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Clinical Science

Do you want to study the assessment, etiology, pathophysiology, developmental pathways or treatment of psychopathology?

If you want to be trained as a clinical scientist and be eligible to apply for licensure as a clinical psychologist after graduation, select Clinical Science (CS) as the first concentration on your application to the graduate program in psychology.

You may have significant specialized research interests closely aligned with other concentrations which you may indicate on your application as a second or third area of interest. The graduate program in psychology encourages students to take advantage of the range of research expertise reflected in our faculty. Please see the list of faculty recruiting CS students here. You may select any of these faculty members as potential research mentors while selecting CS as your first concentration

The CS concentration is the department’s clinical psychology PhD program, accredited by both APA-CoA and PCSAS. The CS concentration is designed for individuals who intend to apply for licensure as a health service provide (HSP) regardless of the way in which you plan to integrate research and clinical work in your career as a clinical scientist. Thus, CS concentration graduates are expected to obtain licensure within 5 years of graduation.

The current licensure rate is reported under the Student Admissions, Outcomes and other data table (link below).

Emory does not offer a terminal masters program in clinical science.

Doctoral study in the CS concentration requirements include:

  1.  a minimum of 3 full-time academic years of graduate study (2 of which must be in residence at Emory.
  2.  an APA-CoA accredited internship prior to receiving the doctoral degree

Time to completion of all the CS requirements average is 6 years

Graduates are employed as clinical scientists in a broad range of settings. Their work typically involves multiple aspects of promoting mental health such as teaching and training, clinical services, research, education and outreach, setting policy, administration and incorporating technology.

Affiliated Research, Faculty and Students

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Faculty and students affiliated with the CS concentration work with researchers from the other concentrations and from many other departments and research centers, including the:

Students utilize a range of scientific methodologies to investigate biological, cognitive, affective and social processes that are associated with risk and intervention for psychopathology. Students learn to apply the perspective and skills of a clinical scientist to research, teaching, and professional environments including academic departments, research institutes, medical schools, community mental health facilities, or other practice settings.

Clinical Science Affiliated Faculty
Clinical Science Graduate Students
Faculty Considering Applications
for Fall 2025 Admissions

Coursework

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Core Courses

The two core courses for the Clinical Science concentration are:

  1. Psychopathology
  2. Clinical Research Methods
Additional Courses Required 

Additional courses required for those in the APA-CoA approved clinical training program include methods of assessment, intervention/treatment strategies and ethics. Breadth of knowledge in psychology is provided by taking courses within other concentration areas that meet APA-CoA requirements for discipline specific knowledge. These courses focus on research drawn from biological, cognitive, affective, social and developmental psychology.

Additional CS Requirements:

  • Assessment I & Assessment Lab
  • History of Psychology
  • Ethical Decision-making in Psychology
  • Professional Issues series- 6 semesters
  • Practicum (two years minimum)
  • Breadth Courses (four electives) which focus on scientific research drawn from biological, cognitive, affective, social and developmental psychology.
  • Advanced Statistics – 2 semester sequence
  • Teaching Practicum (2 credits)
  • Weekly Research Seminars (A or B) required in Years 1-3

The sequence of coursework for the first three years is described below. After the first year, the student and their Faculty Advisory Committee (FAC) establish an individualized plan to meet the student’s training needs and complete course requirements. The FAC oversees the student’s progress until the qualifying exam is passed in the third year. At that point, the student advances to candidacy and starts planning for a dissertation.

Students continue external clinical placements and work on research with their mentor during the fourth and fifth years or participate in the fully affiliated half-time internship. If doing an external internship, the student applies for internship in the fall of their fifth year. Those students are accepted to internships in April and start internship in July or August of the sixth year. The total time to complete the degree takes on average six years.

FIRST YEAR- fall

  • Core CS Psychopathology (541)
  • Core CS Research Methods (542)
  • Statistics I (562)
  • Assessment I (548)
  • Assessment lab (750)
  • History of Psychology (770)
  • Research Seminar (A or B)
  • Research Credits (597R)

FIRST YEAR- spring

  • Statistics II (563)
  • Teaching practicum
  • Intervention I (546)
  • An elective course meeting a Discipline Specific Requirement
  • (biological, cognitive, social or developmental)
  • Research Seminar (A or B)
  • Research Credits (597R)

FIRST YEAR- summer

  • Research Credits (597) planning Master’s Thesis
  • Professional Issues (770) –start of 6 semester seminar series
  • on professional development
  • Internal Practicum (750) for assessment and therapy

SECOND YEAR (fall, spring, summer) 

  • Professional Issues
  • Internal Practicum
  • Research Seminar
  • Two electives (whichever semester offered)
  • Research Credits-Masters completed

THIRD YEAR (fall, spring, summer)

  • Professional Issues
  • Internal Practicum
  • Research Seminar
  • Electives
  • Research credits
  • *Qualifying exam for advancement to candidacy completed this year

 

Course Atlas
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Accredited Clinical Psychology Training

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The Emory Clinical Science (CS) doctoral program is accredited by both of the accrediting bodies in the field: the  American Psychological Association’s Commission on Accreditation (APA-CoA) (since 1963) and the  Psychological Clinical Science Accreditation System (PCSAS) (since 2014). Our program is a member in good standing of the  Academy of Psychological Clinical Science. 

Questions related to the program’s accredited status should be directed to the below:

American Psychological Association Commission on Accreditation
Office of Program Consultation and Accreditation
750 1st Street, NE, Washington, DC 20002
Phone: (202) 336-5979
E-mail:    apaaccred@apa.org 
Web:       www.apa.org/ed/accreditation

Psychological Clinical Science Accreditation System (PCSAS)
1800 Massachusetts Ave NW, Suite 402
Phone: (301) 455-8046
E-mail:  akraut@pcsas.org
Web:     www.pcsas.org/accreditation/

Our faculty and curriculum embody the values embraced by both organizations. Our clinical science training model and vision is most consistent with the standards of the PCSAS.

Presently, PCSAS is working toward ensuring that:

  1. Graduates from its programs are fully license-eligible to pursue licensure for professional practice in the majority of states
  2. The American Board of Professional Psychology (ABPP) provides parity for and recognition of PCSAS within all of its regulatory standards.

If and when those changes are realized, our program may consider remaining accredited solely by PCSAS. However, any such consideration would be based on clear evidence that our graduates can continue to obtain the sorts of successful career positions they have long enjoyed (e.g., as university professors, college teachers, public policy analysts, faculty in medical centers, research institutes and VA settings, licensed clinical psychologists, and administrators/directors of a variety of community agencies/organizations).

Sequence of the Clinical Training

The goal of clinical science is to integrate the science (research on psychopathology and development/evaluation of interventions) with the application of that science to clinical practice.

Students in the CS primary concentration are therefore expected to apply for and obtain licensure in some jurisdiction within 5 years of graduation.  The Association of State Boards of Professional Psychology provides a guide to specific requirements in each state.

The sequence of training that leads to being a licensed clinical psychologist is:

Initial Clinical Training in assessment and therapy is provided through the in-house training clinic. Subsequently, students participate in supervised clinical work at various approved external sites including the 

An APA-CoA approved Internship is required before the PhD with the Clinical Science concentration can be conferred. Students typically apply for external internships in the fall of their 5th year and complete it in their 6th year.

Students interested in the option of a two year half-time fully accredited affiliated internship at the Child and Adolescent Mood Program (CAMP)in the Emory University School of Medicine typically complete that in their 4th and 5th years in the program.

Becoming Eligible for Licensure as a Health Service Provider

Successful completion of the CS concentration, including the APA-CoA approved internship, makes CS students eligible to apply for licensure as a clinical psychologist in Georgia (and in many other jurisdictions) but students must also meet any additional requirements of any state in which they want to be licensed. For example, these additional requirements may include a year of supervised postdoctoral clinical work, and passing state licensure exams. For more information about licensing process and each state’s psychology licensure requirements, consult the "Handbook of Licensure and Certification Requirements" provided by the Association of State and Provincial Psychology Boards (ASPPB). You can access this information online on their website under public resources. Consult each specific state’s Psychology Licensing Board website for full information about the state’s licensing proceedures.

Application Information

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Student Admissions, Outcomes, and Other Data (pdf) 

Updated September 2024

Our Clinical Science concentration is accreditated by the American Psychological Association (APA) and the Psychological Clinical Science Accreditation System (PCSAS)  . Applicants who choose Clinical Science as their primary concentration should be aware of the following information before applying (click title for pdf): 

  1. Disclosures
  2. Time to Completion 
  3. Program Costs
  4. Internship Placements
  5. Attrition 
  6. Licensure 
  7. CUDCP Specific Table