Message from the Director

Philip Gehrman, PhD
Acting Graduate Program Director for Health Psychology

In order to have a degree of independence in mental health or to have room for advancement, at least a master's level degree is needed. Very few master's programs in the country have a curriculum focused specifically on health psychology. This subfield of psychology is rapidly growing, but training is typically available only at the doctoral level. USP's health psychology master's degree is ideal for individuals who want to provide psychological services to patients with medical illness..

With a master's degree in health psychology, you'll gain the knowledge and skills to pursue a career in health-related research or delivery of mental health services. The program can also serve as a springboard to a doctoral program in clinical or health psychology.

You can enroll in the program on a full- or part-time basis, with the option of a master's non-thesis degree program or a master's thesis program. Evening courses are available for professionals looking to complete the program while working full-time. The program requires 48 credits of coursework that covers clinical and scientific disciplines, including psychological assessment, neuropsychology, cognitive behavior therapy, health psychology treatment interventions, and graduate statistics and experimental design.

Supervised field placements in actual health psychology settings allow students to combine their clinical studies with hands-on research. Graduates of the program have received highly desirable job offers in their field of study, often before completing their degrees.

Located in an area that has the second-largest concentration of health resources in the country, there are wide array of potential clinical sites available including research institutions, hospitals, and mental health treatment facilities.

I hope you will learn more about the health psychology graduate program at USP and how we can help you advance your career goals.