The MA program at Wheaton College makes every effort to integrate Christian belief and practice with the best of contemporary scholarship and professional standards in the discipline of psychology. At Wheaton your training will shape you to become a competent clinical psychologist one who models a commitment to professional practice as service, along with a balanced approach to spiritual, personal, professional, and interpersonal growth and development. Our goal is to produce graduates who will be distinctive as Christians in their practice of professional psychology.

The MA in Clinical Psychology prepares you for one of two licenses.

LMFT - Licensed Marriage & Family Therapist
LPC - Licensed Professional Counselor

Degree Requirements (48 credit hours)

Many students take more than 48 hours to meet a particular state's requirements for licensure.

Course descriptions

Core (30)

PSYC 611 Social, Cultural, and Spiritual Foundations of Mental Health I (1)

PSYC 612 Social, Cultural, and Spiritual Foundations of Mental Health II (1)

PSYC 613 Social, Cultural, and Spiritual Foundations of Mental Health III (1)

PSYC 614 Group Therapy (2)

PSYC 614L Group Therapy Lab (1)

PSYC 618 Clinical Research Design (3)

PSYC 621 Humanistic/Experiential Theory & Practice (2)

PSYC 621L Basic Interviewing Skills Lab (1)

PSYC 622 Psychodynamic Psychology (3)

PSYC 623 Cognitive-Behavioral Psychology (3)

PSYC 624 Issues: Professional Practice (3)

PSYC 636 Family Systems Theory (3)

PSYC 641 Psychological Assessment (3)

PSYC 642 Psychopathology: Biological and Sociocultural Foundations (3)

Clinical Internship (6) (or Thesis)

PSYC 696 Graduate Internship (3) - internship spans two semesters.

PSYC 697 Internship Seminar (0)

PSYC 698 Master's Thesis (4)*

PSYC 699 Master's Thesis Continuation (0)*

* Thesis students complete 46 rather than 48 hours.

Theological Studies Requirement (TSR) (6)

BITH 561 Theological Anthropology (2)

Choose one:

BITH 565 Christian Theology (4)

BITH 566 Foundations for Biblical Interpretation (4)

BITH 576 History of Christianity to 1900 (4)

Electives (6)

PSYC 625 Advanced Psychodynamic Psychology (3)

PSYC 632 Situational and Developmental Crises in Families (3)
PSYC 633 Marital Therapy (3)
PSYC 644 Child and Adolescent Development and Treatment (3)
PSYC 651 Substance Abuse (3)
PSYC 653 Lifestyle and Career Development (3)
PSYC 661 Spiritual Direction and Care of the Soul (3)
PSYC 695 Independent Study (1)
PSYC 849 Sexuality and Sex Therapy (3)

PSYC 893 Seminar: Advanced Topics in Clinical Psychology (1); several sections, each a different topic