2025-2026 Graduate Catalog Psychology

Students admitted to Psychology complete the master's degree in either Clinical-Counseling Psychology or Psychology, which includes one of the following sequences: Cognitive and Experimental Psychology, Industrial/Organizational-Social Psychology, or Quantitative Psychology. Students may petition the department, during their first semester, to complete requirements for two sequences simultaneously.

Cognitive and Experimental Psychology Sequence

Requirements for this 38-hour sequence include:

• 34 hours: PSY 400/BSC 400 (3 hours), PSY 418, PSY 427 (must be repeated for four semesters, required for first and second year students), PSY 440, PSY 441, PSY 455, PSY 456, PSY 463, PSY 480, and a minumim of 6 hours of elective graduate courses
• 4-6 hours: PSY 499

Developmental Psychology Sequence

Requirements for this 36-hour sequence include:

• 16 hours: PSY 415A01, PSY 428, (must be repeated for four semesters, required for first and second year students), PSY 440, PSY 452, PSY 453
• 16 hours: elective courses based on the student's focus (applied or pre-doctoral)
• 4-6 hours: PSY 499
• Students may complete professional practice (PSY 498A02) for credit

Industrial/Organizational-Social Psychology Sequence

Requirements for this 41-hour sequence include:

• 19 hours: PSY 485, PSY 486,  PSY 418 or PSY 420, PSY 426 (must be repeated for four semesters, required for first and second year students), PSY 431, PSY 440
• 9 hours: PSY 441, PSY 442, PSY 443, PSY 444, or PSY 445
• 9 hours: elective courses approved by the Industrial/Organizational-Social Psychology coordinator based on the student's focus (Industrial/Organizational Psychology or Social Psychology)
• 4-6 hours: PSY 499
• Students may also complete Professional Practice (PSY 498A01) for credit

Quantitative Psychology Sequence

Requirements for this 32-hour sequence include:

• 22 hours: PSY 425 (must be repeated for four semesters, required for first and second year students), PSY 440, PSY 441, PSY 442, PSY 443, PSY 444, PSY 445
• 6 hours: PSY elective courses at the 400 level excluding PSY 400, PSY 426, PSY 427, PSY 428, PSY 491, PSY 498
• 4-6 hours: PSY 499
• Students may also complete Professional Practice (PSY 498) for credit.

This 60-hour program is designed to prepare students to provide counseling services in settings such as mental health centers, family service agencies, employee assistance programs, community colleges, substance abuse treatment facilities, and other mental health positions. Students who complete this program meet curricular requirements to sit for both the Illinois Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor and Licensed Professional Counselor Examinations.

Requirements for this program include  completing a minimum total of 60 hours:

• 36 hours: PSY 420, PSY 421, PSY 437, PSY 438, PSY 440, PSY 451, PSY 464, PSY 465, PSY 466, PSY 467, PSY 468, and PSY 470
• 3 hours: PSY 401, PSY 403, PSY 404, PSY 452, or PSY 453
• 7 hours: PSY 436A02 (12-month practica)
• A minimum of 14 hours are required from the following two groups:
  • PSY 499   (4-6 hours);  or PSY 490 (3 hours) and 1 content elective course (3 hours) approved by the Clinical-Counseling Psychology coordinator; content elective course may not be PSY 400
  • 8-10 hours: elective courses approved by the Clinical-Counseling Psychology coordinator

This program is approved by the National Association of School Psychologists and the Illinois State Board of Education. Graduates of the specialist program are eligible to sit for the state and national licensure/certifcation examinations for school psychologists.

Specialist in School Psychology

Requirements for this 62-hour Program include:

• 58-60 hours: PSY 347 (or equivalent, if not taken as an undergraduate), PSY 421, PSY 432, PSY 433, PSY 434, PSY 435, PSY 436A04 (6 hours), PSY 436A05 (6 hours), PSY 452, PSY 463, PSY 472, PSY 473, PSY 474, PSY 477, PSY 498A05 (4 hours), EAF 410, PSY 498 (2-4 hours)
• 4-6 hours: PSY 402 (4 hours) or PSY 499 (4-6 hours)

This program is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of the American Psychological Association, 750 First Street, NE, Washington, DC 20002-4242, (202) 336-5979. This program is also approved by the National Association of School Psychologists, and the Illinois State Board of Education. Graduates of the doctoral program, with the required post-doctoral experience, are eligible for the state licensing examination for clinical psychologists, and the state and national licensing/certification examinations for school psychologists.

The student must also meet the other university requirements for Ph.D. programs listed elsewhere in this catalog.

Requirements for this 105-hour program include:

• 81 hours: PSY 410, PSY 418, PSY 420, PSY 421, PSY 431, PSY 432, PSY 433, PSY 435, PSY 436A04 (6 hours), PSY 436A05 (6 hours), PSY 440, PSY 442, PSY 452, PSY 463, PSY 472, PSY 473, PSY 474, PSY 477, PSY 498A05 (4 hours), PSY 503 (1 hour) PSY 536, PSY 547, PSY 590 (6 hours), PSY 590A03 (1 hour), PSY 598 (3 hours)
• 15+ hours: PSY 599
• 9 hours: PSY elective courses (3 hours), research elective courses (3 hours), 3-6 hours: PSY 499 (4-6 hours) or PSY 502 (3 hours)
• The School Psychology Doctoral Program’s residency policy requires trainees to enroll for at least nine graduate credits for both the fall and spring semesters for the first four years of graduate study.
• Students entering with a Specialist Degree in School Psychology can have up to 60 graduate hours waived depending on specific courses completed.

Residency Requirement

Approved 4/23/92; updated 9/19/02

Full-time residency consists of at least two terms. A term is one semester or a summer session of at least eight weeks.

Full time residency is at least nine semester hours of coursework during a semester or six semester hours during a summer session.

Each student will file a Declaration of Residency for approval of the department prior to entering into residency. The department will verify the completion of residency and file the declaration with the Registrar's Office. Any exceptions to the above requirements must have the approval of the department.

Purposes of a Doctoral Residency

To orient and prepare graduate students to meet academic expectations and engage in activities that are associated with involvement in a scholarly environment within a community of scholars as they pursue their doctoral degree.

To engage and stimulate the intellectual, personal, and social development of graduate students in the process of inquiry.

This certificate is an option for students whose interest in women and gender issues leads them toward particular courses and thesis topics in their department or school and to seek further work in interdisciplinary feminist theory and methods. For additional information, see the Women's, Gender, and Sexuality Studies section of this catalog.

This certificate is a multidisciplinary program designed to offer a limited number of academically and professionally oriented graduate experiences in aging. The graduate certificate is located within the Department of Sociology and Anthropology in cooperation with the Departments of Communication Sciences and Disorders, Family and Consumer Sciences, Health Sciences, Psychology, and the School of Social Work. For additional information, see the Department of Sociology and Anthropology section of this catalog.