Syracuse University Clinical Training Program

FAQs

Is the program at Syracuse appropriate for students wishing to pursue a career mainly in mental health counseling, as opposed to research or other academia?

Our program follows a scientist-practitioner model, in which students are actively mentored by faculty on research as well as trained in clinical practice according to APA guidelines. Our outcome statistics suggest that roughly 40% of our graduates go on to careers in academia, and the remainder are employed at VAs, medical centers, and university counseling centers, etc. So, we try to support our students as they explore the many career opportunities open to clinically trained psychologists. However, it is fair to say that our standards for the scientific quality of theses and dissertations are high, so students who come here must be prepared for rigorous training in statistics and research methodology.

Does your program admit students to work directly under an adviser or if they are admitted more generally to the program??

We do attempt to match applicants to faculty mentors as part of the admissions process. This assures a student of a willing mentor and helps a student to get involved in a lab quickly. Therefore, we encourage you to consult both the clinical area website (http://psychweb.syr.edu/GPClinical.htm) and the Center for Health and Behavior site (http://chb.syr.edu/) to learn about current research and training opportunities in faculty labs.

How would you describe faculty-student relationships at Syracuse??

Our program embraces a junior colleague model, sometimes referred to as an apprenticeship model. Faculty invest in training a student in their research programs, and students add energy, new skills, and breadth to faculty's research. Of course the relationships vary according to advisor style, but you'll find small faculty-student ratios at Syracuse, consistent with our stated model.

How are students in your program funded??

We promise funding for 4 years to all students in good standing; most of our students are in residence for a 5th year and nearly all get departmental funding. Students in years 6 and higher are lowest in priority for funding, but occasionally slots open up.

First and second year funding usually comes in the form of a Teaching Assistantship (TA) or a Research Assistantship (RA) on a faculty grant. In the third year, students are funded as Clinic Assistants (CA). In the fourth year, students may be assigned a TA, RA or CA, depending on career development goals and/or availability of funding. The funding package for 08-09 consists of a stipend for 20 hours per week of work through the 9 month academic year (estimated $12,333) plus tuition remission valued at appproximately $25,896 (24 hours @ $1,079/hr)

I have a masters credits and have completed a masters thesis; if I am admitted, will these transfer to Syracuse??

Individual courses may be transfered or waved with instructor approval, on a case-by-case basis, after a students has enrolled. If a student has completed an empirical thesis, the DCT will solicit faculty review of the document; if it is deemed up to our standards a student will not have to do another thesis. Individual advisors may have expectations of some research project being completed prior to approving a student’s readiness to do a qualifying exam. All required clinical training must be completed at SU.