Harvard University Clinical Psychology

The Master of Liberal Arts, Clinical Psychology degree consists of nine courses—three of which you take to gain admission—and a thesis. You study through a combination of on-campus and online courses.

Admission Courses

To begin the admission process, you complete:

Proseminar: Research Methods and Scholarly Writing in the Social Sciences: Anthropology and Psychology

One clinical psychology field course

STAT 150 Statistical Methods

The admission courses must be four-credit, graduate-level courses. You complete all admissions courses with a grade of B or higher, without letting your overall Harvard cumulative GPA dip below 3.0. Learn more about degree program admission.

Total Required Courses

Including the admission courses, you complete the following courses, choosing at least seven courses that are taught by Harvard instructors:

The proseminar

One abnormal psychology course

Two clinical psychology field courses

One clinical psychology field seminar

One clinical psychology elective

One psychology or clinical psychology elective

One field placement course

This course has a classroom and lab-based or human-services-based experimental components. For the human-services-based experimental component, you spend 150 hours in a clinical or clinical research lab or research facility, a social services agency, or a hospital setting.

A master's thesis (advised by a Harvard faculty member)

The Harvard On-Campus Experience

Many courses can be taken online, but the degree incorporates a Harvard campus experience. You come to Cambridge for at least three of your courses, which gives you access to faculty, campus resources, and the academic community.

On-campus requirements can ordinarily be completed through:

Fall- or spring-semester courses that meet only on campus (on-campus courses that have an online option do not count, even if you attend all of the class meetings on campus).

Seven-week summer courses based on campus.

Maintain an Average Grade Point Average (GPA) of 3.0 or Higher

Earn a B or better in each of the three admission courses and a B– or better in each of the subsequent courses, but be sure to maintain a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0 (B) or higher. You are allowed two withdrawal (WD) grades. Any additional WD grades count as zero in your cumulative GPA. See Academic Standing.

Finish Your Coursework in Under Five Years

You have five years to complete your degree requirements. The five-year timeline begins at the end of the term in which you complete any three degree applicable courses, regardless of whether or not you have been admitted to a degree program. Moreover, courses over 10 years old at the point of admission will not count toward the degree.

Graduate with Your Harvard Degree

When you have fulfilled all degree requirements, you will earn your degree: Master of Liberal Arts in extension studies, Field: Clinical Psychology. Degrees are awarded in November, March, and May. You may participate in the annual Harvard Commencement ceremony in May.