Your Psychology Faculty
Apply to Our Programs
Application Closes January 15th 2024!
Please note the Psychological Science and Clinical Psychology Programs have a shared application. You will be asked to rank your preference for consideration to each program in your application form. In your University Application via Cal State Apply, please apply under your first-choice program.Want to learn more about our programs?
Join us at our VIRTUAL OPEN HOUSE!
December 1, 2023 11:00 am - 1:00 pm PST
https://csun.zoom.us/j/81422172226
We will be featuring faculty in the Psychological Science, Clinical Psychology, and Applied Behavior Analysis Graduate Programs! You will have a chance to meet and speak directly with potential faculty mentors followed by a panel of graduate students!
To apply you must submit both:
1) An application to the University. Please consult the Office of Admissions and Records for formal Application Procedures:
2) An application to the Psychology Department:
- Complete the online application form. To create your login and complete the online application, please visit our application webpage.
- Submit the following additional materials by e-mail to psychgrad@csun.edu:
- An official or unofficial copy of your undergraduate transcripts
- Your current curriculum vitae (CV) or resume
- Three letters of recommendation emailed directly from your letter writers to psychgrad@csun.edu. Each writer should email their recommendation letter and this completed Recommendation Form.
Please note that we use a “mentor-match” model, in which each admitted student is matched with a faculty mentor. In your departmental application, you will be asked to rank up to 3 potential faculty mentors and to describe why you would like to work with them. Please carefully review program faculty bios (links below under “Program Faculty”) to assess your fit with potential mentors. Students may wish to contact potential faculty mentors in advance.
Deadline: Online applications for the Clinical Psychology and Psychological Science programs for the 2024-2025 academic year will be open October 1, 2023. Applications will be accepted until the deadline of January 15, 2024. Selected candidates will be invited for virtual, Zoom interviews, which are typically held in late February or early March.
Please Note:
- GRE Scores are not required by either program for admission
- Separate online applications must be submitted to both the University and the Psychology Department
- All application materials must be received by January 15th to ensure proper review and processing
In reviewing applications, we will consider the following qualities and characteristics:
- Persistence. The ability to learn new skills, show resilience and successfully complete the program’s coursework and thesis project.
- Investment. A demonstrated interest in psychological science and focus on doctoral studies or a career in psychological science.
- Intellectual Curiosity. The capacity to become an informed consumer of science, as demonstrated through critical reasoning and divergent thinking.
- Coachability. The capacity to receive feedback, think flexibly, and be open to experiences, ideas, and teamwork in diverse settings.
- Initiative. A demonstrated ability to be self-starting and to work cooperatively and learn independently while balancing competing obligations.
Program Overviews
Clinical Psychology M.A.
The M.A. in Clinical Psychology program at CSUN provides a unique and rigorous curriculum designed to prepare students to be more competitive candidates for Ph.D. or Psy.D. programs in Clinical Psychology, Counseling Psychology, Community Psychology, or closely related fields. Students receive training in research methodology and statistics, core clinical areas including psychopathology, psychological assessment, and psychotherapy theories. Clinical students are also matched with a faculty mentor based on their research and/or clinical interests. Additionally, students receive hands-on experience in supervised clinical fieldwork.
Please note that completion of this or any other Psychology M.A. program does not confer eligibility for licensure. Doctoral-level graduate education is required for licensure as a psychologist in all 50 US states.
For more detailed information on the Clinical MA program, please review the Clinical Psychology Program Page.
Psychological Science M.A.
CSUN’s Psychological Science graduate program provides rigorous training in advanced statistical methods, research methods and design, and theory in psychology for students who plan to pursue a Ph.D. in Psychology in a research-focused program. The program is comprised of faculty who are active researchers in their fields, and who are dedicated to training and mentoring students who plan to pursue academic and/or research careers in an array of basic and applied areas of psychology. This program is well suited for students who intend to apply to Ph.D. programs in Clinical, Developmental, Social, Cognitive, or Quantitative Psychology, or other related fields (e.g., Human Development).
For more detailed information on the Psychological Science MA program, please review the Psychological Science Program Page.
Which MA Program in the Psychology department is right for me?
There are a lot of similarities and some key differences between our MA programs (Psychological Science, Clinical [Research track], Clinical [Fieldwork track]). Let's break it down!
Mission
All three programs are looking for students who are interested in pursuing future doctoral studies. If you are interested in a future Clinical PhD, any of the three programs would be a good fit for you. If you're interested primarily in a PsyD, the Clinical Fieldwork track would be the best fit. If you're interested in a non-clinical Psychology PhD (e.g., social, developmental, cognitive, quantitative), the Psychological Science program would be the best fit.
Coursework
Students in all programs take univariate statistics and research methods. Psychological Science students take two additional advanced statistics courses (multivariate statistics and latent variable analysis), and Clinical Research students take one (of their choice). Psychological Science students take 2-4 of Social Psychology, Cognitive Psychology, Developmental Psychology, and Sensation/Perception, whereas Clinical Research and Clinical Fieldwork students take Clinical Assessment, Psychopathology, and Psychotherapy. However, students in each program may be able take courses in the other program as their electives with instructor permission.
Mentors
Many mentors advise students in all three programs! Check the list of mentors to see in which programs the faculty with whom you're interested in working mentors students.
Extra Experiences
Students from all three programs have the opportunity to participate in teaching experiences. Students in either Clinical program have the opportunity to do fieldwork (students in the fieldwork track have more semesters of required fieldwork, but students in the research track can also choose to take extra semesters of fieldwork). Students in the Psychological Science program do not have the opportunity to do fieldwork.
Students in the Psychological Science and Clinical Research programs generally spend extensive time working in their mentor's research lab, whereas Clinical Fieldwork students may or may not spend time on research, depending on whether their mentor maintains an active research lab (but are permitted to seek out additional research experiences if they have the time and motivation to do so). Thus, an important distinction between the programs rests on the ratio of their (finite) time a student chooses to prioritize across the research and fieldwork experiences.
Culminating Experiences
Students in the Psychological Science and Clinical Research programs complete a thesis project. Students in the Clinical Fieldwork track take comprehensive exams.
**Don't forget, the Psychology Department also offers a separate MS in Applied Behavior Analysis program that you can check out here!