<p>I want to major in philosophy or rhetoric at the undergrad level, can I still apply to graduate schools for a Ph.D in clinical psychology?</p>
<p>Technically you can, but Clinical Psych is very competitive and having a thorough grounding in Psych coursework is imperative to getting admitted–the more classes the better</p>
<p>That isn’t to say that coursework is the most important thing. Relevant research experience trumps coursework.</p>
<p>Did you take statistics or experimental psychology? Those are very important… if you took those, as well as many other psych classes, but did not declare a psych major, I’m sure you will still be considered. If you just took psych 101 and a couple of other psych classes I can’t see them having much to base a decision off of, unless you have extensive research experience in the area.</p>
<p>I am going to be a junior next year. Yes I took stats, psych 1 along with a few other psychs, now I’m thinking double majoring might be the answer, although that would be really intense considering it’s Berkeley. =(</p>
<p>Admissions for clinical psychology doctoral programs are extremely competitive. I recommend that you check out the following books for more information. The first two of these books are published by the American Psychological Association. The first of these books is revised annually and it will detail the admission requirements for every psychology graduate program for each school.
• “Graduate Study in Psychology”</p>
<p>• “Getting In: A Step-By-Step Plan for Gaining Admission to Graduate School in Psychology”</p>
<p>• “Insider’s Guide to Graduate Programs in Clinical and Counseling Psychology”</p>
<p>So, it depends a lot on what type of doctoral program you want to enter. Entry into a PhD clinical program based on a scientist-practitioner model may be difficult without a psychology major or at least a strong minor.
Minimum requirements for admission usually include a course in Statistics and in Research methods and many clinical programs require or recommend courses in Abnormal Behavior and in Tests & Measurements. In general, quantitative skills are important. Research experience helps, and sometimes, some clinical experience (volunteer or for credit, e.g., in a psychiatric hospital, a developmental disabilities program, etc.). (To do some undergrad research, a seminar or other advanced course in a topical area and the intermediate level prerequisite courses for this are the appropriate background.) By the time you do this, you’ve almost done a major, or at least a strong minor in psychology. If you take additional psychology courses, distribute them across both “hard science” psychology areas (e.g., cognition, brain & behavior, perception, etc) and “soft science” areas (developmental, personality, social).</p>
<p>If your interest is a PsyD, especially from a program that is not based in a university psychology department, e.g., a professional school), the undergrad backgrounds of entering students might be more varied. </p>
<p>Is it possible for you to do a psychology major and then minor in philosophy or rhetoric?</p>
<p>For entry into non-clinical psychology programs, a background in another discipline might be a real advantage and doesn’t necessarily pose a barrier to entry. Relevant fields might include philosophy, neurosciences, economics, linguistics, computer science, speech & hearing sciences, and so on.</p>
<p>You also shouldn’t limit yourself to clinical psychology programs—look at counseling psychology and other related programs. A lot depends on what are your areas of interest in clinical psychology. Even within clinical psychology, there are many specialty tracks----child, geriatric, health psychology, rehabilitation, applied behavior analysis, neuropsychology, etc.</p>
<p>Thanks! I’ll look into buying those books.</p>
<p>Do you have any research experience? Posters? Publications? What do want to do, primarily (practice, teach, research, an equal balance)?</p>
<p>Nope, zero research experience or publications. I just like Psych and plan on maybe teaching + clinical work.</p>
<p>In order to be competitive for any funded or partially funded program, you <em>really</em> need to focus on getting some research experience as soon as possible. Try contacting faculty in the psych department, asking to be a part of their research group and connecting your interests to their’s.</p>
<p>Thanks man I’ll definitely look into interning at a clinic or researching under a faculty member.</p>