PAU offers three master's degrees and three doctoral degrees. Across all of our graduate programs, award-winning faculty engage students through small class sizes, hands-on research, and real-world global experiences and knowledge. Because of the variety of programs offered, there are many different deadlines associated with our degree programs. Please consult with the program website, admissions information page, or the graduate catalog for the deadlines associated with your program.
Master’s Degree Programs
Master of Arts Degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling
The Master of Art (MA) in Clinical Mental Health Counseling program prepares students to serve their communities as licensed mental health professionals. This Master's in Clinical Mental Health Counseling degree can expand career options or retool a career in a profession that makes a difference to the community. The Clinical Mental Health Counseling program is CACREP accredited.
California graduates of this program can pursue both the Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT) and Professional Clinical Counselor (LPCC) licenses. Graduates living in other states can pursue similar licenses (see your state's licensure board regulations for qualifying degree requirements).
With residential hybrid (on-campus) and distance learning (online) options with on-ground residencies and evening class scheduling, the program offers flexibility to students who want to pursue graduate studies without needing to relocate if they are located in states where PAU is authorized to offer online educational programs.
Master of Science Degree in Psychology
The Master of Science (MS) in Psychology is an online program that serves two purposes: 1) as a PhD prep program designed to prepare students for PhD studies in clinical psychology at PAU or another institution, or 2) as a terminal degree designed for those interested in research, education, forensics, technology, or government. An MS degree in Psychology supports career advancement in fields that require social science research capability and an understanding of human behavior. The four program concentrations are:
- PhD Prep Concentration (47 units)
- Generalist Concentration (37.5 units)
- Forensic Psychology Concentration (37.5 units)
- Technology and Mental Health Concentration (39.5 units)
All coursework is delivered online and can be completed evenings and weekends, giving students the opportunity to work while enrolled.
Most of the coursework is didactic in nature and does not include an applied clinical component. Thus, the specific degree associated with the program is an MS in Psychology, not clinical psychology, even though some of the curriculum is relevant to clinical psychology.
Students in the PhD preparatory concentration will also take a clinical interviewing course in Palo Alto campus in person during one intensive week in the winter quarter of the second year.
Master of Social Work
The Master of Social Work (MSW) degree prepares students for culturally informed behavioral health practice and licensure as clinical social workers with the purpose of serving the diverse populations of the state of California, especially those receiving care in the publicly funded behavioral health system. This degree can expand career options for individuals already working in human services or open a new career path.
The MSW program fulfills the state of California’s educational requirements for the Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) credential. Graduates can pursue the LCSW in California as well as similar licenses in other states (see the state's licensure board regulations for qualifying degree requirements).
The program uses a hybrid delivery format that combines online classes, immersion residencies, and in-person internships. With online classes scheduled on weekdays in late afternoons and evenings and occasional Saturdays, Friday through Sunday (in-person) immersion residences held three times per year, and the possibility of employment-based internships, the program offers flexibility to students who work part-time or full-time. The program can be completed in 24 months. It can be completed in 15 months for Advanced Standing students who hold a baccalaureate social work degree from a program accredited by the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE).
Doctoral Degree Programs
Doctor of Philosophy in Clinical Psychology Program (PhD)
The PhD Clinical Psychology program is accredited by the American Psychological Association (APA). The PhD Clinical Psychology Program is deeply committed to educating well-rounded clinical psychologists who are capable and competent as both researchers and clinicians. Students are taught to be science minded while appreciating the larger role of psychology in alleviating suffering in the world. This balance includes learning to value evidence-based clinical models while maintaining the responsibilities psychologists have to their community, society, and profession. An outstanding faculty of clinicians and researchers provide rigorous classroom instruction, clinical supervision, and research mentoring to help students find the right balance for them. Working within a training model best described as practitioner-scientist, students systematically move through five years of coursework and practica to acquire PhD-level competence and capability in psychological theory, research, and practice.
Doctor of Philosophy in Counselor Education and Supervision Program (PhD)
The PhD in Counselor Education and Supervision program prepares the next generation of leaders moving the counseling profession forward by training new counselors and supervisors, researching effective clinical interventions, and providing influential leadership in organizations. The program aims to prepare doctoral students to become culturally-affirming counselor educators and supervisors.The PhD Counselor Education and Supervision program strives to advance the counseling profession into the future by training leaders who promote anti-oppressive pedagogy, scholarship, supervision, advocacy, and practice. The curriculum and educational experiences, such as our innovative multiple article dissertation and internship program, are designed to prepare students for the real, day-to-day work of counselor educators.
Doctor of Psychology in Clinical Psychology Program (PsyD)
The PAU-Stanford PsyD Consortium is a full-time, five-year doctoral program in clinical psychology. It includes three years of academic coursework, one year focused on the dissertation, and a final year completing a full-time, program-approved doctoral internship. The academic year follows a quarter system and spans nine months. Prior to internship, students complete a coordinated three-year practicum sequence that provides progressive, supervised clinical training. Upon fulfilling all program requirements, students are awarded their doctoral degree through Palo Alto University, with the degree indicating completion of the PAU-Stanford PsyD Consortium.
The program emphasizes an integrated model of training that combines academic coursework, supervised clinical practice, and research experiences throughout the student’s progression toward the doctorate. Students develop a comprehensive understanding of the scientific foundations of psychology and must demonstrate competence in addressing a range of clinical problems. A minimum of four years in residence is required, along with at least 2,000 hours of doctoral-level clinical training and successful completion of a dissertation.
Students progress as a cohort through a prescribed sequence of didactic courses in the first three years, with limited elective seminar options available in the third and fourth years. The fourth year includes advanced practicum training, the internship application process, and significant dissertation work. Upon advancing to candidacy, students earn a Master of Science in Clinical Psychology and must enroll in thirty units of dissertation credit during the fourth year, continuing to register for three units each quarter until the dissertation is completed. Additional tuition and fees apply; details are provided in the Dissertation Handbook. The fifth year is dedicated to the full-time clinical internship at an external site.