Information for Applicants

Full Disclosure Data

Applicants commonly wish to review our full disclosure data outlining what has happened with our recent cohorts of students as well as recent years of admissions. Data are updated once a year, typically around April 15th once the new cohort of students has committed to coming to MSU.

Mentorship Model

Like most clinical psychology programs we work on a mentor model where each student is assigned to work with a primary research mentor. These mentors can come from our core or associate faculty. The following faculty members currently accept students in the Clinical Psychology PhD Program:

Faculty who accept clinical students

• Kevin J. Armstrong, Ph.D.
• Mitchell Berman, Ph .D
• Hilary DeShong, Ph.D.
• Mary Dozier, Ph. D.
• Jennifer Krafft, Ph. D.
• Cliff McKinney, Ph.D.
• Robert McMillen, Ph.D.
• Danielle Nadorff, Ph.D.
• Michael R. Nadorff, Ph.D.
• Arazais Oliveros, Ph.D.
• Ben Porter, Ph.D.

Background Checks

Given that psychologists commonly work with individuals who are at-risk or vulnerable it is important to ensure that all of our doctoral students are appropriate for conducting such clinical work. As such, we run background checks shortly after admission while processing your MSU employment paperwork. Should there be problems with the background check the Director of Clinical Training will work with the student to determine whether they are able to continue working in the program.

Personal Statement

In your personal statement we ask that you to tell us about you and your fit with the clinical psychology program, as fit plays a large role in successful applications. The statement should tell us which professor, or professors, you are hoping to work with as your primary research mentor and why that individual(s) is a strong fit for your graduate training. Furthermore, our program greatly values diversity, broadly defined. We believe that a range of academic interests, personal perspectives, and life experiences adds much to the educational mix. Thus, we look for candidates who value diversity as well as add to our diversity whether it be due to your background, experience, or research emphasis. Applicants are encouraged to discuss the importance of diversity in their clinical training, and how diversity interacts with their research. Applicants are not required to describe or disclose experiences that directly relate to their identity. However, applicants are welcome to include them should they chose, and these disclosures will not negatively impact admission decisions.  Please limit your personal statement to a maximum of three pages.

Are there any application fee waivers available if I can’t afford the fee?

Application fee waivers may be available to those for whom payment of the application fee would be financially challenging. Please contact Dr. Ty Stafford prior to November 1 at tws37@msstate.edu for more information on applying for a waiver for applications to the Clincial Psychology doctoral program.

What if I have other questions about the program?

Please contact the program director, Dr. Ty Stafford, at tws37@msstate.edu