Performance and Outcome Data

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.

Students are admitted to the clinical science program as a whole and are not directly admitted by individual faculty members. It is possible for students to work with more than one mentor over the course of their time at USC, although one faculty member is typically responsible for primary research mentorship of each clinical student. There should be a close fit of research interest between the applicant and the potential research mentor. The following professors in the clinical science area have openings for new students to join their labs in the 2013-2014 academic year: Drs. Huey, Knight, Lopez, Margolin, Saxbe and Schwartz. Additional research mentors may also be available.

Applicant Data

2007-

2008

2008-

2009

2009-

2010

2010-

2011

2011-

2012

2012-

2013

2013-

2014

Number of applicants

285

258

271

360

365

398

362

Number accepted for admission

  15

  16

   8

  12

   8

  10

10

Size of the incoming class

6

9

5

6

6

4

7

Number of incoming students receiving financial aid

6

9

5

6

   6

4

7

GRE Verbal – Average Score

650

677

664

648

675

653

161

GRE Quantitative – Average Score

735

757

736

743

775

730

159

GRE Analytical – Average Score

5.3

5.1

5.0

4.9

4.6

5.1

4.8

GRE Advanced – Average Score

728

748

780

765

760

765

735

GPA – Average

3.5

3.8

3.7

3.8

3.8

3.7

3.8

Fellowships, Assistantships, Benefits, and Program Costs

All students in the 2012-2013 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. 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 $1,536 per unit (or an estimated $36,864 estimated yearly benefit, based on 12 units per term). Funding packages currently include payment of Student Health Service Fees ($524 per year), Student Health Insurance ($1519 per year), and Dental Insurance ($136 per year). Additional fees students may have to pay are: $75 Student Programming Fee, $25 Student Services Fee, and $16 Norman H. Topping Student Aid Fund fee (amounts are given based on 2 semesters). Most funding packages offer coverage of these fees (total: $116 per year). Further information on standard fees assessed by USC can be found on the USC website:
http://www.usc.edu/academics/classes/term_20133/tuition_and_fees.html

Description

2013-2014 1st year Cohort Cost

Tuition for full-time students (in-state)

$0 

Tuition for full-time students (out-of-state)

$0 

Tuition per credit hour for part-time students (if applicable)

n/a

University/institution fees or costs

$0 

Additional estimated fees or costs to students (e.g. books, travel, etc.)

1,135

Time to Program Completion

For the past seven completed academic years (students graduating after May 2005 through May 2012), the average time to completion was 6.65 years including internship. Students entering the program with a master's degree are not offered advanced standing in the program and must complete the same requirements. There is no change in expected time-to-completion based on the degree a student has at the time of entering the program.

Outcome

2005-

2006

2006-

2007

2007-

2008

2008-

2009

2009-

2010

2010-

2011

2011-

2012

Total

Total number of students with doctoral 

degree conferred on transcript

4

5

6

3

4

6

9

37

Mean number of years to complete
the program

6.2

6.4

6.4

6.9

6.6

7.1

6.9

6.65

Median number of years to complete
the program

5.5

6

6.25

7

6.5

7

7.25

7

Time to Degree Ranges

N

%

N

%

N

%

N

%

N

%

N

%

N

%

N

%

Students in less than 5 years

1

25

0

0

1

17

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

2

5

Students in 5 years

1

25

0

0

0

0

0

0

1

25

0

0

1

11

3

8

Students in 6 years

1

25

3

60

3

50

1

33

1

25

2

33

2

22

13

35

Students in 7 years

1

25

2

40

0

0

1

33

1

25

2

33

4

44

11

30

Students in more than 7 years

0

0

0

0

2

33

1

33

1

25

2

33

2

22

8

22

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).

Year Applied for Internship

2006-

2007

2007-

2008

2008-

2009

2009-

2010

2010-

2011

2011-

2012

2012-

2013

N

%

N

%

N

%

N

%

N

%

N

%

N

%

Students who sought or applied 

for internships*

3

-

5

-

7

-

5

-

3

-

4

-

9

-

Students who obtained internships

3

100

5

100

7

100

5

100

3

100

4

100

8

89

Students who obtained 

APA/CPA-accredited internships

3

100

5

100

7

100

4

100

3

100

4

100

8

89

Students who obtained APPIC 

member internships that were 

not APA/CPA-accredited

0

0

0

0

0

0

1

20

0

0

0

0

0

0

Students who obtained other 

membership organization internships 

(e.g. CAPIC) that were not 

APA/CPA-accredited

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

Students who obtained internships 

conforming to CDSPP guidelines that

 were not APA/CPA-accredited

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

Students who obtained other internships 

that were not APA/CPA-accredited

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

Students who obtained paid internships

3

100

5

100

7

100

5

100

3

100

4

100

8

89

Students who obtained half-time internships

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

Graduation and Attrition Data, By Cohort of Entry

Year of Program Entry

2005-

2006

2006-

2007

2007-

2008

2008-

2009

2009-

2010

2010-

2011

2011-

2012

N

%

N

%

N

%

N

%

N

%

N

%

N

%

Students for whom this is the year 

of first enrollment (i.e. new students)

5

-

6

-

6

-

9

-

5

-

6

-

6

-

Students whose doctoral degrees were

 conferred on their transcripts

2

40

1

17

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

Students still enrolled in program

2

40

4

67

6

100

9

100

4

80

6

100

6

100

Students no longer enrolled for any 

reason other than conferral of doctoral degree

1

20

1

17

0

0

0

0

1

20

0

0

0

0

Note: this information reflects program data as of August, 2012

Licensure

In compliance with APA regulations, we provide the proportion seeking and obtaining licensure based on students graduating between 2002 and 2010. 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, 2012.