M.A. Psychopharmacology

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Program Description

The M.A. Psychopharmacology program is program designed to provide general knowledge of psychopharmacology and medical conditions that are relevant to mental health care. It is designed for practitioners and leaders who are not psychologists or doctoral psychology students, but who have undergraduate/graduate degrees in related fields.  Program students may include licensed clinical social workers, hospital staff, nurses, and related fields in psychology (e.g., Mental Health Counseling, Marriage and Family Therapy, Applied Behavior Analysis).  Participants will learn how to increase their current competency in assessment, diagnosis, and intervention, and engage in case-based learning that will enhance their collaborative practice skills. The MA in Psychopharmacology does not lead to lead to prescriptive licensure.

Program Learning Outcomes

Upon successful of this program students will be experienced in the following program competencies:

Professional Practice

• Patient Assessment: Students will be able to evidence knowledge of skills needed to conduct a reliable and valid assessment, diagnosis and provide psychopharmacological treatment options.

Diversity

• Diversity: Students will be able to show knowledge of the role of ethnic, racial and other individual differences in human physiology (e.g. single nucleotide
  polymorphisms) that may affect therapeutic and adverse responses to psychopharmacological agents.

Professional Behavior

• Ethics: Students will be knowledgeable of the importance of personal integrity and ethical behavior in  psychopharmacology practice through sound  decision making based on ethical considerations and guidelines
• Professionalism: Students will be able to show professional behavior through constructive and appropriate interactions with others.

Scholarship

• Science: Students will be able to evidence competency in the fundamental concepts in psychopharmacology such as pharmacodynamics, pharmacokinetics and drug interactions.
• Research: Students will be able to evidence comprehension of data and information presented in the psychopharmacology research literature including meta-analysis studies of drug efficacy, and produce an applied research project (ARP).

Admission Requirements

For information on where The Chicago School of Professional Psychology is currently authorized, licensed, registered, exempt or not subject to approval, please visit https://www.thechicagoschool.edu/why-us/state-authorization/

Application to The Chicago School of Professional Psychology’s Master of Arts in Psychopharmacology online degree program is open to any person who has earned a bachelor’s degree in psychology or related field (e.g., nursing) from a regionally-accredited institution, and, who meets The Chicago School entrance requirements.

• Completed application
• Resume or Curriculum Vitae
• $50 application fee

• An undergraduate (or graduate, if applicable) GPA of a 3.0 or higher on a 4.0 scale is expected for admission.
• Completion of the following two prerequisites in prior undergraduate or graduate coursework (3 semester credits or quarter credit equivalent for each course) with a grade of “B” or better:
  • Abnormal Psychology
  • Research Methods or Basic Statistics
• Applicants must submit official transcripts from all schools where a degree was earned. It is recommended that transcripts are submitted from all schools where credit was received to enhance their applications.

Applicant Notification

The Chicago School of Professional Psychology reviews applications on a rolling basis. Once review begins, complete applications will be considered by the Admission Committee and applicants will be notified regarding the admission decision. The Chicago School of Professional Psychology does not share information or provide any feedback regarding admission decisions.

If a student is offered admission and in order to secure a place in the incoming class, a non-refundable tuition deposit of $250 will be required by the deposit deadline indicated in the offer of admission. The non-refundable deposit will be applied in full toward the student’s tuition upon enrollment.

Policies

The following policies are located under Academic Policies and Procedures  : Academic Calendar, Admissions Requirements, Attendance, Satisfactory Academic Progress, Service Learning, and Transfer Credit/Course Waiver. Click the link above for detailed information.