Clinical Program Student Data

We provide these data in an effort to help applicants make informed decisions about graduate training programs and to comply with recommendations of the American Psychological Association Commission on Accreditation, the Psychological Clinical Science Accreditation System (PCSAS) accreditation principles, and the Council of University Directors of Clinical Psychology (CUDCP). CUDCP provides a list of full disclosure websites of member programs. APA also provides a list of accredited doctoral programs. PCSAS accredited programs can be found here.

Successful outcomes in our program are exemplified by the achievements of our current students and by the graduates of the program. We continuously monitor our program’s success in preparing students to do publishable research and to take research related positions or other positions toward the goal of disseminating clinical science.

At the time of our recent PCSAS accreditation review, 69% of our graduates over the past 10 years met the criteria of producing and/or disseminating clinical science. Of all graduates, 28% have tenure-track positions at universities and colleges; graduates also produce and disseminate clinical science through research post-doctoral positions and other nonacademic research positions, through teaching and supervision, and through positions of leadership in which clinical science training informs decision-making and public policy. On average, our graduates publish 1.3 articles per year post-Ph.D.; 37.5 have been PI or Co-I on major grants; and the vast majority conducts research and does work with underserved populations. The progress and productivity of our current students is another key indicator of the quality of our program. By the time students leave for internship, virtually all students have published, with the average number of publications exceeding 4. Data from students show an upward progression in mean number of publications with each year (.6 in the first year, 1.6 in second year, 1.8 in 3rd year, 2.2 in 4th year, 4.5 in fifth year and beyond). A number of our current students also hold prestigious pre-doctoral awards, including NIH NRSA Fellowships, NSF Predoctoral Fellowships, and the APA Minority Fellowship.

The clinical psychology program at USC has been accredited by the American Psychological Association since 1948. Our next site review will occur in 2017.

Please note: For further information about the accreditation status of this or any other psychology doctoral program, please contact the APA Office of Consultation and Accreditation, American Psychological Association, 750 First Street NE, Washington, DC 20002-4242, Phone: 202-336-5979, Fax: 202-336-5978

Admission Statistics

Admission to USC is competitive. We favor applicants who demonstrate strong potential for research careers through their academic record (indicated by choice of course work and GPA), have experience conducting research at a high level of independence, have strong letters of endorsement from faculty who have known them well, express career goals consistent with our own model and mission to train clinical scientists, and who have strong GRE scores. We also consider research match – whether an applicant’s research interests are a good fit to a faculty mentor. The entire record contributes to the admissions decision.

Applicant Data	2005-2006	2006-2007	2007-2008	2008-2009	2009-2010	2010-2011	2011-2012
Number of applicants	272	303	285	258	271	360	365
Number accepted for admission	12	12	15	16	8	12	8
Size of the incoming class	5	6	6	9	5	6	6
Number of incoming students receiving financial aid	5	6	6	9	5	6	6
GRE Verbal – Average Score	634	657	650	677	664	648	675
GRE Quantitative – Average Score	722	747	735	757	736	743	775
GRE Analytical – Average Score	5.4	5.8	5.3	5.1	5.0	4.9	4.6
GRE Advanced – Average Score	710	748	728	748	780	765	760
GPA – Average	3.7	3.7	3.5	3.8	3.7	3.8	3.8

Fellowships, Assistantships, Benefits, and Program Costs

All students in the 2010-2011 entering class have been offered five years of funding, including two years of fellowship. Remaining years may consist of research assistantships, teaching assistantships, or paid clinical placements. These awards come with at least 12 units of tuition remission per semester. Although students do not have to pay tuition as long as they are under the terms of their five year package and in good standing, the tuition cost is $1,420 per unit (or an estimated $34,080 estimated yearly benefit, based on 12 units per term). Funding packages currently include payment of Student Health Service Fees ($488 per year), Student Health Insurance ($1059 per year), and Dental Insurance ($272 per year). Additional fees students may have to pay are: $71 Student Programming Fee, $25 Student Services Fee, and $16 Norman H. Topping Student Aid Fund fee (amounts are given based on 2 semesters). Some funding packages may offer coverage of some of these fees (total: $112 per year). Further information on standard fees assessed by USC can be found here.

Time to Program Completion

For the past seven completed academic years (students graduating after August 2004, up to and including August 2011) the mean time to completion is 6.6 years. The median is 6.3 years.

	2004- 2005	2005- 2006	2006- 2007	2007- 2008	2008-2009	2009-2010	2010-2011
Number Completing Program	5	3	7	4	4	5	8
Average Years to Completion	6.5	5.9	6.2	6.4	7.3	6.9	6.8
Median Years to Completion	6	6	6	6.3	7.5	7	7
Average Years to Completion for Those with Bachelor's on Admission	6.9	5.3	6.3	6.2	7	6.9	6.9
Median Years to Completion for Those with Bachelor's on Admission	6.8	5.3	6	6.3	7	7	7
Average Years to Completion for Those with Advanced Standing (Prior Graduate Degree)	4.6	7	6	7	8	n/a	6.3
Median Years to Completion for Those with Advanced Standing	4.6	7	6	7	8	n/a	6.3
Percentage Completing in Less than 5 Years	0%	0%	14.3%	0%	0%	0%	0%
Percentage Completing in 5 Years	40%	33%	14.3%	0%	0%	0%	12.5%
Percentage Completing in 6 Years	20%	33%	28.6%	25%	25%	40%	25%
Percentage Completing in 7 Years	0%	33%	0%	75%	25%	20%	25%
Percentage Completing in More than 7 Years	40%	0%	42.8%	0%	50%	40%	37.5%

Internships

In the table below, frequency (number) and percent of students obtaining internships are given. Percentage, in each case, is calculated by dividing the relevant number (such as the number obtaining an internship) by the total number of students who applied for internship in that year.

For each entry, the time interval refers to the year in which students applied for internship (internship typically runs on a calendar similar to but not precisely overlapping an academic year).

	2004-2005	2005-2006	2006-2007	2007-2008	2008-2009	2009-2010	2010-2011	Full Period
Applying for Internship	5	8	3	5	7	5	3	36
Obtaining Internship	5 (100%)	8 (100%)	3 (100%)	5 (100%)	7 (100%)	5 (100%)	3 (100%)	36 (100%)
Obtaining Paid (Funded) Internship	5 (100%)	8 (100%)	3 (100%)	5 (100%)	7 (100%)	5 (100%)	3 (100%)	36 (100%)
Obtaining APPIC Member Internship	5 (100%)	8 (100%)	3 (100%)	5 (100%)	7 (100%)	5 (100%)	3 (100%)	36 (100%)
Obtaining APA/CPA Accredited Internship	5 (100%)	8 (100%)	3 (100%)	5 (100%)	7 (100%)	4 (80%)	3 (100%)	35 (97%)
Obtaining Two-Year Half Time Internship	0(0%)	0(0%)	0(0%)	0(0%)	1(14%)	0 (0%)	0(0%)	1 (2.6%)

Graduation and Attrition Data, By Cohort of Entry

	Number Enrolled	Graduated with Doctorate	Still Currently Enrolled	No Longer Enrolled
2004-2005	7	4 (57%)	3 (43%)	0 (0%)
2005-2006	5	2 (40%)	2 (40%)	1 (20%)
2006-2007	6	1 (16.6%)	4 (66%)	1 (16.6%)
2007-2008	6	0 (0%)	6 (100%)	0 (0%)
2008-2009	9	0 (0%)	9 (100%)	0 (0%)
2009-2010	5	0 (0%)	5 (100%)	0 (0%)
2010-2011	6	0 (0%)	6 (100%)	0 (0%)

Note: this information reflects program data as of August, 2011

Licensure

In compliance with APA regulations, we provide the proportion seeking and obtaining licensure based on students graduating between 2001 and 2009. During this interval, 47 students graduated from our program. Of these, 32 (68%) have become licensed. Some students enter the program intending careers in which licensure is not helpful (e.g., full-time academic research careers not involving any clinical supervision), and licensure laws vary from one state to another. In some states, it takes considerable time beyond the Ph.D. to accrue sufficient post-doctoral experience to obtain a license, so these numbers should be examined with that in mind. This statistic was last updated August, 2011.