Career Options
The completion of a Masters in Clinical Psychology at UTPA leads to two possible career paths.
1. The Academic Path Toward a Doctorate in Psychology. The first path is an academic path toward a doctorate degree in one of the many fields of psychology such as Clinical, Experimental, Developmental, Health Psychology, Social Psychology, Industrial, Community or any of numerous other fields in which a doctorate in psychology is obtainable. Because UTPA does not have a doctorate program in psychology, students graduating from the Master's program will have to apply to other universities if they are interested in pursuing a doctorate degree. Psychologists traditionally work as teachers (Professors), researchers (scientist investigators) and/or applied areas of psychology such as clinical practice. The Masters in Clinical Psychology at UTPA can be used as a stepping stone towards later admission into a doctorate program and eventual completion of doctorate training in one of the many fields of psychology.
2. Masters Level Practitioner in Psychology. The second possible career path that the Masters in Clinical Psychology offers is applied psychology as a Master's level practitioner in the community as either a Psychological Associate or as a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC). As a graduate of the Masters in Clinical Psychology, a Psychological Associate licensure is obtainable by successfully passing the Texas State Board Examination for Psychologists. Graduates of the Masters in Clinical Psychology meet all the requirement for taking the Texas State Board of Examiners of Psychologists Exam for licensure as a Psychological Associate. In Texas it is illegal for someone to call themselves a psychologist unless they have successfully passed the State Board Exam and have a doctoral degree in Psychology. Psychological Associates are therefore referred to as Psychological Associates or Psychological Assistants but not as Psychologists, unless they work in exempt agencies such as the Texas Mental Health & Mental Retardation Centers, Community MHMR Centers, and/or the Texas Prison System.
If an LPC is sought after completion of the Masters in Clinical Psychology at UTPA, it is important to know that an additional 6 hours of graduate course work (Family & Careers) is required before being eligible for taking the State Board Examination for Licensed Professional Counselors. It may thus behoove the graduate of the Masters Program in Clinical Psychology to take the 6 additional hrs. (2 courses) required for the LPC as electives while in the program and before graduation. LPC's are independent practitioners and can work independently, i.e. they do not have to work under the direct supervision of another licensed practitioner as do Psychological Associates, they (LPC's) can put up a shingle, can bill for themselves, and are fully eligible for third party reimbursement.
A Masters level practitioner in Clinical Psychology can expect to obtain an entry level clinical position in the fields of substance abuse, alcoholism, mental health, assessment and treatment of adolescents, adults and/or elderly seeking assessment and/or treatment services from a variety of agencies, programs, services and private providers of mental health care such as Tropical Texas MHMR Center, The Rio Grande State Center, Home & Community based Services (HCS) for developmentally impaired, Health Maintenance Organizations, Behavioral Health Agencies, Evans Regional Center for Delinquent Youth, Independent School Districts, Child & Adolescent Treatment Services for Emotionally Abused Children, and the like, in addition to working with doctoral level Psychologists in Private Practice. Entry level positions generally start around $30,000/ year.