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Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Offered By: Department of Mental Health

Onsite | Full-Time | 4 – 5 years

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About the PhD in Mental Health Program

The PhD degree is a research-oriented doctoral degree. In the first two years, students take core courses in the Departments of Mental Health, Biostatistics, and Epidemiology, in research ethics, and attend weekly department seminars. Students must complete a written comprehensive exam (in January of their second year), a preliminary exam, two presentations and a final dissertation including presentation and defense. Throughout their time in the department, we encourage all doctoral students to participate in at least one research group of the major research programs in the department: Substance Use Epidemiology, Global Mental Health, Mental Health and Aging, Mental Health Services and Policy, Methods, Prevention Research, Psychiatric and Behavioral Genetic Epidemiology, Psychiatric Epidemiology, and Autism and Developmental Disabilities.

PhD in Mental Health Program Highlights

mental health dept. in a school of public health

World renowned faculty

who are experts in the field

Students conduct

original research

Research opportunities

in the US and globally

What Can You Do With a Graduate Degree In Mental Health?

Sample careers.

• Assistant Professor
• Postdoctoral Fellow
• Psychiatric Epidemiologist
• Prevention Scientist
• Social and Behavioral Scientist

Curriculum for the PhD in Mental Health

Browse an overview of the requirements for this PhD program in the JHU  Academic Catalogue , explore all course offerings in the Bloomberg School  Course Directory .

Current students can view the Department of Mental Health's student handbook on the Info for Current Students page .

Research Areas

The Department of Mental Health covers a wide array of topics related to mental health, mental illness and substance abuse. Faculty and students from multiple disciplines work together within and across several major research areas.

Admissions Requirements

For general admissions requirements, please visit the How to Apply page.

Standardized Test Scores

Standardized test scores are  not required and not reviewed  for this program. If you have taken a standardized test such as the GRE, GMAT, or MCAT and want to submit your scores, please note that they will not be used as a metric during the application review.  Applications will be reviewed holistically based on all required application components.

Program Faculty Spotlight

Judith K. Bass

Judith Bass, PhD '04, MPH, MIA, is an implementation science researcher, with a broad background in sociology, economic development studies, and psychiatric epidemiology.

Renee M. Johnson

Renee M. Johnson, PhD, MPH, uses social epidemiology and behavioral science methods to investigate injury/violence, substance use, and overdose prevention.

George W. Rebok

George Rebok, PhD, MA, is a life-span developmental psychologist who develops community-based interventions to prevent age-related cognitive decline and reduce dementia risk.

Heather E. Volk

Heather Volk, PhD, MPH, seeks to identify factors that relate to the risk and progression of neurodevelopment disorders.

All full-time PhD students will receive the following support for the first four years of the program: full tuition, individual health insurance, University Health Services clinic fee, vision insurance, and dental insurance. Stipends are available for students accepted into an NIH-funded training grant in the areas of Psychiatric Epidemiology, Global Mental Health, Substance Use Epidemiology, Aging, and Mental Health Services and Systems. To be considered for a NIH-funded training grants you must be a US Citizen or permanent resident of the US.

Need-Based Relocation Grants Students who  are admitted to PhD programs at JHU   starting in Fall 2023 or beyond can apply to receive a $1500 need-based grant to offset the costs of relocating to be able to attend JHU.   These grants provide funding to a portion of incoming students who, without this money, may otherwise not be able to afford to relocate to JHU for their PhD program. This is not a merit-based grant. Applications will be evaluated solely based on financial need.  View more information about the need-based relocation grants for PhD students .

Questions about the program? We're happy to help.

Academic Program Administrator Patricia Scott [email protected] 410-955-1906

Compare Programs

• Check out similar programs at the Bloomberg School to find the best fit.
• Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in International Health
• Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Epidemiology
• Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Health Policy and Management

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The mentorship and support I’ve received through the Center for Interdisciplinary Research on AIDS (CIRA) as a predoctoral fellow has been invaluable and was a big factor in my decision to attend YSPH.

PhD in Social and Behavioral Sciences

The Social and Behavioral Sciences (SBS) Department aims to understand and improve health equity, both domestically and globally. SBS provides instruction in the theory and methods of the social and behavioral sciences that emphasize individual, interpersonal, community, and structural influences on health, illness, and recovery. The primary emphases are focused on (1) understanding the psychosocial, behavioral, community, and societal influences on health in the general population, with a focus on those who are disadvantaged; and (2) creating multilevel interventions that eliminate barriers to health, from infancy to old age. The SBS curriculum takes an interdisciplinary approach and focuses on integrating methods from epidemiology and the social sciences, training scientists with a broad skill set that allows them to answer a host of complex research questions. The department has numerous research strengths including in HIV/AIDS, aging health, community engaged health research, maternal child health, mental health, health equity and disparities, and stigma prevention and health.

This program does not require General GRE test scores.

Learn more about the Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences

• Career Outcomes and the YSPH Career Management Center

MyYSPH.Yale.Edu

Doctoral Program

Phd-phs in social and behavioral sciences.

Prospective doctoral students interested in the Department of Social & Behavioral Sciences should apply to the Doctor of Philosophy ( PhD ) Program in  Population Health Sciences  and choose  Social & Behavioral Sciences as their Field of Study.

The PhD in Population Health Sciences is offered under the aegis of the Harvard Graduate School of Arts and Sciences (GSAS) and is awarded by the Faculty of Arts and Sciences. Students in this program will gain broad, interdisciplinary knowledge in quantitative and qualitative methods of enquiry for understanding the health of populations, and developmental approaches to population health science. In addition, students will belong to one of the following Fields of Study associated with the departments of: Environmental Health , Epidemiology , Global Health and Population , Nutrition , or Social and Behavioral Sciences .

For further details on the PhD program, please visit this website .

Curriculum Guide

2023-24 SBS-PhD Curriculum Guide

What are the admission requirements for the PhD program?

For applicants that are applying into the PhD in Population Health Sciences check out this admission requirement  checklist .

I’m applying to the PhD program in Population Health Sciences, do I need to secure an advisor? Do faculty make advising commitments before applying to the program?

Advisors for PhD students in the PHS program are chosen after we know who will be joining us in the new cohort. Generally, the assignment takes place in early to mid-May. An essential part of the PhD admissions process is the consideration of appropriate mentoring faculty for the applicant. Therefore applicants do not get prior advising commitments from a potential faculty mentor prior to applying to the program. We recommend listing up to three faculty members of interest in your personal statement, articulating how your current research interests align with the faculty listed.

I’m applying to the PhD program in Population Health Sciences, do I need to have prior quantitative coursework?

Our program has a strong emphasis on quantitative methods so showing preparation in this area is strongly recommended. The doctoral program in SBS is very quantitative-focused and we do require students to take a year of Quantitative Research Methods in Population Health Sciences (PHS 2000 A + B). Although the committee looks at the application holistically, some emphasis is placed on how well applicants do in specific course areas such as Biostats, EPI and the social sciences.

It’s always helpful to the admissions committee to be able to assess quantitative skills in an applicant’s background and that is usually demonstrated through coursework, professional experiences and letters of recommendation.

What are you looking for in applicants to the PhD program?

While applications are looked at holistically, the admissions committee does place an emphasis on prior coursework in biostatistics, epidemiology and the social sciences, so highlighting these types of courses in your application will be useful.  Additionally, it could be helpful if one of your recommenders is a professor from your last degree program who can comment positively on your quantitative abilities.  Your statement of purpose is a chance for you to tell the committee about your motivation for pursuing doctoral work in SBS and to describe yourself as a researcher. A key part of the admissions review process is making sure there is appropriate mentorship, so we suggest naming up to three SBS faculty whose interests align with your own. You can read about the faculty here .

You may find the information on this page helpful as you prepare your application.

Will graduate course work from my master’s degree be accepted for some of the coursework required in the PhD (e.g. statistics courses etc.)?

You can submit a substitution form with the course syllabus for courses you have taken in your Master’s program. Substitution requests are carefully reviewed by the instructor of the required HSPH course to determine if the course is truly equivalent.

Where can I find out more information on the research in the SBS department?

You can get some information on faculty research by viewing their profiles on the department website.

You can read about the research areas of current students here .

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Clinical Psychology

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Our mission is to advance knowledge that promotes psychological well-being and reduces the burden of mental illness and problems in living and to develop leading clinical scientists whose skills and knowledge will have a substantial impact on the field of psychology and the lives of those in need. Our faculty and graduate students promote critical thinking, innovation, and discovery, and strive to be leaders in their field, engaging in and influencing research, practice, policy, and education. Our pursuit of these goals is guided by the values of collaboration, mutual respect, and fairness, our commitment to diversity, and the highest ethical standards.

Information about the Clinical Psychology Graduate Major

UCLA’s Clinical Psychology program is one of the largest, most selective, and most highly regarded in the country and aims to produce future faculty, researchers, and leaders in clinical science, who influence research, policy development, and practice. Clinical science is a field of psychology that strives to generate and disseminate the best possible knowledge, whether basic or applied, to reduce suffering and to advance public health and wellness. Rather than viewing research and intervention as separable, clinical science construes these activities as part of a single, broad domain of expertise and action. Students in the program are immersed in an empirical, research-based approach to clinical training. This, in turn, informs their research endeavors with a strong understanding of associated psychological phenomena. The UCLA Clinical Science Training Programs employs rigorous methods and theories from multiple perspectives, in the context of human diversity. Our goal is to develop the next generation of clinical scientists who will advance and share knowledge related to the origins, development, assessment, treatment, and prevention of mental health problems.

Admissions decisions are based on applicants’ research interests and experiences, formal coursework in psychology and associated fields, academic performance, letters of recommendation, dedication to and suitability for a career as a clinical scientist, program fit, and contributions to an intellectually rich, diverse class. Once admitted, students engage with faculty in research activities addressing critical issues that impact psychological well-being and the burden of mental illness, using a wide range of approaches and at varying levels of analysis. Their integrated training is facilitated by on-campus resources including the departmental Psychology Clinic, the Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior, and the David Geffen School of Medicine.

Our program philosophy is embodied in, and our goals are achieved through, a series of training activities that prepare students for increasingly complex, demanding, and independent roles as clinical scientists. These training activities expose students to the reciprocal relationship between scientific research and provision of clinical services, and to various systems and methods of intervention, assessment, and other clinical services with demographically and clinically diverse populations. The curriculum is designed to produce scientifically-minded scholars who are well-trained in research and practice, who use data to develop and refine the knowledge base in their field, and who bring a reasoned empirical perspective to positions of leadership in research and service delivery.

The program’s individualized supervision of each student in integrated research and practice roles provides considerable flexibility. Within the parameters set by faculty interests and practicum resources, there are specializations in child psychopathology and treatment, cognitive-behavior therapy, clinical assessment, adult psychopathology and treatment, family processes, assessment and intervention with distressed couples, community psychology, stress and coping, cognitive and affective neuroscience, minority mental health, and health psychology and behavioral medicine. The faculty and other research resources of the Department make possible an intensive concentration in particular areas of clinical psychology, while at the same time ensuring breadth of training.

Clinical psychology at UCLA is a six-year program including a full-time one-year internship, at least four years of which must be completed in residence at UCLA. The curriculum in clinical psychology is based on a twelve-month academic year. The program includes a mixture of coursework, clinical practicum training, teaching, and continuous involvement in research. Many of the twenty clinical area faculty, along with numerous clinical psychologists from other campus departments, community clinics, and hospitals settings, contribute to clinical supervision.  Clinical training experiences typically include four and a half years of part-time practicum placements in the Psychology Clinic and local agencies. The required one-year full-time internship is undertaken after the student has passed the clinical qualifying examinations and the dissertation preliminary orals. The student receives the Ph.D. degree when both the dissertation and an approved internship are completed.

Accreditation

PCSAS – Psychological Clinical Science Accreditation System

The Graduate Program in Clinical Psychology at UCLA was accredited in 2012 by the Psychological Clinical Science Accreditation System (PCSAS). PCSAS was created to promote science-centered education and training in clinical psychology, to increase the quality and quantity of clinical scientists contributing to the advancement of public health, and to enhance the scientific knowledge base for mental and behavioral health care. The UCLA program is deeply committed to these goals and proud to be a member of the PCSAS Founder’s Circle and one of the group of programs accredited by PCSAS.  (Psychological Clinical Science Accreditation System, 1800 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Suite 402, Washington, DC 20036-1218. Telephone: 301-455-8046). Website:  https://www.pcsas.org

APA CoA – American Psychological Association Commission on Accreditation

The Graduate Program in Clinical Psychology at UCLA has been accredited by the American Psychological Association Commission on Accreditation since 1949. (Office of Program Consultation and Accreditation, American Psychological Association, 750 First Street NE. Washington, DC 20002-4242. Telephone:  202-336-5979 .) Website:  http://www.apa.org/ed/accreditation/

Future Accreditation Plans:  

Against the backdrop of distressing evidence that mental health problems are increasingly prevalent and burdensome, the field of psychological clinical science must think innovatively to address the unmet mental health needs of vulnerable populations. UCLA’s clinical psychology program remains committed to training clinical psychological scientists who will become leaders in research, dissemination, and implementation of knowledge, policy development, and evidence-based clinical practice. This commitment is firmly rooted in our overall mission of promoting equity and inclusion, adhering to ethical standards, and developing collaborations in all aspects of clinical psychology.

Increasingly, we believe that significant aspects of the academic and clinical-service requirements of accreditation by the American Psychological Association (APA) obstruct our training mission. Too often, APA requirements limit our ability to flexibly adapt our program to evolving scientific evidence, student needs, and global trends in mental health. Like many other top clinical science doctoral programs, we see our longstanding accreditation by the Psychological Clinical Science Accreditation System (PCSAS) as better aligned with our core values, including advancement of scientifically-based training.

Accordingly, we are unlikely to seek renewal of our program’s accreditation by APA, which is set to expire in 2028. The ultimate decision about re-accreditation will be made with the best interests and well-being of current and future students in our program in mind. To that end, we will continue to monitor important criteria that will determine the career prospects of students completing a doctoral degree in clinical psychology from programs accredited only by PCSAS. For example, we are working to understand the potential implications for securing excellent predoctoral internships and eligibility for professional licensure across jurisdictions in North America. Although the UCLA clinical psychology program has no direct influence over these external organizations, we are excited to continue to work to shape this evolving training landscape with the Academy of Psychological Clinical Science (APCS) and leaders from other clinical science programs.

Our ongoing monitoring of trends in clinical psychology training is encouraging for PCSAS-accredited programs. However, evolving circumstances could result in our program changing its opinion with respect to seeking APA re-accreditation in the future. In the spirit of transparency and empowering potential applicants to make informed choices for their own professional development, we are pleased to share our thinking on these important issues.

Notice to Students re: Professional Licensure and Certification

University of California programs for professions that require licensure or certification are intended to prepare the student for California licensure and certification requirements. Admission into programs for professions that require licensure and certification does not guarantee that students will obtain a license or certificate. Licensure and certification requirements are set by agencies that are not controlled by or affiliated with the University of California and licensure and certification requirements can change at any time.

The University of California has not determined whether its programs meet other states’ educational or professional requirements for licensure and certification. Students planning to pursue licensure or certification in other states are responsible for determining whether, if they complete a University of California program, they will meet their state’s requirements for licensure or certification. This disclosure is made pursuant to 34 CFR §668.43(a)(5)(v)(C).

NOTE:  Although the UCLA Clinical Psychology Program is not designed to ensure license eligibility, the majority of our graduates do go on to become professionally licensed.  For more information, please see  https://www.ucop.edu/institutional-research-academic-planning/content-analysis/academic-planning/licensure-and-certification-disclosures.html .

Clinical Program Policy on Diversity-Related Training 

In light of our guiding values of collaboration, respect, and fairness, this statement is to inform prospective and current trainees, faculty, and supervisors, as well as the public, that our trainees are required to (a) attain an understanding of cultural and individual diversity as related to both the science and practice of psychology and (b) provide competent and ethical services to diverse individuals.  Our primary consideration is always the welfare of the client.  Should such a conflict arise in which the trainee’s beliefs, values, worldview, or culture limits their ability to meet this requirement, as determined by either the student or the supervisor, it should be reported to the Clinic and Placements Committee, either directly or through a supervisor or clinical area faculty member.  The Committee will take a developmental view, such that if the competency to deliver services cannot be sufficiently developed in time to protect and serve a potentially impacted client, the committee will (a) consider a reassignment of the client so as to protect the client’s immediate interests, and (b) request from the student a plan to reach the above-stated competencies, to be developed and implemented in consultation with both the trainee’s supervisor and the Clinic Director.  There should be no reasonable expectation of a trainee being exempted from having clients with any particular background or characteristics assigned to them for the duration of their training.

Clinical Program Grievance Policies & Procedures

Unfortunately, conflicts between students and faculty or with other students will occur, and the following policies and procedures are provided in an effort to achieve the best solution. The first step in addressing these conflicts is for the student to consult with their academic advisor. If this option is not feasible (e.g. the conflict is with the advisor) or the conflict is not resolved to their satisfaction, then the issue should be brought to the attention of the Director of Clinical Training. If in the unlikely event that an effective solution is not achieved at this level, then the student has the option of consulting with the Department’s Vice Chair for Graduate Studies. Students also have the option of seeking assistance from the campus Office of Ombuds Services and the Office of the Dean of Students. It is expected that all such conflicts are to be addressed first within the program, then within the Department, before seeking a resolution outside of the department.

More Clinical Psychology Information

• For a list of Required Courses please see the  Psychology Handbook
• Psychology Clinic
• Student Admissions Outcomes and Other Data

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

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• 13 November 2019

The mental health of PhD researchers demands urgent attention

You have full access to this article via your institution.

Performance management — captured here in photographs from Frank Gilbreth — has long contributed to ill health in researchers. Credit: Kheel Centre

Two years ago, a student responding to Nature ’s biennial PhD survey called on universities to provide a quiet room for “crying time” when the pressures caused by graduate study become overwhelming. At that time , 29% of 5,700 respondents listed their mental health as an area of concern — and just under half of those had sought help for anxiety or depression caused by their PhD study.

Things seem to be getting worse.

Respondents to our latest survey of 6,300 graduate students from around the world, published this week, revealed that 71% are generally satisfied with their experience of research, but that some 36% had sought help for anxiety or depression related to their PhD.

These findings echo those of a survey of 50,000 graduate students in the United Kingdom also published this week. Respondents to this survey, carried out by Advance HE, a higher-education management training organization based in York, UK, were similarly positive about their research experiences, but 86% report marked levels of anxiety — a much higher percentage than in the general population. Similar data helped to prompt the first international conference dedicated to the mental health and well-being of early-career researchers in May. Tellingly, the event sold out .

How can graduate students be both broadly satisfied, but also — and increasingly — unwell? One clue can be found elsewhere in our survey. One-fifth of respondents reported being bullied; and one-fifth also reported experiencing harassment or discrimination.

Could universities be taking more effective action? Undoubtedly. Are they? Not enough. Of the respondents who reported concerns, one-quarter said that their institution had provided support, but one-third said that they had had to seek help elsewhere.

There’s another, and probably overarching, reason for otherwise satisfied students to be stressed to the point of ill health. Increasingly, in many countries, career success is gauge by a spectrum of measurements that include publications, citations, funding, contributions to conferences and, now, whether a person’s research has a positive impact on people, the economy or the environment. Early-career jobs tend to be precarious. To progress, a researcher needs to be hitting the right notes in regard to the measures listed above in addition to learning the nuts and bolts of their research topics — concerns articulated in a series of columns and blog posts from the research community published last month.

Most students embark on a PhD as the foundation of an academic career. They choose such careers partly because of the freedom and autonomy to discover and invent. But problems can arise when autonomy in such matters is reduced or removed — which is what happens when targets for funding, impact and publications become part of universities’ formal monitoring and evaluation systems. Moreover, when a student’s supervisor is also the judge of their success or failure, it’s no surprise that many students feel unable to open up to them about vulnerabilities or mental-health concerns.

The solution to this emerging crisis does not lie solely in institutions doing more to provide on-campus mental-health support and more training for supervisors — essential though such actions are. It also lies in recognizing that mental ill-health is, at least in part, a consequence of an excessive focus on measuring performance — something that funders, academic institutions, journals and publishers must all take responsibility for.

Much has been written about how to overhaul the system and find a better way to define success in research, including promoting the many non-academic careers that are open to researchers. But on the ground, the truth is that the system is making young people ill and they need our help. The research community needs to be protecting and empowering the next generation of researchers. Without systemic change to research cultures, we will otherwise drive them away.

Nature 575 , 257-258 (2019)

doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-019-03489-1

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The goal of the graduate program in Psychology at Berkeley is to produce scholar-researchers with sufficient breadth to retain perspective in the field of psychology and sufficient depth to permit successful independent and significant research. The members of the department have organized themselves into six training units. The requirements for each unit vary but always involve a combination of courses, seminars and supervised independent research. Students are also encouraged to take courses outside the Psychology Department, using the unique faculty strengths found on the Berkeley campus to enrich their graduate training. We are a STEM designated program.

For the Latest updates on COVID-19 related exceptions to policy relevant to Graduate Students, please see Graduate Division's Resource Page.

The areas offered to students to specialize in are the following: 

• Behavioral and Systems Neuroscience
• Clinical Science
• Cognitive Neuroscience
• Developmental
• Social-Personality

To learn more about each offered area visit: Research Areas

Here are answers to most commonly asked questions about the process of applying to graduate school.

How do I find a program that is right for me? – See this handy  decisions tree , reposted from University of Houston Psychology website, to help you determine a route to your desired Psychology career.

For those interested in our Clinical Program, visit Mitch's Uncensored Advice for Applying to Graduate School in Clinical Psychology to answer many of your questions, including those you may have not previously considered.

• GRE scores (please note; the GRE is not required for FA24 Applications)
• Transcripts
• Resume or A curriculum vita (CV)
• Well-written personal statement(s)
• Letters of recommendation

You will want to check requirements for each school to which you plan to apply, but the above links to Cal's graduate program will give you an idea of what to expect.

Psychology Ph.D. Program Components  - with Christine Mullarkey - Student Services Advisor

Ph.D. Program through the Perspective of Professor Sheri Johnson - Head Graduate Advisor

Find your fit at Berkeley.

You are invited to Berkeley's Graduate Diversity Admissions Fair on October 30 - November 3 . This virtual event will help prospective professional, master's, and doctoral students:

• learn more about our top ranked graduate programs and award winning faculty
• gain a deeper understanding of Berkeley's culture and resources available
• understand the application process, and important deadlines
• consider funding options and opportunities

You can expect a lot to choose from. Over 50 sessions from UC Berkeley graduate programs in one hour info sessions, and discussion groups.

Register now to customize your fair schedule by signing up to the sessions that interest you.

Berkeley is a place that fosters a supportive community that is at the heart of our students' success. Our graduate diversity programs aim to create a culture of belonging for all students. This fair is one example of that. Though the fair is open to all – it's designed specifically for prospective students from historically excluded, and underrepresented backgrounds.

We hope you will join us.

Fall 2022 - Prof. Serena Chen (Social Personality), Prof. Aaron Fisher (Equity Advisor), and featuring graduate students

Fall 2021 - Prof. Serena Chen (Social Personality), Prof. Sheri Johnson (Clinical), Harumi Quinones (Student Services Director), and featuring graduate students 

Visit the Graduate Division website to learn more about the Fall 2023 Diversity Admissions Fair and register in the graduate application portal !

Graduate Student Services

Office hours.

• Partnerships

Counseling Psychology (PhD)

YOU ARE BOUVÉ

We’re training the next generation of mental health professionals

The Ph.D. Program in Counseling Psychology offers doctoral education and training in psychology and prepares students for entry-level practice in counseling psychology.

Doctoral-level counseling psychologists conduct research, teach at the university level, supervise students and professionals, consult with community agencies, and provide clinical services to people across the developmental lifespan.

Counseling psychologists also enhance the science of health promotion and health psychology and emphasize community-based interventions.

Unique Program Features

• Translational research related to health promotion of individuals, groups, families, and communities
• Empirically-based practice in urban community centers, agencies, schools, and hospitals
• Merging of science and practice within multicultural and urban contexts
• Development of consultation and leadership skills in researchers and practitioners

Program Emphasis

• Culturally and ethnically diverse faculty
• Ecological model
• Developmental emphasis throughout the lifespan
• Research teams where students gain valuable experience evaluating and conducting research
• Student-centered faculty
• Strong and supportive student cohort groups

Degree type: – Counseling Psychology PhD Study options: – Boston campus – Full-time

Application Deadline: Dec 1, 2023

Note: Official TOEFL or IELTS* required

Counseling Psychology PhD

Our clinical training prepares counseling psychologists to work in various settings with individuals presenting with a variety of psychological and health-related issues. We emphasize an ecological model that encourages the conceptualization of relationships and research across multiple systems: biological, cultural, and relational.

These relationships occur in various social contexts, including families, schools, neighborhoods, and communities. At least two years of intensive clinical training is required. This preparation includes advanced fieldwork at various mental health settings in the Boston area. Students are expected to be at their site for 20 hours each week. Approximately half of their time is direct service delivery.

Training goals include advanced skill development in behavioral observations, interviewing, psychological assessment, counseling, and treatment planning and practice, consultation, effective use of supervision, and an understanding of and commitment to the profession’s ethical codes. Students must complete a one-year, full-time pre-doctoral internship that has been approved by the program.

Accreditation and Licensure

The PhD in Counseling Psychology at Northeastern University is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of the American Psychological Association and meets the “Guidelines for Defining ‘Doctoral Degree in Psychology’” as implemented by the ASPPB/National Register Designation Project.

Therefore, a graduate of this designated program who decides to apply for licensure as a psychologist typically will meet the jurisdictional educational requirements for licensing. However, individual circumstances vary, and, there may be additional requirements that must be satisfied prior to being licensed as a psychologist, potentially including specific clinical practice supervision requirements at the advanced practicum, internship, and post-doctoral level.

Students should contact the state/provincial/territorial licensing board in the jurisdiction in which they plan to apply for exact information. Additional information including links to jurisdictions is available on the ASP PB’s website. For questions about the PhD in Counseling Psychology as it relates to doctoral psychology licensure, please contact Program Director Christie Rizzo .

Handbooks and Tools

Sample curriculum.

Students will enter the program with a master’s degree. It is anticipated that the time to completion is a minimum of four years.

Total 62 Credits

The curriculum is subject to change so please also check the university catalog .

• Dissertation

CAEP 6390 History and Systems of Psychology

CAEP 6394 Advanced Multicultural Psychology

CAEP 7750 Biological Bases of Behavior

CAEP 7755 Cognitive and Affective Bases of Behavior

CAEP 775 6 Social Psychology in an Organizational and Ecological Context

Complete 8 semester hours from the following :

CAEP 77 41 Advanced Fieldwork 1

CAEP 77 4 2 Advanced Fieldwork 2

CAEP 77 4 3 Advanced Fieldwork 3

CAEP 77 4 4 Advanced Fieldwork 4

CAEP  6350 Introduction to Cognitive Assessment

CAEP  6352 Personality Assessment

CAEP 6360 Consultation and Program Evaluation

CAEP 7710 Advanced Clinical Assessment

CAEP 7720 Advanced Clinical Interventions

CAEP 7758 Doctoral Seminar in Contemporary Theories of Psychotherapy

Three semester hours can be chosen from any graduate level CAEP course or combination of graduate level CAEP courses outside of the PhD in Counseling Psychology program of study. Other electives may be chosen upon approval of the program director and faculty adviser:

Professional

Complete 6 semester hours from the following:

CAEP 7701 Doctoral Seminar in Counseling Psychology (Repeatable 3 times for 1 credit and 3 times for 0 credits)

CAEP 7732 Legal and Ethical Issues in Community and Educational Settings

CAEP 7711 Measurement: Advanced Psychometric Principles

CAEP 7712 Intermediate Statistical Data Analysis Techniques

CAEP 7716 Advanced Research and Data Analyses 2

Complete 3 semester hours. Prior to beginning internship consult with director, DCT, and/or the Doctoral Internship Seminar instructor.

CAEP 7798 Doctoral Internship

CAEP 9990 Dissertation Term 1

CAEP 9991 Dissertation Term 2

Admissions Requirements

Candidates for admission are expected to meet the following requirements:

Master’s degree in psychology or related field

Strong academic record (3.5 GPA and above preferred)

Demonstrated interest in and commitment to counseling psychology

Official TOEFL or IELTS*

Three letters of reference 

Personal statement. The applicant may wish to highlight:

• Specific research and clinical interests
• Long-term career goals.
• Current and past clinical and research experiences
• Fit with program emphasis

Completed application (due December 1)

Personal interviews with the faculty and current students will be held in February

Got questions?

Christie Rizzo, PhD Program Director 617-373-2486

Or contact our Graduate Enrollment team.

The Counseling Psychology PhD program will not require students to submit GRE (General Test of the Graduate Record Exam) scores for the Fall 2023 admissions cycle. Applicants who have taken or are planning to take the GRE may submit their scores if they choose. Those applicants choosing not to submit GRE scores will not be negatively impacted in the admissions decision process. Applications will be evaluated based on all materials provided. 

Admission is based on evaluation of the above factors, previous relevant experiences, and your fit within our program. The program faculty reviews your credentials to assess the likelihood of your successful completion of the program and your potential for contribution to the field of counseling psychology and the community at large.

Student Admissions Outcomes and Other Data

Program details.

• Minimum of two years of advanced fieldwork
• At least 20 hours per week at an approved fieldwork site with supervision by a licensed psychologist or a licensed psychiatrist for a minimum of 600 hours per year
• Minimum of one hour of individual supervision per week by a licensed doctoral level psychologist
• Minimum of half (50%) of the 20 hours per week are required in direct service

Research Topics

Applied psychology program for eating and appearance research — appear, faculty leaders.

Rachael Rodgers Jessica Edwards George

Dating Violence and Relationship Risk Prevention Team

Faculty leader.

Christie Rizzo

Feminist Therapy and Theory; Feminist Ecological Model

William Sanchez

Intersectionality Lab in Applied Psychology

Tracy Robinson-Wood

Mindfulness for Health Behavior Change

Laura Dudley

Use of Technology and Games for Health Behavior Change

Babatunde Aideyan received a BA in Psychology from Emory University and an MA in Counseling from Northwestern University. Tunde began the Counseling Psychology program in 2018 and is a PhD candidate at Northeastern University. He has several years of work experience in corporate work environments where he developed data analysis and survey research skills.

At Northeastern, Tunde has researched with his advisor, Dr. Jessica Edwards George, the neurocognitive effects of gluten exposure in individuals with celiac disease. While obtaining his master’s degree, Tunde interned at a community mental health agency that supported group home and foster care residents, as well as in a private practice setting.

At the doctoral level, Tunde spent a year at Butler Hospital administering neuropsychological assessments for individuals presenting with memory problems; he is currently co-facilitating resilience training groups at the MGH Resilience and Prevention Program.

Clinically, Tunde is interested in breathwork practices, health psychology, and strength-oriented counseling. His research interests involve using artificial intelligence methods for improving mental health diagnosis and prognosis.

Payton Bruland has been a doctoral student in the Counseling Psychology program at Northeastern University since the Fall of 2019. She earned her Bachelor’s degree in Psychology from Seattle Pacific University and her Master’s degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling at Gonzaga University.

At Northeastern, Payton works on the SNAP/Social Research team with Dr. Christie Rizzo and the More Fun with Sisters and Brothers (MFWSB) team with Dr. Laurie Kramer. Her research interests align with each of these labs, examining both protective and risk factors among children and adolescence in the areas of emotion regulation and interpersonal relationships.

Payton also has an interest in the ways childhood trauma affects outcomes in adolescence and later life. Clinically, she has worked with children, adolescents, and their families in a variety of settings, including outpatient and inpatient services.

Elizabeth (Libby) Collier enrolled in the Counseling Psychology Ph.D. program at Northeastern in the fall of 2021. Prior to her move to Boston, Libby received an M.A. and Ed.M. in Psychological Counseling from Teachers College, Columbia University. Libby’s clinical fieldwork placement was at Mount Sinai Hospital where she conducted group therapy and individual therapy sessions involving dual diagnosis patients.

During her master’s program, she also spent time in two research labs affiliated with New York University and Columbia University that focused on youth mental health. These studies focused on interventions for adolescents at clinical high risk for psychosis and systems-level interventions concerning youth involved in the juvenile justice system.

Libby is in the Adolescent Relationships and Risk Behavior Lab under the mentorship of Dr. Christie Rizzo. She hopes to continue to work alongside youth at-risk of becoming involved in the juvenile justice system and is interested in mentorship as a facilitator of positive youth development.

Jaylan Abd Elrahman , (She, Her) received her B.A. in Psychology from Wellesley College and her M.Ed. in Human Development and Psychology from Harvard University’s Graduate School of Education, with a concentration in Child Advocacy.

She is currently a member of the Intersectionality Research Lab and her primary research interests rest at the nexus of adolescent identity development, trauma, culture and social change. She previously served in various research roles at Research Triangle Institute (RTI) International, Brookings Institution and Harvard University’s Edmond J. Safra Center for Ethics.

She has been actively involved in facilitating healing justice, youth development and community-based work across the nation for the last nine years, primarily with and for refugee, migrant, and young women of color. She welcomes all connections and can be reached at  [email protected] .

Laura Fischer received a B.A. in Psychology from the University of Rhode Island and an M.S. in Psychology from Drexel University in Philadelphia.

She has held positions across a variety of clinical, research, and community mental health settings, including the Center for Anxiety and Traumatic Stress Disorders at Massachusetts General Hospital, and the National Alliance on Mental Illness.

Her primary clinical and research interests include empirically supported treatments for anxiety disorders, mindfulness-based interventions, and the implications of intersecting identities for mental and physical health.

Ruthann Hewett has been a doctoral student in the Counseling Psychology Ph.D. program since the Fall of 2021. She holds a dual BA from Brandeis University in Psychology and Health: Science, Society & Policy (2016), as well as an MS from Northeastern University’s Counseling Psychology master’s program (2020).

She is a member of the Intersectionality Research Team under the supervision of Dr. Tracy Robinson-Wood. She has worked on research projects with the Intersectionality team including a study of the racial socialization experiences of biracial adults.

Prior to beginning her MS, she worked as a research coordinator at Massachusetts General Hospital in the Psychiatric and Neurodevelopmental Genetics Unit. She has also worked as an intern clinician at the Therapeutic After School Program at the Home for Little Wanderers, and as a clinician at the Therapeutic After School Program at the Italian Home for Children.

Her interests include examining oppressive power systems operating within mental health treatment facilities, particularly state funded institutions, and interrogating how these systems can be modified to better serve clients with intersecting marginalized identities.

Katherine Laveway is a Ph.D. student in Counseling Psychology and a member of the Applied Psychology Program for Eating and Appearance Research (APPEAR) team since the Fall of 2020. She received her M.S. in Counseling Psychology from Northeastern University and her B.A. in English and Music from Wellesley College.

During her master’s training, Katherine gained clinical experience working in inpatient and outpatient settings at UMass Memorial Medical Center. Katherine’s research interests include body image and eating concerns among queer and trans individuals. She is particularly interested in sociocultural constructions of gender, experiences of weight stigma, and the role of social media on the psychological health of young people.

Madeline Manning has been a PhD student in the Counseling Psychology program at Northeastern University since the Fall of 2017. She received her B.A. in Psychology and Communications from Stonehill College (2015) and her M.A. in Mental Health Counseling and Behavioral Medicine from Boston University School of Medicine (2017). She will be completing her pre-doctoral internship at Nicklaus Children’s Hospital in the Neuropsychology Track with the goal of pursuing a career in Pediatric Neuropsychology.

Prior to beginning her doctoral training, Madeline worked as a mental health counselor in the adult inpatient psychiatric unit at Tufts Medical Center. She also worked as a clinical research assistant at the Pediatric Anxiety Research Clinic (PARC) at Bradley Hospital and the Division of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry at Rhode Island Hospital where she helped conduct research on the dissemination of treatment for Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder/other anxiety related disorders in children and exploring factors which impact adolescent suicidality post-inpatient level of care.

During her graduate training, she completed clinical practicum experiences at Brigham and Women’s Hospital Department of Cognitive and Behavioral Neurology, Rhode Island Hospital Pediatric Neuropsychology Program, Pediatric Neuropsychological Assessment at Butler Hospital Adolescent Inpatient Psychiatric Unit, Hasbro Children’s Sleep Disorder Clinic, Hasbro Children’s Partial Hospitalization Program, Boston Children’s at Martha Eliot Health Center (Mental Health Clinic and Early Intervention Program), and Franciscan Children’s Hospital Community Based Acute Treatment (CBAT) Unit.

She is part of the Adolescent Relationships and Risk Behavior Research Lab and the More Fun with Sisters and Brothers Research Lab, and also completed the Early Intervention Certification Program at Northeastern. Madeline’s primary research interests include exploring the protective factors that promote resilience in children and adolescents, as well as integrating community and individual resilience to violence and trauma. Madeline also has interests in the areas of adolescent dating violence prevention, pediatric psychology, anxiety disorders, and mood disorders.

Chantal Muse received an M.A. from Chatham University and a B.A. from Duquesne University. Previously, she worked on a study examining how employment status effects the health and well-being of Sub-Saharan African women. Also, she held a clinical position at Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic Acute Adult Trauma Unit and the Comprehensive Services and Recovery Unit. Her primary research and clinical interests are working with cancer patients, examining the patient-provider relationship, specifically the relationship between African-American women with breast cancer and white doctors, and health communication.

Briana Paulo previously studied at the University of Rhode Island for a B.A. in Psychology and Sociology, with a minor in Thanatology. She later earned a M.A. in Psychology Research from the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth in 2017. Briana came to Northeastern University in the Fall of 2020 with clinical experiences in a variety of settings with children and adolescents who experience a range of social, behavioral, and emotional difficulties. She also held a clinical research position at the Pediatric Anxiety Research Center (PARC) at Bradley Hospital, where she led outreach and collaboration efforts with schools, pediatric office, and other community partners, conducted semi-structured diagnostic assessments, and facilitated in-home/in-community exposure and response prevention (ERP) sessions with children and adolescents.

Briana currently works with the Dating Violence and Relationship Risk Prevention Team, led by Dr. Christie Rizzo. Her work in this lab involves studies that assess health-related behaviors and interpersonal communication patterns of juvenile-justice involved teens to understand risk and protective factors of dating violence. Briana’s research and clinical interests lie in socioemotional and behavioral issues in children/adolescents of traditionally marginalized populations and increasing awareness of and access to mental health resources.

Lisa Rines-Toth received her Master of Arts and Master of Education degrees in Psychological Counseling from Teachers College, Columbia University. She also holds a BA in English Literature from Columbia University. Prior to beginning her doctoral studies at Northeastern, Lisa worked at St. Luke’s-Roosevelt Hospital in New York City as a clinician in the psychiatric emergency department. Lisa’s primary research and clinical interests are in the general areas of integrated behavioral care, crisis intervention, addiction and mindfulness & yoga. Lisa currently works as a counselor in the Department of Psychiatry at Boston Medical Center.

Kaitlyn Schneider received an M.S. from Villanova University and a B.S. from Worcester Polytechnic Institute. Her primary research interests are in the areas of domestic violence, attachment, and trauma. Her previous work has explored the development of a rater-based method to measure secondary attachment strategies enacted within the maternal-fetal attachment relationship. She has also previously worked clinically with clients experiencing domestic violence.

Isabella “Isa” Sereno has been a PhD student in the Counseling Psychology program at Northeastern University since the Fall of 2020. Isa received a BS in Psychology from the University of Central Florida and an MA in Counselor Education, Clinical Mental Health Track, from Virginia Tech. Isa worked as a treatment coordinator at the Latinas y Niño’s Center in Casa Esperanza Inc., a substance abuse residential program for Latinx women in recovery and their children, where she worked closely with monolingual Spanish-speaking women and their families. Isa also worked as a clinical research coordinator II at the Massachusetts General Hospital’s Cancer Outcome Research and Education program (CORE), helping conduct research in palliative care for patients diagnosed with advanced cancer and their caregivers. She is a part of the APPEAR lab and is working under the mentorship of Dr. Jessica Edwards-George and Dr. Rachel Rodgers. Isa will be completing her advanced fieldwork practicum at Martha Eliot Health Center/Boston Children’s Hospital. She is fluent in Spanish and is interested in understanding racial and ethnic disparities that affect the caregiver experience within health settings, particularly parents of children with complex care needs.

We train multiculturally competent counseling psychologists who are:

• Clinically adept in multiple settings with a variety of psychological and health-related issues
• Able to conceptualize, conduct, and evaluate research across biological, cultural, and relational systems in numerous social contexts, such as families, schools, neighborhoods, and communities.

(i) Research

• Demonstrate the substantially independent ability to formulate research or other scholarly activities (e.g., critical literature reviews, dissertation, efficacy studies, clinical case studies, theoretical papers, program evaluation projects, program development projects) that are of sufficient quality and rigor to have the potential to contribute to the scientific, psychological, or professional knowledge base.
• Conduct research or other scholarly activities.
• Critically evaluate and disseminate research or other scholarly activity via professional publication and presentation at the local (including the host institution), regional, or national level.

(ii) Ethical and legal standards

• the current version of the APA Ethical Principles of Psychologists and Code of Conduct;
• Relevant laws, regulations, rules, and policies governing health service psychology at the organizational, local, state, regional, and federal levels; and
• Relevant professional standards and guidelines.
• Recognize ethical dilemmas as they arise, and apply ethical decision-making processes in order to resolve the dilemmas.
• Conduct self in an ethical manner in all professional activities.

( iii) Individual and cultural diversity

• An understanding of how their own personal/cultural history, attitudes, and biases may affect how they understand and interact with people different from themselves.
• Knowledge of the current theoretical and empirical knowledge base as it relates to addressing diversity in all professional activities including research, training, supervision/consultation, and service.
• The ability to integrate awareness and knowledge of individual and cultural differences in the conduct of professional roles (e.g., research, services, and other professional activities). This includes the ability to apply a framework for working effectively with areas of individual and cultural diversity not previously encountered over the course of their careers. Also included is the ability to work effectively with individuals whose group membership, demographic characteristics, or worldviews create conflict with their own.
• Demonstrate the requisite knowledge base, ability to articulate an approach to working effectively with diverse individuals and groups, and apply this approach effectively in their professional work.

(iv) Professional values, attitudes, and behaviors

• Behave in ways that reflect the values and attitudes of psychology, including integrity, deportment, professional identity, accountability, lifelong learning, and concern for the welfare of others
• Engage in self-reflection regarding one’s personal and professional functioning; engage in activities to maintain and improve performance, well-being, and professional effectiveness.
• Actively seek and demonstrate openness and responsiveness to feedback and supervision.
• Respond professionally in increasingly complex situations with a greater degree of independence as they progress across levels of training.

(v) Communications and interpersonal skills

• Develop and maintain effective relationships with a wide range of individuals, including colleagues, communities, organizations, supervisors, supervisees, and those receiving professional services.
• Produce and comprehend oral, nonverbal, and written communications that are informative and well-integrated; demonstrate a thorough grasp of professional language and concepts.
• Demonstrate effective interpersonal skills and the ability to manage difficult communication well.

(vi) Assessment

• Demonstrate current knowledge of diagnostic classification systems, functional and dysfunctional behaviors, including consideration of client strengths and psychopathology.
• Demonstrate understanding of human behavior within its context (e.g., family, social, societal and cultural).
• Demonstrate the ability to apply the knowledge of functional and dysfunctional behaviors including context to the assessment and/or diagnostic process.
• Select and apply assessment methods that draw from the best available empirical literature and that reflect the science of measurement and psychometrics; collect relevant data using multiple sources and methods appropriate to the identified goals and questions of the assessment as well as relevant diversity characteristics of the service recipient.
• Interpret assessment results, following current research and professional standards and guidelines, to inform case conceptualization, classification, and recommendations, while guarding against decision-making biases, distinguishing the aspects of assessment that are subjective from those that are objective.
• Communicate orally and in written documents the findings and implications of the assessment in an accurate and effective manner sensitive to a range of audiences.

(vii) Intervention

• Establish and maintain effective relationships with the recipients of psychological services.
• Develop evidence-based intervention plans specific to the service delivery goals.
• Implement interventions informed by the current scientific literature, assessment findings, diversity characteristics, and contextual variables.
• Demonstrate the ability to apply the relevant research literature to clinical decision making.
• Modify and adapt evidence-based approaches effectively when a clear evidence-base is lacking.
• Evaluate intervention effectiveness, and adapt intervention goals and methods consistent with ongoing evaluation.

(viii) Supervision

• Demonstrate knowledge of supervision models and practices.
• Apply supervision knowledge in direct or simulated practice with psychology trainees, or other health professionals. Examples of direct or simulated practice examples of supervision include, but are not limited to, role-played supervision with others, and peer supervision with other trainees.

(ix) Consultation and interprofessional/interdisciplinary skills

• Demonstrate knowledge and respect for the roles and perspectives of other professions.
• Demonstrates knowledge of consultation models and practices.

To prepare graduates for the role of professional psychologists, to include advanced skill development in behavioral observations, interviewing, psychological assessment, counseling and treatment planning and practice, consultation, effective use of supervision and an understanding of and commitment to the profession’s ethical codes.

Objective 1A: Students will be exposed to various professional roles including student teaching, participation in research projects where they are mentored by faculty and mentor peers and/or junior colleagues.

• Competency 1A1: Students will demonstrate a thorough understanding of their roles as clinicians.
• Competency 1A2: Students will demonstrate a thorough understanding of their roles as educators.
• Competency 1A3: Students will demonstrate a thorough understanding of their roles as community change agents ethically serving diverse populations and advocating for social justice.
• Competency 1A4: Students will demonstrate a thorough understanding of their roles as researchers.

To foster understanding and application of the scientific basis of clinical practice in psychotherapy and clinical assessment

• Objective 2A: Students will acquire an understanding of the biological, cognitive and affective, and social aspects of behavior.
• Objective 2B: Students will acquire knowledge of the history and systems of psychology
• Objective 2C: Students will acquire knowledge of empirical research regarding effective clinical practice, assessment, and interventions.
• Objective 2D: Students will acquire knowledge of contemporary theories that explicate human behavior across the lifespan.
• Objective 2E: Students will study current evidenced based practices in psychotherapy, psychological testing, and biological bases of clinical practice.
• Objective 2F: Students will acquire knowledge and skills to implement evidence-based clinical interventions with diverse populations.
• Competency 2A: Students will understand the regulation of biological and emotional functions of the nervous system.
• Competency 2B: Students will understand the contribution of environmental factors to brain development, to the development of the mind, and to their functions.
• Competency 2C: Students will understand theories and research with respect to clinical efficacy.
• Competency 2D: Students will understand contemporary theories of human behavior from a lifespan developmental perspective.
• Competency 2E1: Students will demonstrate a thorough understanding of current evidence based practices in psychotherapy, psychological testing, and the neuroscientific bases of clinical practice.
• Competency 2E2: Students will develop the ability to select and apply evidence-based interventions and to assess progress and outcomes.
• Competency 2F1: Students will demonstrate that they are familiar with outcome research for various intervention strategies.
• Competency 2F2: Students will develop the ability to implement a wide range of developmental, preventive, remedial, and psychoeducational interventions, including psychotherapy, crisis management, consultation and dealing with emergency psychological/psychiatric situations with people across sources of difference.

To produce graduates who possess advanced and applied research skills within an ecological perspective

• Objective 3A: Students will be involved in course work on advanced and applied research skills.
• Objective 3B: Students will become proficient in reporting research findings.
• Objective 3C: Students will be able to critically evaluate research from an ecological perspective.
• Competency 3A1: Students will demonstrate competency in research design and data analysis related to health and illness using quantitative, qualitative, and mixed methods models.
• Competency 3A2: Students will be able to develop meaningful research questions, based upon theories and models in the scholarly research literature.
• Competency 3A3: Students will be able to implement appropriate research design, methods, and statistical analyses, consistent with the research questions.
• Competency 3A4: Students will understand advantages and disadvantages of various research designs, modes of inquiry, data collection methods, statistical procedures, and measurement concepts.
• Competency 3B: Students will demonstrate the ability to report their research investigations appropriately, including knowledge of the socio-cultural contexts in the interpretation of the data.
• Competency 3C1: Students will demonstrate the ability to evaluate and critically assess the methodology of empirical research and the validity of research conclusions within a multicultural/ecological perspective.
• Competency 3C2: Students will be able to integrate themselves in research projects on research teams that stress a multicultural/ecological perspective.
• Competency 3C3: Students will successfully complete their dissertation proposals grounded within a multicultural/ecological perspective.

To produce graduates who are committed to and demonstrate ethical practice as counseling psychologists.

• Objective 4A: Students will learn through courses, mentoring, and supervision in the ethical codes of the profession.
• Objective 4B: Student will learn through courses and supervised clinical experiences, local, state, and national laws affecting professional psychological practice.
• Competency 4A: Students will become competent in understanding the codes of ethics and professional conduct of APA and develop a competent ethical decision-making process.
• Competency 4B: Students will demonstrate understanding of the legal issues affecting practice and resolution of ethical/legal conflicts that may occur.

To produce graduates who are multiculturally competent across sources of difference, including race, ethnicity, gender, class, religion/spirituality, disability, and sexual orientation, in both clinical and research settings.

Objective 5A: Students will study, be mentored in, and be exposed to multicultural perspectives that stress the understanding of different worldviews and confronting forms of oppression.

• Competency 5A1: Students will be able to integrate multiple worldviews and important historical and political positions in their clinical and research activities.
• Competency 5A2: Students will be able to understand their own positions of privilege, related to race, gender, social class, ability, and/or sexual orientation and its effect on their work as professional psychologists.
• Competency 5A3: Students will be able to integrate and actively advocate for the elimination of racism, sexism, class oppression, homophobia, ageism, and other forms of oppression.
• Competency 5A4: Students will be able to conceptualize and advocate for social and economic justice as professional psychologists.

To advance the field of counseling psychology using program strengths: (a) an interdisciplinary and interprofessional approach to clinical services provision and enhancement of the science of health promotion and health psychology; (b) stress on urban, community-based interventions using an ecological approach.

• Objective 6A: Students will be exposed to interprofessional models of health promotion research within the Bouvé College of Health Sciences.
• Objective 6B: Students will study the strengths and challenges facing urban populations and work within health promotion and prevention.
• Competency 6A1: Students will develop an understanding of how health promotion research is conceptualized and undertaken by an interprofessional team.
• Competency 6B1: Students will understand the unique challenges facing urban populations and work within settings that provide health promotion and prevention efforts with multicultural populations.

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UCL Institute of Mental Health

About the programme

Information about the UCL Wellcome 4-year PhD in Mental Health Science

Mental illness is very common and a major public health problem. Over half of adult disorders begin by age 15, and one-in-four people in the UK has experienced clinically relevant symptoms within the past year. Treatments help many but do not work for a large proportion of people and, so far, have failed to reduce prevalence.

To create genuine change in this field, we need to develop innovative preventative strategies and treatments and apply existing ones more effectively through understanding the mechanisms that drive symptoms.

The  UCL Wellcome 4-year PhD in Mental Health Science  is an exciting opportunity for students to train in a wide range of the latest methods and techniques in mental health research. This programme, funded in 2019, is the first of its kind in the UK, representing an investment of over £5 million by the Wellcome Trust.  It is based in the UCL Institute of Mental Health and recruits six students per year from 2020 to 2024.

The programme will provide a platform for the interdisciplinary research we need to translate findings from work on mechanisms and risk factors into novel treatments and prevention strategies.

The different themes of the programme are:

Mechanism : Identification of the biological, neural and cognitive processes that drive and maintain the symptoms of mental illness from childhood to old age, particularly drawing on UCL’s world-leading neuroscience. Includes research in: molecular genetics, cellular and systems neuroscience; pharmacology; cognitive neuroscience and neuroimaging; and cognitive psychology.

Population Mental Health : Understanding risk factors for mental illness using epidemiological methods, using birth cohorts to identify social and environmental determinants of mental illness, and genetic epidemiology. Incorporates the rapidly developing field of mental health data science, including new remote data capture approaches and the application of novel machine learning methods to large datasets.

Intervention : Development, targeting and evaluation of new treatments and preventative interventions for mental illness, including experimental medicine and clinical trial methodology. Builds on knowledge relating to modifiable risk factors and causal mechanisms, enabling the development, implementation and targeting of more effective interventions.

Central to our ethos is the co-production of research with people with lived experience of mental illness. We provide training in co-production, involve lived experience researchers at all stages of the research process, and have lived experience representatives on student thesis committees.  

Our ultimate objective is to train outstanding scientists and policy leaders for whom interdisciplinary working is the norm and who can communicate their findings to a wide audience so that their research delivers change. An important priority for the programme is developing transferable skills relevant for a variety of career pathways both within and outside academia, including, for example, policy, the charitable sector, and commercial research organisations.

Studentship details

We offer six fully-funded studentships per year.  Funding includes: 

• A stipend for four years at Wellcome Trust rates (see  Wellcome Trust website   London rates). 
• UCL Tuition fees (UK and overseas rates as applicable)
• Research consumable costs
• Travel allowance 
• Training expense allowance

At the end of the programme, students can apply for ‘transition funds’ to support their transition to the next career stage, whether in academia or another sector. During this period, students can disseminate research findings or take up to 6 months of internships outside academia (e.g. healthcare, the media, teaching, policy, and the commercial and charitable sectors). The funds can only be accessed after the students have submitted their thesis. 

This studentship is also available on a part-time basis. If you wish to undertake this option, please indicate so in your statement of motivation. 

Through this programme, students can join the  UCL-NIMH Joint Doctoral Training Program in Neuroscience , which would involve conducting part of their training at the US National Institutes of Health (NIH), situated near Washington, DC. This would extend the studentship to a fifth year. For students opting to pursue this opportunity, their  stipend and research expenses  would be supported by the NIH during the period spent there.

Overseas applicants (EU and non-EU) are eligible and will not be required to pay additional tuition fees.

Eligibility

This programme is part of Wellcome’s non-clinical four-year PhD studentships in science. We will not normally consider applications from allied health professionals  (doctors, clinical psychologists, other health professionals). We will only do so if candidates demonstrate that they are committed to a career outside clinical practice. Wellcome funds several PhD programmes specifically for health professionals, which are designed for those intending to complete a PhD in the context of clinical training. 

Overseas applicants (EU and non-EU) are eligible and will not be required to pay additional fees. The programme will cover visa costs and NHS surcharge costs.

Applicants whose first language is not English or that do not have a degree from an institution in a majority English speaking country, will need to provide proof of an adequate level of English proficiency. The English language level for this programme is Good. Further information can be found on our  English language requirements  page.

Improving diversity

Equality, diversity, & inclusion are fundamental to society. A key goal for this programme is to increase the representation of students with minoritised status and support their progress and welfare once recruited. With respect to the Equalities Act of 2010, by minoritised status, we refer to ethnicity, recognising that differences between individual ethnicities are very important; gender; sexuality, gender identity and reassignment; disability; age; marriage and civil partnership status; and pregnancy and maternity. We welcome neurodivergent applicants and will make adjustments to the recruitment process to help overcome specific challenges.

At every stage of the educational and professional journey, there are barriers to advancement faced by minoritised people; of particular relevance to this programme is the underrepresentation of ethnic minority groups from undergraduate to PhD level studies in mental health-related disciplines. This is a matter of retention as well as recruitment - once in place, students from ethnic minority groups are vulnerable to discrimination by staff and peers (see Supporting students below).

We recognise that each stage of the recruitment process involves barriers: who feels eligible or entitled to apply, which undertakes the selection process, how applicants are assessed during shortlisting, how interviews are conducted, and how final decisions are made. We are taking steps to tackle each of these:

·        One place each year is ring-fenced for a candidate from an ethnic minority background.

·        We will develop outreach strategies to overcome barriers to application, for example, by targeted dissemination into non-research-intensive universities (which have more diverse student populations) and through ethnic minority societies, as well as organisations that aim to support the participation of ethnic minority students in academia.

·       We have put measures in place to treat students fairly during the selection process, such as removing identifiable and demographic information during shortlisting. Our selection criteria go beyond academic grades and consider evidence of motivation and insight to assess the whole person.

·        We are sensitive to how differences in cultural background between applicants and the interview panel may disadvantage students, and we will ensure that no interview panels are exclusively white.

·        All supervisors must undertake UCL’s Online diversity training for staff and harassment prevention training.

We are also guided by long-term UCL strategies for advancing equity and inclusion, for example, the UCL Equity and Inclusion Plan 2020-2021 .

Programme structure and training

The programme follows a “1+3” model, with a foundational year in year one, followed by three years dedicated to the main PhD project.

Students will undertake three rotation projects, Master’s-level module courses, clinical rotations, and a bespoke set of training seminars during the first year.  

Rotation projects will familiarise students with the different groups in which they may choose to conduct their PhD project. 

Students undertake three rotation projects per year, one from each of the programme’s themes (mechanism, population mental health and intervention). Students select projects from a list of projects offered by Programme supervisors  in each academic year. A list of previous rotation projects undertaken by students on the programme can be found here . 

Students will also follow a taught curriculum of Master’s-level modules at UCL, focused on areas of mental health in which they do not have specific academic training. Students can select courses at FHEQ Level 7 or Level 8 from the   UCL Module Catalogue , with guidance from their mentors. Students should take a minimum of three modules over the year. Typically, students will take 1-2 modules per term.

Students will also have the opportunity to gain experience in clinical mental health settings. This will develop their understanding of clinical problems and enable them to make links with clinicians and patient representatives. We offer 4-week-long, one session a week across a range of settings within the Camden and Islington NHS foundation trust.

The programme also includes purpose-built weekly training seminars covering topics in mental health, good research practice, dissemination skills, mental wellbeing in academic life, co-production, engaging with policymakers, ethical issues in research, critical appraisal, and systematic review training.

Students will also have the opportunity to complete modules in statistics, data analysis and computer programming and engage in a wide range of training available at UCL, including through its  Doctoral Skills Development Programme .

This programme aims for students to receive training in three research Themes through three rotation projects during the first year and subsequently decide on research projects and supervisors for their main PhD projects at the end of the first year. Thus, 

students are not expected to have a pre-identified supervisor or research proposal for their main PhD project at the time of application. 

Primary supervisors must be affiliated with UCL and part of the list of approved supervisors for the programme. Subsidiary supervisors must also be affiliated with UCL (including with honorary contracts).

The main PhD project will be completed in Years 2-4, supported by an interdisciplinary Thesis Committee, which includes representation from each of the three themes of the programme, a clinical mental health practitioner (typically a psychiatrist or clinical psychologist), and at least one person with lived experience of mental health problems.

The programme supports the students in identifying lived experience Thesis Committee members through our partnerships with the UCL Co-Production collective and McPin .

For further information on how to apply to this programme:

Find out more

Student Website

Visit our student-led website to found out more about the students on the programme :

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Read the latest blogs written by our PhD students whilst studying on the programme:

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From Resistance to Recovery

Research shows how to break through doubts about mental health care.

• Featured - Observer
• Mental Health
• Mental Illness
• Public Health
• Stereotypes

Promoting effective messaging   •   Sticking with it

The numbers show why public health officials are declaring a global mental health crisis. At least 970 million people worldwide are living an anxiety and depressive disorder, according to the World Health Organization . And according to a recent longitudinal study, nearly half of adults worldwide will develop a mental disorder in their lifetime (McGrath et al., 2023).  

Researchers, advocates, and care providers have made progress over the past few decades in increasing the number of people receiving appropriate mental health care. Yet most people with mental disorders receive no treatment, and lack of access to care is only part of the problem. Psychological researchers have documented social and cultural misconceptions and prejudices that discourage help-seeking among people with mental and substance use disorders (Corrigan, et al., 2014; Krendl & Perry, 2023).  

In a 2014 report in Psychological Science in the Public Interest ( PSPI ) , researchers led by Patrick W. Corrigan of the Illinois Institute of Technology noted that stigma arises from a variety of sources, including 

• stereotypes and cultural factors that mark people with mental illness as being dangerous and responsible for their illness; 
• people with mental disorders believing the negative public perceptions and viewing themselves as incurable, or therapy as ineffective; 
• structural discrimination that excludes people with these conditions from job, educational, and social opportunities. 

Scientists are investigating techniques and strategies that can break through the stigma barrier and encourage people to seek help from professionals and loved ones.  

Promoting effective messaging  

In their PSPI report, Corrigan and colleagues identified approaches that can help increase care-seeking, including promoting personal stories of recovery and developing public-education campaigns.  

But the messaging can be challenging. Mental health care advocates have tried mass communication to encourage people with depression to seek help, but studies have shown that messages can actually reinforce negative stereotypes about mental health care.

Psychology researcher Jason T. Siegel at Claremont Graduate University has demonstrated the use of mistargeted communication— messages that are directed at a target individual but are ostensibly aimed at someone else— as a way to sway individuals with depression into considering treatment. In an online study, the researchers asked 335 participants to complete the Beck Depression Inventory-II to gauge their symptoms of depression over the previous 2 weeks. Some of the participants then saw a direct message (e.g., “Are you feeling distressed? Feeling hopeless?”), while others saw a mistargeted message (“Do you know someone who is distressed? Feeling hopeless?”). They were also asked about their attitudes toward help-seeking for mental illness.  

Among participants who received the direct message, those with higher depression scores generally reported lower intentions to seek help from loved ones. But that relationship didn’t hold for participants who received a mistargeted message. 

The findings indicate that the mistargeted message was more effective at promoting help-seeking than the direct message, Siegel and colleagues said.  

A second online study—in which researchers gave 1,152 participants the same depression inventory and then presented them, by video, with a direct message, a mistargeted message, or a control video featuring falling leaves—yielded similar results to the earlier study. 

“Simply put, although a poorly developed [depression-related public service announcement] can cause harm, a well-developed message can possibly save lives,” the researchers wrote (Siegel et al., 2014). 

Scientists are also testing outreach efforts aimed at people who have a culturally based resistance to mental health treatment. For instance, University of Chicago researchers found that bilingual people from cultures that treat mental health as a taboo topic may be more likely to support treatment when they hear information in their second language. 

Related content: Presenting Information About Mental Health in a Second Language Could Help Counter Cultural Norms Against Treatment

The research team, which included APS Fellow Boaz Keysar, conducted this research with 1,120 native Mandarin speakers living in China and the United States who spoke English as a second language . Bilingual natives of China utilize mental health services less than other groups in the United States, the authors noted. 

In the first of four studies, the researchers presented 201 participants in the United States with a vignette—written in either Mandarin or English—about a person with depression. The participants then read four follow-up descriptions of the individual’s progressive decline in functioning, which ultimately led to a job dismissal.  

After each description, participants rated how strongly they would recommend the depressed person go to a therapist for help. The participants were significantly more likely to recommend therapy when they received information about the individual’s condition in English versus Mandarin, though participants’ responses in both conditions became more similar when the person’s functioning declined enough for them to be fired.  

In their second study, the researchers presented 195 bilingual participants in China with a pair of vignettes about a person’s declining mental or physical health and surveyed them about their beliefs related to mental illness. Unlike in the previous study, participants’ treatment recommendations did not vary with the language in which the vignettes and survey were presented. But when participants were asked about mental health stigma in Mandarin, they were more likely to blame the person for their depression compared to when they were surveyed in English. Participants surveyed in either language reported feelings of anger, fear, and aversion related to the depressed individual.  

In a follow-up study of 392 bilingual people in China, participants again were more likely to recommend mental health treatment for the person when they read the vignette in English. The result suggests that an individual may be subject to this language effect even when not culturally immersed in an English-speaking country, the researchers noted.  

Finally, the research team surveyed 323 participants in China about their cultural values and found, as in most of their previous studies, that participants recommended therapy more strongly when they read the mental health vignette in English versus Mandarin. Participants who reported having more traditional Asian values, including placing a high value on social reputation, emotional control, self-reliance, and collectivism, were also less likely to recommend treatment when they completed the study in Mandarin. When participants completed the study in English, however, their endorsement of traditional Asian cultural values did not influence their recommendations, leading them to be more supportive of mental health treatment.  

Future research could explore how these findings might apply to other bilingual populations and how they can be used to craft outreach initiatives, the researchers said (Heller et al., 2023).  

Messaging can also affect individuals’ willingness to seek help for substance abuse treatment, research finds. A team that included APS Fellow Crystal Hoyt of the University of Richmond found that people who read a message about addiction behaviors being subject to change were more likely to report being open to treatment compared with people who read about addiction as a disease.  

For their study, the researchers enrolled 214 men and women who screened positive for substance abuse. Some participants received a message about multiple ways that people can address their addiction (a growth-mindset condition), while others read about changes in the brain that occur during addiction. All the participants then completed a survey in which they reported how much they blamed themselves for their addiction, how confident they were in changing their substance use, and how likely they were to seek treatment.  

The two groups showed no difference in the amount of blame they placed on themselves for their addiction, nor in their willingness to seek pharmacological treatment. But participants who received the growth- mindset message reported stronger intentions to seek counseling or cognitive behavioral therapy compared with the participants who received the disease message (Burnette et al., 2019).  

Sticking with it  

Getting someone to see a therapist is only the first step. Researchers are also exploring factors that encourage people to stick with treatment once they start it.  

A study in Germany, for example, demonstrated the role that therapists’ traits play in keeping patients engaged. As reported in Clinical Psychological Science , Anna Seewald and Winfried Rief, clinical researchers at the Philipps University of Marburg, found that therapists who demonstrate both competence (e.g., using a clear, confident tone, taking notes, demonstrating expertise) and warmth (e.g., smiling, nodding, making an effort to understand the patient) can inspire patients to develop positive beliefs about the effectiveness of treatment. 

Practitioners with these qualities may also boost patients’ willingness to continue therapeutic treatment, strengthen the therapeutic alliance between patients and practitioners, and even improve clinical results, the authors suggested. 

In their study, Seewald and Rief recruited 187 participants who had not been diagnosed with a mental health condition and were not currently receiving psychological treatment. They invited the participants to imagine attending therapy themselves. 

At the beginning of the study, participants listened to an audio recording of a patient telling their therapist about job-related stress . In a second recording, designed to lower participants’ expectations of the effectiveness of psychotherapy, the patient described a negative experience with therapy. 

In the last part of the study, participants were randomly assigned to view one of four videos of the fictional therapist addressing possible treatments for stress. In these videos, the therapist demonstrated either low competence/low warmth, low competence/high warmth, high competence/low warmth, or high warmth/high competence.  

At this point, participants rated the therapist’s warmth and competence and reported how they perceived the therapist’s proposed treatment. The high warmth/high competence scenario inspired the most positive expectations, the most motivation to start psychotherapy with this hypothetical practitioner, and the most comfort with the therapeutic alliance. The researchers called for investigations into the effect that therapist warmth and competence have on the attitudes of people with specific disorders (Seewald & Rief, 2023).  

Other researchers have delved into the specific strengths and weaknesses that therapists bring to the alliance with patients. In a double-blind, randomized control trial led by clinical psychology researcher Michael Constantino of the University of Massachusetts Amherst, patients had better outcomes when they were matched with therapists who had a track record of effectively treating the patients’ primary problem. Patients who had the most severe problems and those who identified as racial or ethnic minorities appeared to benefit most from this type of match.  

The study involved 48 therapists and 218 outpatients at community clinics in Cleveland, Ohio. Constantino and colleagues assigned some patients to a provider using a matching algorithm and others through conventional means. Therapists and patients were not told how they’d been matched.  

“Notably, the good fit in this study came not from changing what the therapists did in their treatment, but rather who they treated,” Constantino and colleagues reported in JAMA Psychiatry (Boswell et al., 2022). 

Clinical scientists emphasize that findings from research on attitudes about mental illness can help shift those views and erode the psychological, social, and cultural factors that keep people from getting treatment. 

As Corrigan wrote in his book, Challenging the Stigma of Mental Illness: Lessons for Therapists and Advocates , the stigma is “first and foremost a social justice issue.” 

Boswell, J. F., Constantino, M. J., Coyne, A. E., & Kraus, D. R. (2022). For whom does a match matter most? Patient-level moderators of evidence-based patient–therapist matching.  Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology , 90 (1), 61–74.  https://doi.org/10.1037/ccp0000644  

Burnette, J. L., Forsyth, R. B., Desmarais, S. L., & Hoyt, C. L. (2019). Mindsets of addiction: Implications for treatment intentions. Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology , 38 (5), 367. https://doi.org/10.1521/jscp.2019.38.5.367   

Corrigan, P. W., Druss, B. G., & Perlick, D. A. (2014). The impact of mental illness stigma on seeking and participating in mental health care.  Psychological Science in the Public Interest ,  15 (2), 37–70.  https://doi.org/10.1177/1529100614531398  

Heller, U. C., Grant, L. H., Yasui, M., & Keysar, B. (2023). Culturally anchored mental-health attitudes: The impact of language.  Clinical Psychological Science , 12 (2), 290–304.  https://doi.org/10.1177/21677026221148110    

Krendl, A. C., & Perry, B. L. (2023). Stigma toward substance dependence: Causes, consequences, and potential interventions.  Psychological Science in the Public Interest ,  24 (2), 90–126.  https://doi.org/10.1177/15291006231198193  

McGrath, J. J., Al-Hamzawi, A., Alonso, J., Altwaijri, Y., Andrade, L. H., Bromet, E. J., Bruffaerts, R., de Almeida, J. M. C., Chardoul, S., Chiu, W. T., Degenhardt, L., Demler, O. V., Ferry, F., Gureje, O., Haro, J. M., Karam, E. G., Karam, G., Khaled, S. M., Kovess-Masfety, V., … & Kessler, R. C. (2023). Age of onset and cumulative risk of mental disorders: a cross-national analysis of population surveys from 29 countries.  The Lancet Psychiatry ,  10 (9), 668–681. https://doi.org/10.1016/S2215-0366(23)00193-1  

Seewald, A., & Rief, W. (2022). How to change negative outcome expectations in psychotherapy? The role of the therapist’s warmth and competence.  Clinical Psychological Science , 11 (1), 149–163. https://doi.org/10.1177/21677026221094331  

Siegel, J., Lienemann, B., & Tan, C. (2014). Influencing help-seeking among people with elevated depressive symptomatology: Mistargeting as a persuasive technique . Clinical Psychological Science , 3 (2), 242–255.  https://doi.org/10.1177/2167702614542846  

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About the Author

Scott Sleek is a communications consultant to APS and  Observer Interim Editor. Read Sleek’s last feature on how people gauge the magnitude of science .

Substance-Use Stigma Impedes Treatment in Various Ways, Scientists Say

Addiction is one of society’s most misunderstood and rebuked health conditions. That stigma discourages many people from seeking treatment for substance dependence, according to a new report published in Psychological Science in the Public Interest .

Reducing Biases in the Graduate School Admissions Process

During the Inclusivity Spotlight discussion at the 2022 APS Annual Convention, three social scientists who are thought leaders in the area of diversity, equity, and inclusion in higher education shared research-based perspectives on and potential solutions to bias in the graduate admissions process.

Destigmatizing Their Own Truths: Clinical Psychologists’ Lived Experiences of Psychopathologies  

Despite the nature of clinical psychologists’ work, there is a stigma around disclosing personal mental health difficulties or diagnoses, even if those difficulties or diagnoses are the reason they chose to enter the field.

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MA in Mental Health Counseling Cost & Attendance

For the ma in mental health counseling graduate program, the total program is 60 credits (graduate classes are typically 3 credits each). graduate students tuition costs per semester is based on how many credits they are enrolled in each semester.  below is a breakdown for new york state residents and out of state or international students tuition rates., to assist with a better understanding of what to expect from overall tuition costs we have provided an estimated breakdown below for both new york in state tuition students as well as out of state tuition students. please note these numbers are based off what is currently in place as of 4/24/2024 and tuition rates are subject to change. all costs are quoted in usd., please note the costs listed above do not include cost of living expenses such as housing, food, transportation, books and supplies and personal expenses..

Additional Baruch College Tuition & Financial Aid Resources:

Baruch College Tuition & Fees: https://adminfinance.baruch.cuny.edu/bursar/tuition/  

Baruch College Academic/Refund Calendar: https://enrollmentmanagement.baruch.cuny.edu/registrar/academic-calendar/ 

The College’s tuition payment and refund schedule can be found here:  https://adminfinance.baruch.cuny.edu/bursar/tuition/refunds/

Information about Financial Aid for Graduate Students can be found here.  https://enrollmentmanagement.baruch.cuny.edu/financial-aid-services/financial-aid-graduate-information/

Please note: If your tuition and fees will be paid through an employee benefit, you will need to submit your voucher or letter from your employer that allows the College authority to bill them for your tuition and fees. The voucher or letter must be on company letterhead and state your name, student ID number, semester, and the amount of the voucher or what the voucher will cover. If you apply and our admitted into the program, your student ID number will be provided after you accept the offer of admission.

The information on this page was published 4/24/24

Apr. 25, 2024

Rice doctoral alumnus jacob beckham earns schmidt science fellowship, prestigious award to support his research on gut bacteria’s influence on mental health.

Jacob Beckham, who earned his Ph.D. in chemistry in 2023, was announced a Schmidt Science Fellow Wednesday, marking the third consecutive year a Rice graduate has won one of the prestigious awards.

“I’m incredibly excited and thankful for this opportunity,” Beckham said. “The Schmidt Science Fellows promote an interdisciplinary approach to science and a focus on ambitious and impactful projects, both of which align with my own values. I feel lucky to be supported in my postdoctoral work by such a wonderful fellowship community.”

The Schmidt Science Fellows postdoctoral program is supported by Schmidt Sciences, a philanthropic initiative co-founded by former Google CEO Eric Schmidt and his wife, Wendy, in partnership with Rhodes Trust .

Schmidt Science Fellows seeks out the world’s best, emerging scientists who have completed a Ph.D. in natural sciences, computing, engineering or mathematics and places them in fellowships in a field different from their existing expertise, according to its website . The program funds training for the scientists and the research they undertake and creates a community of interdisciplinary leaders.

“Welcoming each new cohort is an important milestone in our mission to cultivate a community of interdisciplinary science leaders who, through fellowship, will enhance discovery, magnify impact and deliver science with lasting benefits to society,” Schmidt Science Fellows Executive Director Megan Kenna said.

Beckham is a postdoctoral associate at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. In his doctoral work at Rice, he worked under Professor James Tour, studying graphene, molecular machines and other carbon nanomaterials. As a Schmidt Fellow, he will pivot from chemistry to biological sciences, exploring how the bacteria in a person’s gut influence mental health and developing new bioelectronic therapeutics for anxiety. Recent findings show that the bacteria in a person’s digestive tract play a surprisingly large role in mood disorders, according to Schmidt Sciences. However, scientists haven’t yet identified the circuits and proteins that drive the effects of these bacteria on the brain.

Beckham’s proposed experiments aim to create a better understanding of how bacteria reduce anxiety and how their signaling can be mimicked to treat mental health issues, according to Schmidt Sciences.

“Jacob is an excellent scientist,” said Tour, Rice’s T. T. and W. F. Chao Professor of Chemistry and professor of materials science and nanoengineering. “He is able to pick up a new project and become an expert in the area very quickly and then make enormous contributions by capitalizing on his breadth of talent. He is destined to be an academic star, and this Schmidt Science Fellowship is one important step along the way.”

Beckham joins fellow Rice Ph.D. alumni Natsumi Komatsu , a 2022 electrical and computer engineering graduate, and Joshua Chen , a 2023 bioengineering graduate, in receiving a Schmidt Science Fellowship. Komatsu is a postdoctoral researcher at the University of California, Berkeley, and Chen is a presidential postdoctoral fellow at the California Institute of Technology.

“The Schmidt Science Fellowship is one of the most prestigious postdoctoral awards in the world, providing significant mentorship and opportunity for Ph.D. graduates who want to continue their academic career,” said Seiichi Matsuda, Rice’s dean of graduate and postdoctoral studies. “To have three from Rice in three years speaks to the quality and ambitions of our graduate students.”

Launched in 2018, the Schmidt Science Fellowship promotes an interdisciplinary approach among scientific fields in order to solve the world’s biggest challenges and support future leaders in STEM. The 2024 fellows consist of 32 scholars from 17 nationalities representing North America, Europe and Asia.

Learn more about the Schmidt Science Fellows here .

Two Students Honored With Aggie Ring Handoff By US Marine Corps Commandant At The Pentagon

There’s really no wrong way to receive an Aggie Ring — it’s one of the most memorable and fulfilling moments in the life of a Texas A&M University student. But some ring presentations are more unique than others, such as when the head of the United States Marine Corps Gen. Eric Smith ‘87, himself an Aggie, presents the gold at the Pentagon.

That’s what happened last week for Susan Liu ’26 and Lee Thornton ’25, who are currently working as interns in Washington, D.C., through Texas A&M’s Public Policy Internship Program ( PPIP ) and Agricultural and Natural Resources Policy Internship Program ( ANRP ).

Liu, a sophomore supply chain management major, originally from Manhattan, New York, is interning with the U.S. Space Force (USSF) Public Affairs, Strategies and Assessment team.

“It was such a special moment,” she said of the ring event. “I pitched the idea earlier in the year kind of as a joke to one of the program staff like, ‘It’d be really cool if the commandant could give me my ring.’ And they said they’d talk about it. I never in a million years thought it would actually be Gen. Smith. He’s truly been someone that I’ve looked up to, so having him hand off the ring was very special.”

Thornton agreed, saying it was “an honor” to receive his ring from Smith, and at the Pentagon no less. “I don’t know how I can put it into words,” said the agribusiness major from Winnie, Texas. “Gen. Smith is so wise and encouraging and said he was proud to be there. To hear that was amazing and to have met him in the coolest building I’ve ever seen, it was truly an experience I will cherish for a lifetime.”

The students’ friends and family members were present for the special ceremony, as was Texas A&M University System Regent Randy Brooks ’86, who was in D.C. for meetings.

Stephanie Webb, director of Policy Internship Programs, says she was overjoyed for these students to have had such an extraordinary handoff. “We are proud of Susan and Lee, not only for achieving this major milestone as Aggies, but for representing our university well as interns in Washington, D.C., this semester,” she said. “Their achievement not only symbolizes their dedication and hard work but also reflects the honor and integrity they embody as Aggies. We look forward to seeing what they accomplish in their lives and careers moving forward.”

25 Years Of Top-Level Internships

This year PPIP is celebrating its 25th year as one of Texas A&M’s premier leadership and development programs. It was founded in 1999 by Dr. Ray Bowen, the university’s president at the time, to “respond to society’s increasing interest and participation in public policy issues and programs.” Today, as part of the Provost’s Office, PPIP inspires students from across the university to explore careers in policy regardless of major.

Undergraduate and graduate students who are accepted into the program earn credit while actively participating in state, national and international policy processes through internships with top-level organizations. Since the program was established, nearly 1,200 Aggies have interned in Austin, Washington, D.C., and several European locations.

ANRP is PPIP’s agricultural sister program, which inspired the broader program. “We believe that public policy impacts every professional industry and every individual person,” said Webb. “Through this experience students not only explore their career interests, build their resume, and develop important skills, but they can better prepare for a life of engaged citizenship by actively participating in the process for a semester.

“Furthermore,” she continued, “these programs provide opportunities for students to learn about themselves, their strengths, and areas for growth, helping them become more confident and capable individuals. Together our intern programs have forged career paths for more than 2,200 Aggies. These days, you can find program alumni serving as staffers, lobbyists, government officials, and working in many public policy fields.”

Thornton said the experience has been life-changing in multiple ways. “I’ve learned to never be afraid to ask questions, be confident in your demeanor, and always take opportunities presented to you that push you out of your comfort zone,” he said. “My entire approach to policy has changed as a result of this experience, and I feel a lot more optimistic about the future. We have people in the government who care, and it’s amazing to see it all unfold around you in D.C.”

During his internship, Lee is working for the National Association of Wheat Growers (NAWG), a bipartisan lobbying firm that represents wheat growers and farmers on the federal level.

“Lee has been a tremendous help in setting up for hill visits and NAWG meetings this spring,” said NAWG CEO Chandler Goule in a recent press release . Notably, Goule himself is an ANRP intern alumnus. “We really appreciate his contributions to our team during the course of his internship and look forward to seeing where he goes from here.”

Thornton says he still has a year to decide, “but I think that I want to work on Capitol Hill as a staff assistant and possibly move to agricultural legislative assistant afterwards before I go to grad school,” he said. “The agricultural policy fire has been lit beneath me thanks to this internship.”

For Liu, as a supply chain management student working in Space Force communications, her job brought new perspective. “I think one of the biggest lessons that I learned through all the things that I’ve done, and my internship, is no matter what field that you’re in, you’re going to need to be able to communicate effectively and know your audience,” she said. “Those are crucial skills to have, and I think it’s going to benefit me in the future in my supply chain career.”

Col. Jennifer Lovett, chief of Space Force Public Affairs Strategies and Analysis Branch, said interns play vital roles at USSF. “The Texas A&M interns who’ve worked for Space Force are top notch,” she said. “They provide such a great service to us, working to brief Department of Defense senior leaders, provide insights into the media environment, and support analysis for defense testimony. They are all an invaluable part of our team.”

Webb says when she looks back on 25 years of policy internships for Aggies, she sees connection to the university’s land-grant mission. “It’s about taking higher education and putting it into practice for the people,” she said. “Texas A&M recognizes internships as an integral part of its curriculum, enabling students to participate in structured, supervised learning experiences outside the traditional classroom. Internships are essential experiences that employers look for from college graduates.

“The Policy Internship Programs represent a unique opportunity to directly engage in the public policy process, offering benefits that are unparalleled by other university programs across the nation,” she continued. “By incorporating practical work experience in a professional environment, students are able to build on knowledge from previous coursework and prepare for life after graduation.”

Learn more about PPIP and ANRP online.

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