work, but we do not offer a "terminal" Master's degree. If you apply to our program, you are applying to the Ph.D. program.

How long does the program take?

The minimum time needed to complete the program is five years, broken down as follows:

Year 1 - coursework and research practicum.
Year 2 - coursework, research practicum, and clinical practicum.
Year 3 - coursework (usually just electives by this point), clinical practicum, and dissertation hours.
Year 4 - any remaining coursework, clinical practicum, and dissertation hours.
Year 5 - Internship.

If I already have a Master's degree in Psychology, how much of it will transfer?

Transfer credit is evaluated on a case-by-case basis after you have been admitted to the program. To expedite this process, make sure you hang on to the syllabi from any courses you'd like to have evaluated. The program director will not approve a course based on the title alone, and it is very unlikely that the catalog description will contain enough information.

What is the orientation of the program?

The model by which we train our students is a scientist/practitioner or "Boulder Model." The primary objective of our training program is to produce scholar/clinicians -- psychologists who integrate information from a variety of theoretical, clinical, and research sources and who are committed to creating knowledge that will improve the quality of life.

What types of research are the faculty involved in?

Below are brief descriptions of each faculty member's research interests. For more information, try a citation search at your local library.

Elaine Blechman - Public policy, consumer-centered health information technology, and long-term care of individuals with chronic illnesses and disabilities.
Sona Dimidjian - Development and investigation of psychosocial treatments for depression and identification of specific processes of change.
David Miklowitz - Adult and childhood psychopathology, psychosocial intervention research; family environmental factors and interventions in adult and juvenile-onset bipolar disorder.
Soo Rhee - Etiology of childhood disruptive disorders and substance use disorders.
Emily Richardson - Neuropsychological assessment; cognitive correlates of decline in daily living abilities of older adults and cognitive interventions in older at-risk drivers.
Louise Silvern - Effects of domestic violence and child abuse on children; characteristics and needs of traumatized juvenile offenders with maltreatment histories.
Donald Weatherley - Familial factors determining adult attachment styles; the connection between adult attachment styles and psychopathology.
Mark Whisman - Cognitive-behavioral and interpersonal approaches for the assessment, etiology, and treatment of depression and relationship distress.
Erik Willcutt - Etiology and assessment of ADHD, learning disabilities, and other developmental psychopathologies.

What clinical facilities do you have?

Starting in the second year of training, students see clients in the Raimy Clinic, located in the Muenzinger Psychology Building.

My interests overlap with Cognitive/Social/Behavioral Neuroscience/Behavioral Genetics. Can I take courses from the other areas if I'm a Clinical major?

Most definitely, and we strongly encourage students to do so. At the very least, the APA requires Clinical Ph.D. students to take one course each in the cognitive-affective bases of behavior, the biological bases of behavior, and the social bases of behavior. It is also possible to expand one's research experience by working with a faculty member in another area.

Are there cross displinary options available through the Psychology Department?

Yes. Clinical students have the option to add the Behavioral Genetics Certificate Program or the dual degree Neuroscience Program to their studies while they're completing the requirements for the Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology.

Certificate in Behavioral Genetics: Students in the Clinical Area may also complete the requirements for a Certificate in Behavioral Genetics; detailed information about the program can be found here. In addition to completing the requirements of the Ph.D. in Psychology, students obtaining a Certificate in Behavioral Genetics must complete additional courses; a sample curriculum for Clinical students can be found here. Furthermore, a student completing the Certificate program must be a teaching assistant (TA) for one semester in a course judged by their advisory committee to be relevant to their training. Finally, the dissertations of students completing the Certificate program must be conducted on a topic of direct relevance to animal or human.

Ph.D. in Neuroscience: Students in the Clinical Area may also complete the requirements for the Ph.D. program in Neuroscience; detailed information about the program can be found here. Students must declare their intention to obtain a Ph.D. in Neuroscience during the first two years of graduate school. In addition to completing the requirements of the Ph.D. in Psychology, students obtaining a Ph.D. in Neuroscience must complete additional courses and their dissertation must have a predominant Neuroscience focus; the primary advisor of the dissertation must be a member of the Neuroscience Program. A complete list of requirements can be found here.

Miscellaneous

I want to go into private practice...

If private practice is your sole goal, this is not the program for you. We are looking for students interested in pursuing a career in academic/research clinical work. If you have little interest in teaching or research, you might want to consider another school.

I'm going to be in Boulder for a few days. Can I meet with some of the faculty?

Due to the large number of requests we receive of this nature, the faculty have decided not to grant individual interviews with potential applicants. However our Program Assistant would be happy to meet with you and answer any questions you have. The clinical main office is located on the 3rd floor across from the elevator, room D334, in the Muenzinger Psychology Building. Appointments are available, but not necessary, (303) 492-8805.