Overview
Acclaimed Master's Psychology Program in Miami Shores, Florida
Nestled in the verdant south Florida community of Miami Shores, one of Miami, Florida's older suburbs, Barry University's lush, subtropical campus is home to a highly acclaimed master's psychology program within the Department of Psychology. Founded in 1940 in the proud Dominican tradition, Barry University is a private, Catholic institution, but welcomes students of all faiths.
The Department of Psychology's graduate program reflects a deep commitment to the scientist-practitioner model of psychology training, also known as the Boulder model. As a training model developed for graduate programs, the scientist-practitioner model focuses on creating a strong foundation of research and scientific practice. In addition to developing skills as a scientist and researcher, master's psychology students at Barry University are also trained to be practitioners who apply knowledge and techniques to solve problems of clients. The graduate program curriculum offers day and evening courses as an added convenience for working professionals.
Barry University's quiet suburban campus is surprisingly close to downtown Miami, Florida, one of the hippest and most energetic international cities in the world. Miami Beach and colorful South Beach are also located nearby.
With a metropolitan area population of over 5 million (only New York City, Chicago, and Los Angeles are bigger), the global city of Miami, Florida boasts a world-class lifestyle with a provocative Spanish accent, featuring many of America's finest shopping, dining, entertainment, music, and cultural venues--all just minutes away from the Barry University campus.
Clinical Psychology Graduate Students Gain Valuable Research Experience
The master's program in clinical psychology is based on the scientist-practitioner model of training and is designed to prepare students for continuing graduate education and careers in the mental health field.
In addition to classroom teaching, many faculty members of Barry University's master's psychology program are actively conducting research programs that give graduate students opportunities to work on faculty projects in research facilities.
The faculty's wide-ranging areas of study include research projects in: psychological well-being and culture, dyadic communication failures, body perception, evolutionary psychology, human sexuality, personality, women's issues, program evaluation, neuropsychology of personality and emotion, psychotherapy with brain injured, and electrophysiological aspects of attention and emotion.
Graduate students in clinical psychology select a research topic and conduct an empirical study for their master's thesis. Faculty members are on hand to mentor students on the development and implementation of their research. Students regularly submit and present their research at state, regional, and national conferences, and the associated travel costs are usually covered by the psychology department.
Recent student research has focused on areas such as: thin body ideal and culture; African vs. American cultural conceptions of mental illness; anxiety, socialization, and substance use patterns; empathy-motivated forgiveness; sexual functioning and trust in relationships of adult survivors of child sexual abuse; and treatment of maternal depression and its relationship to infant development.
Practitioner-based and research-oriented, the master's psychology degree is designed to give students high-caliber graduate level training and research skills to prepare for successful careers in the field of clinical psychology.
Master's Psychology Degree Focuses on Clinical Psychology
Barry University's distinguished master's psychology program combines high-caliber academic instruction with comprehensive research experience and supervised clinical training at a variety of Miami's mental health centers. Recognizing that many graduate students are working fulltime, the university offers all courses at night, too.
In addition to the core courses in the master's psychology curriculum, clinical psychology graduate students will conduct independent research under the direction of a faculty member. This course guides the development of each student's research study. Students must present their ongoing research at the student forum. Once the study is completed, each student makes a formal presentation to the faculty. The final write-up of the research is expected to be publication quality.
The 165-hour practicum of the M.S. in Clinical Psychology curriculum includes clinical skills training and supervised experience in applied mental health facilities one day per week with a minimum of 40 client contact hours. This experience allows students to practice diagnostic and therapeutic skills as they learn basic documentation skills.
The master's psychology degree culminates in a 1000-hour internship during which the graduate student works under supervision in a mental health facility and performs a variety of clinically related activities that a licensed professional with a master's degree in clinical psychology would be expected to perform. During the internship, each student meets weekly with their faculty supervisor and field supervisor. Interns are expected to complete 240 hours of direct client contact hours.
