Master of Arts in Clinical Psychology

The MA program requires at least 17 units for graduation. Students are required to take the Research Core, including Research Methods/Statistics (3 units), Advanced Research Methodology (1 unit), and Scientific and Professional Ethics in Psychology (1 unit). In addition to these required courses, students are expected to select between five to eight elective courses across the Fall, Winter, Spring, and/or Summer II quarters. Elective courses can include courses at the Foundational, Bases of Behavior, or Clinical level, as well as courses in one or more of the emphases or Major Areas of Study.

In addition to the Research Core and Elective courses, all MA students participate in the weekly Career Development Proseminar for the first four quarters of the MA Program. The Proseminar orients students to the MA program, introduces students to various mentors and labs across Northwestern, explores career options in academic clinical psychology, refines interests in academic clinical psychology, and prepares students for the next steps in their careers (e.g., developing applications for PhD programs, preparing for interviews).

The following criteria are most desired in MA applicants:

Undergraduate grade point average of 3.2 or above on a 4.0 scale
Scores on the Graduate Record Examination for verbal, quantitative and analytical scales above the 60th percentile; the Psychology Subject Test is not required

For international students, valid Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) scores are required unless you have, or will have, completed a bachelor’s or graduate degree from an institution where the primary language is English. If you have taken the IBT TOEFL exam, please request that your scores be sent to the graduate office (versus undergraduate) and then select the program name that most matches Clinical Psychology. If no match is available, you may choose option 99.