The PhD Clinical Psychology Program at the University of Colorado Boulder has been ranked among the top 20 programs for a number of years and is currently ranked #10 in the nation by US News and World Report.  The clinical psychology program is designed to train students in a clinical science model that integrates the ability to conduct and publish research with competence in assessment, prevention, and clinical intervention.  The foremost goal of the program is provide students with training in the science of psychology. Students will complete applied training during clinical practica, but spend the majority of their time working with faculty to produce research. Working with their mentors, students are encouraged to apply for national grant funding, present research at conferences, and publish in academic journals. 

The purpose of the program is to prepare students for academic and applied research careers. It is not designed to train private practitioners.

The mission of the University of Colorado Boulder’s Clinical Psychology PhD program is to train clinical scientists who will produce and apply scientific knowledge in understanding, assessing, preventing, and treating emotional and behavioral problems. As a program, we strive to be a just, welcoming, and inclusive community. We have four primary goals towards which we are continually working that guide the overall structure of our program. These include:

 

  1. Maintaining a curriculum of cutting-edge courses and clinical training experiences that cover a broad knowledge base of psychology, clinical psychology, interdisciplinary training, and multicultural awareness/perspectives.
  2. Providing a training environment that values and fosters reproducible, representative, justice-oriented, and ethical conduct of research.
  3. Training clinicians who can skillfully apply scientifically-based principles of assessment and intervention, including how to apply these principles in a culturally competent way that respects client characteristics and preferences.
  4. Attending to diversity and inclusion in program policies and practices, which we believe is essential in addressing the above program goals to offer a cutting-edge curriculum, conduct responsible research, and train clinicians in conducting empirically supported assessment and intervention.

Our program is committed to offering a training and mentorship model that emphasizes the support and well-being of students in the program, and to fostering diversity, including in the graduate student body. Please see the Clinical Student Handbook for more information on the program.

The Clinical Psychology program has been continuously accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of the American Psychological Association (APA) from 1949 to the present. Questions related to the program's accredited status should be directed to the Commission on Accreditation:

Office of Program Consultation and Accreditation
American Psychological Association
750 First Street NE, Washington, DC 20002-4242
Phone: 202-336-5979
apaaccred@apa.org
www.apa.org/ed/accreditation