Suggested Undergraduate Courses

The following are WKU undergraduate psychology and general education courses suggested for the individual considering a graduate program in clinical counseling psychology or in certain other mental health professions. The list includes courses most directly related to the practice of psychology.

The admissions requirements for the Clinical Psychology MA program include taking and passing the following courses (course numbers are for WKU courses only; courses taken at other universities will have a different numbering system):

• PSY 440 Abnormal Psychology or PSY 450 Introduction to Personality Theories
• PSY 201 Statistics in Psychology
• PSY 210 Experimental Psychology

Other courses that would be helpful in a student's preparation for the study of clinical psychology at the graduate level include the following.

Recommended psychology courses for the freshman and sophomore include:

• PSY 199 Introduction to Developmental Psychology
• PSY 250 Personality Adjustment

Other recommended upper level psychology courses, in order of relevance to clinical or counseling psychology, include:

• PSY 450 Introduction to Personality Theory
• PSY 440 Abnormal Psychology
• PSY 361 Psychological Tests and Measurements
• PSY 480 Physiological Psychology
• PSY 390 Community Placement Experience in Psychology (one or two semesters)
• PSY 410 Psychology of Learning
• PSY 442 Beginning Skills in Psychological Interviewing
• PSY 443 Behavior Modification
  PSY 490 Research in Psychology

Recommended non-psychology courses which meet general education guidelines include:

• SOC 100 Introductory Sociology
• ENG 307 Technical Writing (Department of English)
• COMM 145 Fundamentals of Speech (Department of Communication)

Clinical psychologists may work in hospitals, community clinics, private practice, or in universities. They interview clients, give psychological tests, and do psychotherapy with individual clients, couples or families. Clinical psychologists assist both children and adults. A master's degree (two years) or a doctorate degree (four or five years plus a pre-doctoral internship) is required.

Counseling psychologists engage in many of the activities of psychologists. They are also trained to assist individuals with educational or vocational problems and some counseling psychologists work in college counseling centers. A master's degree or a doctorate is required.

The above list is presented for consideration in your educational-vocational planning by the clinical psychology faculty at WKU.