Clinical Science

Please note: Beginning with the entering class of Fall 2020 and onward, students are admitted to our PCSAS-accredited program. Students who began graduate school in Fall 2019 or earlier will complete their education in our APA-accredited clinical science program. We no longer admit students into the APA program.

Graduate students in Clinical Science combine rigorous research with hands-on clinical experience. In addition, students take courses that cover general areas in psychological science as well as more specialized areas based on a student’s interests. Most students will spend four to six years in residence at Berkeley plus one year at a Clinical Internship site, at or near the completion of the dissertation. Degrees are awarded after completion of the internship, even if the dissertation is completed earlier.

The faculty advisor/mentor plays an important role in a student’s training. At the beginning of Year 1, each student is matched with a faculty advisor, usually one of the core Clinical Science Program Faculty, who supervises the student's research. In subsequent years, the student is free to continue working with that person or to seek a new research advisor. In addition to research supervision, the advisor works with the student in planning a program that fits that student's interests, while at the same time meeting program requirements. If a student is conducting research under the supervision of someone other than a core Clinical Science Program Faculty member (e.g., a faculty member in another area of the Psychology Department), then a core Clinical Science Program Faculty member is assigned to advise that student in matters related program requirements.

The Clinical Science Program at U.C. Berkeley is a member of the Academy of Psychological Clinical Science, which is a coalition of doctoral training programs that share a common goal of producing and applying scientific knowledge to the assessment, understanding, and amelioration of human problems. Membership in the Academy is granted only after a thorough peer review process. Its membership in the Academy indicates that the Clinical Science Program at U.C. Berkeley is committed to excellence in scientific training, and to using clinical science as the foundation for designing, implementing, and evaluating assessment and intervention procedures.

Mentorships
 

The following Clinical Science professors are considering the mentorship of new students in Fall 2025:

• Jasmin Brooks Stephens **
• Aaron Fisher
• Allison Harvey
• Hedy Kober
• Giovanni Ramos **

** Students interested in having Giovanni Ramos or Jasmin Brooks Stephens as their "Faculty Preference #1" should list "Aaron Fisher", then indicate in the text field below who their preferred faculty is on their application.

NOTE: Because of the large number of applicants we are not able to answer individual inquires after the application deadline.  Please be assured that you will hear from us about the status of your application as soon as decisions have been made.