How many students do you admit?
Out of the approximately 100-130 applicants, we accept enough applicants to form a class of 7-8 students.

What are the average GREs and GPAs of successful applicants?
During the past several years, the average GRE score (verbal + quantitative) has been around 1150; undergraduate and graduate GPAs are around 3.5, and 3.8, respectively.

If I took GREs many years ago, do I need to retake them?
Yes, if your scores are more than 5 years old.

Do I need to take the psychology GRE exam?
No, only the verbal and quantitative scores are required. We consider your best scores, regardless of how many times you take the exam.

Can I apply if I don’t have an undergraduate degree in psychology?
Certainly, as long as you have a minimum of 18 undergraduate or graduate credits in psychology, including statistics, we do not accept students without this minimum.

What are the characteristics of your doctoral students?
Our students average 26 years old entering the program. Approximately 70% are female, 23% are of ethnically diverse heritage, and roughly 50% enter the program with prior graduate study. The focus of previous education is quite diverse, including psychology, linguistics, biology, philosophy, sociology, business, art, physics, and assorted languages. Prior to admission, students have had experience in both applied and scholarly endeavors in psychology.

Can I enroll in the doctoral program on a part-time basis?
No. At present, the program is designed for at least three years of full-time study. Most students remain in full-time status throughout their academic and internship years. Also, applications are accepted only for a fall matriculation.

What kinds of previous experiences are required for admission?
We look for undergraduate students who have some practiced experience (e.g. hotline counselor, teacher, residence hall advisor), and master’s students with counseling experience. Some research experience is also highly desirable. If you have not done an independent research project but have helped out on a research team, include that information in your application. Reference form clinical and research supervisors are suggested.

How long will the program take?
If you enter with a bachelor's degree, you should be prepared for a minimum of five years of academic study, including a year of internship study. If you are starting with some previous graduate study, the answer to this question will depend on how closely your prior study matches our requirements (see Advanced Standing), and on the sequences of remaining coursework. Experience with previous students entering with substantial graduate coursework in counseling suggests that the minimum time necessary to complete the program is three years of academic study and one year of internship. Students often take 6 years to complete the program in order to take advantage of our array of clinical and research opportunities.

What is the theoretical orientation of your faculty?
We are a very diverse group, with representatives or proponents of cognitive behavioral, psychodynamic, systems, gestalt, humanistic, developmental, feminist, and interpersonal points of view.

What are the strengths of your program?
Foremost among our strengths is a faculty that is highly involved in and committed to training. Program is unusual in the opportunities for clinical and research experiences. We offer a balance of training opportunities that fit well with the scientist-practitioner model of psychologist training. With regard to research experiences, our curriculum and assistantship/fellowship opportunities provide for early and constant exposure to and experience in the scientific role of the psychologist. As a result, a healthy portion of our graduates who have been, and continue to be, involved in empirical efforts and publications.

With regard to clinical experiences, our primary practicum site is a community based clinic devoted to doctoral training needs that services a wide variety of clients, and therefore all students obtain the equivalent of a community mental health setting experience as required practicum experience. Other advanced practicum sites, and other training opportunities via funded positions, cover those students desirous of experience in family therapy, public and private community mental health, neuropsychology, inpatient and day treatment services, substance abuse services, adolescent residential care, college counseling services, and health psychology. In addition, we have a strong assessment element in our curriculum that attracts positive attention from those sites that consider our students for internship placement.

How successful are students at obtaining internships?
Our students have been very successful at obtaining offers all over the country. Most students are matched with one of their top choices. Internship sites range from university counseling centers, to hospitals, to community mental health centers, to forensic centers. Some recent sites are:

Washington DC VA Medical Center
Buffalo VA Medical Center (Buffalo, NY)
Maimonides Medical Center, (NYC, NY)
Jewish Child Care Association (Pleasantville, NY)
UMass Counseling and Personnel Services (Amherst, MA)
Geisinger Medical Center (Danville, PA)
Greater Hartford Consortium (Hartford, CT)
Edith Nourse VA Medical Center (Bedford, MA)
University of Pittsburgh Counseling Center (Pittsburgh, PA)
Interfaith Medical Center (Brooklyn, NY)
Hudson River Psychology Consortium (Poughkeepsie, NY)
University of Akron Counseling Center (Akron, OH)
University of Minnesota Counseling Center (Minneapolis, MN)
Huron Valley Center (forensic facility in Ypsilanti, MI)
Albany Medical Psychology Consortium (Albany, NY)
Dutchess County Community Mental Health Center (Poughkeepsie, NY)
Mt. Sinai Hospital (NYC, NY)

What kinds of jobs do graduates get?
Increasingly, students have been taking post-docs after their internship year. Most of our graduates work in clinical settings, but quite a few have taken academic positions. In a recent alumni survey, we estimated that about almost half of our alums teach either full- or part-time, and about 50% do full- or part-time independent practice. About 60% are regularly involved in developing innovative programs and services. Some are in nontraditional jobs, such as consultants to police departments. First jobs of our graduates include:

Southdown Institute (Ontario, Canada)
University at Albany Counseling Center
Albany Medical Center
Capital District Psychiatric Center (Albany)
Stratton VA Medical Center (Albany)
Ateneo de Manila University (Philippines)
Northeast Occupational Exchange (Brewer, ME)
Pioneer Valley Mental Health Clinic (Northampton, MA)
Schenectady County Child Guidance Center (Schenectady, NY)
University of Connecticut
University of Florida
Los Angeles Sheriff's Department
Simmons College Counseling Center (Boston, MA)
Northwestern University Counseling Center (Evanston, IL)
NYS Psychiatric Institute
US Army School of Aviation Medicine (Enterprise, AL)
Hampden-Sydney College (Hampden-Sydney, VA)
Middle Tennessee Veterans Healthcare (Nashville, TN)
Mt. Sinai Hospital (NYC, NY)
Interfaith Medical Center ( Brooklyn, NY)
Harvard University Counseling Center

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Updated: March 12, 2008