Student Learning Outcomes

Students graduating from this program will:

• Critically evaluate literature relevant to the science and practice of health service psychology.
• Conduct empirically sound research, including research design, implementation, and statistical analysis.
• Select, administer, and interpret assessment and diagnostic tools in the context of heath service psychology.
• Select, administer, and evaluate evidence-based psychological health interventions.
• Identify and appropriately respond to ethical issues in professional contexts.
• Effectively work with diverse groups of individuals in the delivery of psychological health services.
• Demonstrate an awareness of the influence of group identities on the ways to approach, conduct, and interpret research.

The PhD in Clinical Psychology is a full-time program of graduate study designed to train health service psychologists who are competent scientist-practitioners, with a life-long commitment to multiculturalism and individual and cultural diversity and to the ethical practice of health service psychology. The program Faculty are committed to preparing health service psychologists to improve the welfare of individuals and communities, broadly defined, through: incorporating respect for equity, human diversity, and the cultural and environmental contexts that contribute to human diversity in all our activities (human mission), rigorous training in the science and applied practice of clinical psychology (education mission); engaging in our communities through advocacy, prevention and the provision of health services (service mission); developing knowledge and enhancing human health, development, resilience, and functioning through contributions to empirical literature on practice and theory (research and evaluation mission). Based on a scientist-practitioner model, the program’s training and services are grounded in a commitment to the integration of science and practice and the conduct of evidence-based practice, defined as the integration of scientific evidence and clinical judgement within the context of culture and values. Students and graduates are bound to the APA Ethical Principles of Psychologists and Code of Conduct, as well as the APA Professional Practice Guidelines addressing multiple aspects of human diversity. Graduates of the program are anticipated to enter employment in a variety of settings including but not limited to: VA or other medical centers, counseling and community centers, private practice, and academic settings. Consistent with the mission of our University to lead in the life and health sciences and to engage our community, our program faculty and students are actively involved in research, communities, and health service systems to promote a high quality of life for all.

Admission Criteria

Our doctorate is designed for applicants with a prior bachelor's or master's level degree. New students are admitted in the fall semester only. Because we receive applications from many more qualified individuals than can be admitted, admission is highly competitive. A disclosure of relevant data for students recently admitted is available on our web page. Our program follows the Council of University Directors of Clinical Psychology’s Guidelines for Graduate School Offers and Acceptances.

The following are minimum criteria recommended for admission:

1. A bachelor's degree in Psychology, Counseling, or related disciplines, or satisfactory completion of prior coursework in Introductory/General Psychology, Experimental Methods/Research Design, and Statistics/Quantitative Methods. Satisfactory completion of prior coursework in at least two of the following areas is also strongly recommended: Psychological Disorders, Personality, Biopsychology, Sensation and Perception, Cognitive Psychology, Developmental Psychology, Motivation, and Social Psychology.
2. Undergraduate GPA of 3.0 or graduate GPA of 3.5. Alternative criteria may be accepted at the discretion of the admissions committee if there is good reason to believe the regular criteria do not adequately portray the student’s potential to do quality work in the doctoral degree. Applicants may provide explanations for circumstances of not meeting the GPA criteria in the online application system.
3. Demonstrated evidence of interest in psychology research. Our training follows a mentorship model. Therefore, applicants whose research interests are similar to those of our faculty will be given higher consideration. Faculty interests can be accessed through the Department of Psychology and Counseling web page.
4. History of personal conduct consistent with the ability to adhere to high standards of student conduct, as outlined in the UMKC Standard for Student Conduct, and professional conduct as outlined by the American Psychological Association’s Ethical Principles of Psychologists and Code of Conduct and state licensure boards.

Because clinical psychology is an empirically-based discipline, our training emphasizes continuous involvement in research and practice. For this reason, students primarily interested in psychotherapy and clinical or counseling practice without a strong interest in the scientific aspect of the scientist/practitioner model would be better served by other programs.

Typically, six students are accepted each year. Applicants are evaluated based on the following dimensions:

1. Academic potential
2. Research potential
3. Interpersonal skills and other indications of potential for clinical work
4. Professional identity and involvement
5. Appreciation for individual and cultural diversity
6. Fit with the program and designated lab

Program Requirements

¹

The program requires that students enroll in practicum each regular Fall and Spring semester of the second, third, and fourth years. Students may complete additional clinical hours in summer practicum to improve their competitiveness for internships. 

²

The Internship class (PSYCH 5660) requires 3 credits, 1 per semester while the student is on their internship. Due to variable internship start and end dates you may only officially complete your internship after the end of the Spring semester. In these cases an incomplete grade will be given until official completion of the internship. Note that the university generally requires students to be enrolled in the semester that they graduate. However, providing all other program requirements have been completed by the end of the spring semester (such as the dissertation) the DCT will request that summer enrollment be waived for students graduating in the summer. If all other requirements are not completed you will be required to enroll in at least one credit (for example, if you dissertation is not yet defended you will enroll in 1 credit of research for the summer semester). 

³

Students are required to officially enroll and accumulate 3 hours of research credit over their first 2 years in the program. If the master’s thesis project has been waived or completed, formal enrollment in directed research (PSYCH 5590) for 3 credits is still required. It is expected that all students will be actively involved in research.

⁴

Students who defend their dissertations prior to the 5th year do not register for continuing dissertation hours. Students, fifth year or beyond, who have not successfully defended the dissertation are required to enroll in 1 credit hour of Dissertation (PSYCH 5699) each semester until it is completed.

Licensure Disclosure

All states require a license to practice as a psychologist, although the process to obtain licensure may vary between them. Initially, you’ll need to earn your doctoral degree that includes supervised predoctoral practicum hours and a predoctoral internship. In addition to the educational requirements for the doctoral degree, many states require post-doctoral professional experience and other requirements after the degree is earned.

The following Disclosure Information is related to the educational requirements for professional licensure based upon successful competition of University of Missouri-Kansas City’s (UMKC) doctoral degree in clinical psychology, which is accredited by the American Psychological Association. This Disclosure is limited to our best ability to determine whether our doctoral curriculum in clinical psychology would sufficiently meet the educational requirements for licensure in another State for clinical psychology. UMKC cannot provide verification of an individual’s ability to meet licensure or certification requirements unrelated to its educational programming, and this disclosure does not guarantee that any particular state’s licensure or certification entity will approve or deny your application.

This Disclosure does not account for changes in state law or regulation that may affect your application for licensure and occur after this disclosure has been made. Current and future students are recommended to contact the state and territory licensing board in which they plan to reside after graduation to become aware of licensure and certification requirements imposed by that state(s). For more information on licensing requirements, including contact information for every state and territory licensing board, please see the Association of State Boards of Professional Psychology (ASBPP) webpage.

UMKC strongly recommends that students review the applicable licensure board(s) in their state of residence or in the state where they intend to obtain a license before beginning an academic program that results in licensure or certification and prior to beginning any practicum/internship. See UMKC's Professional Licensure Disclosures page for more information.

Program Director

Johanna Nilsson, PhD

States in Which the Curriculum Meets the Educational Requirements for Licensure

AL, AK, American Samoa, AZ, AR, CA, CO, CT, DC, DE, Federated States of Micronesia* FL, GA, Guam, HI, ID, IL, IN, IA, KS, KY, LA, ME, MD, MA, MI, MN, MS, MO, MT, NE, NV, NH, NM, NY, NC, ND, Northern Mariana Islands, OH, OK, OR, PA, PR, Republic of the Marshall Islands, Republic of Palau* RI, SC, SD, TN, TX, UT, USVI, VT, VA, WA, WV, WI, WY.

States in Which the Curriculum Does Not Meet the Educational Requirements for Licensure

NJ.

* Licensure does not exist.