California State Polytechnic University, San Luis Obispo
(Cal Poly SLO)
M.S. in Psychology
On-Campus
Cal Poly SLO
1 Grand Avenue
San Luis Obispo, CA 93407-0329
Program details below are quoted from program websites, supplied here for informational purposes only, and subject to change at any time. Refer to the program website for current information, deadlines, complete admission requirements, etc. It is the responsibility of the prospective student to verify with program administrators program details and that the program still meets BBS requirements for licensure in the state of California.
Program Snapshot
Accreditation
WASC
Concentrations/Specializations Offered
None
LMFT Track or Dual LMFT/LPCC Track
LMFT
Length of Program
90 units total. Graduate courses are scheduled so that full-time students carrying 12-16 quarter units can secure their degree in two years or two years plus two quarters. Because of the program's extensive clinical training, student work, family, and other schedules it may also take longer to complete the program.
Schedule/Format
Courses are held in the day and evening and are offered only once a year.
Program Start
Fall
Estimated Total Program Tuition
$24,924
Religious Orientation
None
Entering Class Size
40 students
Fieldwork Hours Accrued During Program
Following completion of Practicum, you will complete four consecutive quarters of clinical work in the community. The Traineeship Handbook (Appendix F) details this experience, but the basic requirements are as follows:
Minimum Requirements:
150 hours per quarter in the fieldwork site (15 to 20 hours/week on-site).
60 of those hours must be providing face-to-face counseling each quarter.
You should receive 10 hours of individual and 20 hours of group supervision on site per quarter.
Your caseload should be comprised of at least 2 families, parent-child, and/or couples. Individual adolescent or child with periodic contact with parents/caregivers does not count as family counseling.
You are required to attend University Supervision weekly and consistently throughout your Traineeship experience.
Your on-site clinical supervisor is to complete and return an evaluation of your performance at the end of every quarter.
Personal Psychotherapy Requirement During Program
None
Comprehensive Exam/Culminating Project/Thesis/Etc:
Comprehensive exam or thesis required
Application Process
Application Deadline
The application deadline is January 9, 2022 at 5:00pm.
Undergraduate GPA Required
The M.S. Psychology Program accepts applicants with a wide variety of undergraduate degrees. All applicants must have a baccalaureate degree from an institution accredited by a regional association and a minimum GPA of 3.0 in the last 60 semester (90 quarter) units attempted. There are additional requirements for international students. Questions concerning applications from foreign students should be directed to the Cal Poly Office of Admissions.
GRE Requirement
Not required
Prerequisite Courses
The MS in Psychology accepts applicants from all disciplines (e.g., English, Biology, Philosophy). Accepted applicants must complete five (5) program prerequisites (3 semester/4 quarter units each) by July 31 prior to entering the program:
Research Methods in Psychology (or related field)
Introductory Statistics
Personality Theory
Abnormal Psychology
Developmental Psychology/ LIfespan Development
These courses may be taken at Cal Poly as a matriculated undergraduate, through Cal Poly’s Open University or at another fully accredited institution, including on-line. In order to determine if a course you have taken satisfies one of our prerequisites, but has a different title than Cal Poly's, compare the content with the Expanded Prerequisite Course Outlines. Applicants who fail to complete these courses before their first quarter of enrollment will be dropped from the program.
Application Highlights
See the Cal Poly Graduate Education website for additional help with the application process.
Official copies of all undergraduate and graduate transcripts must be submitted. Transcripts should be sent to the Cal Poly Admissions Office from the issuing institution. See Admissions for details about the Cal Poly Admissions process.
Items 2-5 below must be uploaded to Cal State Apply. See Admissions for details about the Cal Poly Admissions process.A "Personal Statement" limited to two typewritten, double-spaced pages. The Personal Statement is a very important part of your application. It gives you the opportunity to show how various personal, sociocultural, educational, and occupational factors informed your decision to enter the helping profession. It also gives faculty an opportunity to gauge your level of insight, maturity, thoughtfulness and other qualities conducive to success in the field. Please address the following in your statement:
Educational experience: Please describe coursework (e.g., Introduction to Clinical/Counseling Psychology), fieldwork (e.g., Internships), and/or research (e.g., Assistantships) that helped clarify your career goal.
Professional activity: Please describe paid or volunteer work in counseling, education, social services, or health-care that has informed your career goals. If you have little related work-experience, we strongly suggest you consider applying after such experience has been obtained.
Sociocultural experience: Please describe your development in cultural competency, including your experiences with and knowledge of diverse cultures, bilingual skills, travel, and experience living abroad, and how these experiences have contributed to your interest in becoming a mental health professional.
Personal experience: Please describe family, social, and/or other personal factors influencing your interest in the profession. Feel free to note whether you have benefited from counseling. This section should be more specific than simply saying you grew up in a dysfunctional family, that people have always found it easy to talk to you, or that you've always wanted to be a therapist.
Three letters of recommendation are REQUIRED. Carefully choose your recommenders and request letters from individuals who know you well and can attest to your academic, social, occupational, and/or personal attributes that would support your career choice as a therapist. Letters from friends,relatives and personal therapists are unacceptable. (Please follow the Cal State Apply instructions on requesting letters of recommendation.)
Copies of unofficial transcripts for the most recently completed 90 units.
Curriculum Vita (CV)/ Resume
Interview Requirement
Yes, on-campus interview
Program Summary
The Master of Science (M.S.) in Psychology at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo is a 90-quarter unit professional degree program that fulfills the educational requirements for the state of California's Marriage and Family Therapist (MFT) license.
The program's mission is to provide the state of California with highly competent master-level clinicians trained to counsel individuals, couples, families, and groups in a multicultural society. Graduates are often employed by County Mental Health, Social Services, and other inpatient and outpatient community mental health centers. Many graduates also build successful private practices. Approximately fifteen percent of our graduates pursue doctoral studies in Clinical or Counseling Psychology.
Psychology and Child Development Department faculty members coordinate the M.S. Program and regularly teach graduate classes. Some courses are taught by mental health professionals from the community. The M.S. faculty is diverse in terms of professional degrees, clinical training, cultural background, and gender.
Graduate classes are small and students receive much individual attention in our on-campus practicum training clinic and community traineeship sites.
There are approximately 40 fully matriculated students in Cal Poly's M.S. Psychology Program. Graduate courses are scheduled so that full-time students carrying 12-16 quarter units can secure their degree in two years or two years plus two quarters. Because of the program's extensive clinical training, student work, family, and other schedules it may also take longer to complete the program. Courses are held in the day and evening and are offered only once a year. Questions about the program can be directed to the Program Director, Dr. Lisa Sweatt (lsweatt@calpoly.edu; 805-756-6123).