Employment growth for psychologists is expected to grow over the next few years, making psychology graduate degrees in Alabama and other states increasingly important. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, Alabama and four other states reported the highest mean annual wages for clinical, counseling and school psychologists. An Alabama psychologist could earn as much as $80,430 per year or higher, especially those with graduate degrees. In the Birmingham-Hoover area, trained psychologists earned over $101,000 per year.
Alabama A&M University
Alabama Agricultural and Mechanical University began as the State Normal School and University for the Education of the Colored Teachers and Students, founded by William Hooper Councill, a former slave. The original campus land was acquired from the Conley family, who were among the first free Mulatto African-American families to organize prior to the Civil War. After the war, the Conley family became prominent as farmers, but were staunch supporters of education. In fact, a member of the Conley family has either worked or attended Alabama A&M in every year of the school’s existence. In 1891, the name of the school was changed to The State Agricultural and Mechanical School for Negroes. In 1948 it was renamed to the Alabama Agricultural and Mechanical College, shortened to Alabama A&M College in 1949 and gained university status in 1969.
College of Education, Humanities and Behavioral Sciences
The College of Education, Humanities and Behavioral Sciences at Alabama A&M educates students in an environment of service, attracting students from diverse, underserved and oppressed populations in keeping with the mission set forth by the school’s early founders.
Clinical Psychology
Alabama A&M offers a clinical psychology graduate degree that focuses on research diagnosis, evaluation, prevention and treatment of psychological disorders. Clinical psychologists work in health and mental health clinics, or may be employed in private practice. It is the largest subgroup of psychology professions, and graduates of the program receive a master’s level degree. They are also qualified for licensure by the National Board for Certified Counselors. The program consists of 48 credit hours.
Counseling Psychology
The Counseling Psychology program at Alabama A&M prepares students to help clients identify goals, make adjustments and overcome obstacles. The focus is on promoting and improving social-well being, and the program meets all academic requirements for licensure from the Counseling Board.The program is 48 credit hours and each course is a 3-credit course.
Rehabilitation Concentration
Graduates of the Rehabilitation Concentration at Alabama A&M are qualified to provide rehabilitation services in the public and private, non-profit sector to under-respresented groups. Students receive education on dealing with disabled individuals in general rehabilitation settings, as well as specialized settings in the area of vision and hearing impairment. The focus is on helping disabled individuals gain maximal functionality in the areas of home, community and work.
Accreditation
Southern Association of Colleges and Schools
Schools’ Commission on Colleges
Council on Rehabilitation Education
Contact
Janice Donegan, Secretary
Psychology and Counseling
Alabama A&M University
PO Box 998
Normal, AL 35762
Telephone: 256-372-4764
Email: janice.donergan@aamu.edu
Website
Auburn University
Auburn University was founded in 1856 as the East Alabama Male College, and in 1872, became the first Morill land-grant college in the South. At that time, it became the Agricultural and Mechanical College of Alabama until, in 1899, the school became Alabama Polytechnic Institute. In 1960, the college gained university status and was renamed Auburn University. It is one of the few institutes of higher learning to continue to act as a land, sea and space grant university. Enrollment is over 25,000 students studying more than 140 degrees at what has become one of the largest universities in the south.
College of Liberal Arts
The College of Liberal Arts is one of the largest colleges at Auburn with twelve departments. There are 3,900 student enrolled at the college learning from a curriculum that offers a diverse range of subjects in social sciences, communications, humanities and fine arts. The Psychology Department in the college is housed mainly in Thach Hall, participating in all of Auburn’s instruction, research and outreach missions.
ABA Program Summary and Application
Auburn offers a non-thesis Master of Science degree in Applied Behavior Analysis in Developmental Disabilities. The program is full-time and requires three consecutive semesters of coursework and practicum training. Students study the behavior of human and non-human organisms in order to understand, explain and predict behavior. Students are trained to provide therapeutic services to individuals with intellectual disorders as well as those placed on the autism spectrum. Students must complete a practicum of 20 hours per week on-site training in order to successfully complete the program.
Accreditation
Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges
Contact
Department of Psychology
Auburn University
22 Thach Hall
Auburn University, AL 3849-5214
Telephone: 334-844-4412
Email: psychology@auburn.edu
Website
Jacksonville State University
Jacksonville State University was created as the Jacksonville State Normal School with the purpose of educating teachers. The college campus was located in the facilities of Calhoun College, which had approximately 12 acres of land and a two-story brick building. In 1930, the school became Jacksonville State Teacher’s College, and, in 1957, became Jacksonville State College after the first graduate program was created. It gained university status in 1967. Today, more than 2,000 students attend Jacksonville.
Department of Psychology
The Department of Psychology at Jacksonville has a mission to develop thorough, science-based psychology curriculum to help students understand behavior using research methods and critical thinking. Students are given the opportunity to practice what they learn through community service projects, internships and faculty-supervised projects.
Becoming a BCBA
The Behavior Analyst Certification at Jacksonville is available to Master’s degree graduates. It is certified by the Behavior Analyst Certification Board, a non-profit corporation dedicated to the voluntary certification of behavior analyst practitioners. In order to apply for the examination, students must have a Master’s degree from an accredited college or university and complete 270 classroom hours of graduate level instruction in five content areas, including:
- Ethical and Professional Conduct
- Concepts and Principals of Behavior Analysis
- Research Methods in Behavior Analysis
- Applied Behavior Analysis
- Discretionary Category
Students must also complete 1500 hours of supervised independent fieldwork that includes 75 hours of direct supervision. The student must meet with a BCBA supervisor once every two weeks.
Accreditation
Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges
Association for Behavior Analysis International
Contact
Jacksonville State University
Attn: Department of Psychology
700 Pelham Road North
Jacksonville, AL 36265
Telephone: 800-231-5291
Email: info@jsu.edu
Website
University of Alabama
The University of Alabama is the state’s oldest public university, founded in 1818 in what was then the Alabama Territory. The federal government authorized the territory to set up a township for the purpose of creating a seminary of learning. Alabama was granted statehood in 1819 and a second township was added. In 1820, the seminary, called the University of the State of Alabama, was established in Tuscaloosa. It was the first university in the state to offer engineering classes in 1837. In 1860, the school became a military institution witha martial departmental and disciplinary system added. During the Civil War, Union troops spared only seven of the campus buildings. Women were admitted in 1893, and, in 1903, the military system of the University was abandoned. Today, there are almost 35,000 students attending the University of Alabama, and the school ranks among the top 50 public universities according to the U.S. News and World Report.
College of Arts and Sciences
The College of Arts and Sciences at the University of Alabama is the largest and most recognized liberal arts college, and it traces its roots to the founding of the school. The first courses taught at Alabama were in liberal arts. The college offers 100 programs of study covering the arts, sciences and social sciences.
Clinical Psychology
Alabama offers a Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology, which was founded in 1959. It is based on the scientist-practitioner, or Boulder, model. The program emphasizes scientific knowledge integrated with professional skills for graduates to function in academic, research or applied settings. Students begin clinical coursework immediately and opportunities for practicum and research are available continuously. Students may choose from four areas of concentration, including:
- Clinical Geropsychology
- Clinical Child
- Psychology and Law
- Clinical Health
Experimental Psychology
Alabama offers an Experimental Psychology Ph.D. with concentrations in Cognitive Psychology, Developmental Science and Social Psychology. Students develop the academic skills necessary to become researchers, college-level instructors and program directors in the psychology industry. After admission, students are assigned to a specific faculty member who serves as their mentor. Students participate in weekly brown-bag research seminars, guided teaching experience and a collegiate atmosphere for studying. All students receive funding for at least four years.
Accreditation
Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools
Commission on Accreditation of he American Psychological Association
Contact
Martha R. Crowther, Ph.D., M.P.H.
Department of Psychology
Box 870348
University of Alabama
Tuscaloosa, AL 35487-0348
Telephone: 205-348-7802
Email: mbhubbard@as.ua.edu
Website
University of Montevallo
The University of Montevallo began in 1896 as the Alabama Girls’ Industrial School as an experiment. The girls who enrolled that first year were to be trained as teachers, bookkeepers, artists, musicians, dressmakers, telegraphers and milliners in an effort to create women who were self-supporting. Women were able to learn skills to get them away from field and mill work, as well as allow them to support themselves rather than depend on fathers or brothers if they were not married. In 1911, the college became the Alabama Girls’ Technical Institute before becoming Alabama College, State College for Women in 1923. Men entered the college in 1956 and, in 1969, the name was changed to the University of Montevallo after the town it exists within. The campus of the school appears more like private, elite institutions, and the central part of the campus is a National Historic District. Today, approximately 3,100 students attend the school, enrolled in one of the four colleges that exist at the university.
Counseling
The Counseling Department at Montevallo provide students with skills and knowledge in providing assistance to those who are facing obstacles. Counselors offer opportunities for clients to gain self-awareness, analyze problems and gain new perspectives that will guide them in their behavioral choices.
Counseling, M.Ed.
Clinical Mental Health Counseling is designed to prepare students for careers in mental health centers, substance abuse treatment facilities, hospitals and educational settings. Students must hold a bachelor’s degree or higher from an accredited college or university, and provide official transcripts from any college or university attended. Students must have a GPA of 2.5 or higher in all undergraduate courses or a 2.75 in the last 60 hours of undergraduate study. Admission requires an essay regarding the student’s long-range professional goals in counseling. In addition, an on-campus interview with the counseling facility is required.
Accreditation
Southern Association of Colleges and Schools
Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs
Contact
Graduate Admissions and Records
Van Tuyll House
Station 6350
Montevallo, AL 35115
Telephone: 205-665-6350
Email: graduate@montevallo.edu
Website
University of West Alabama
The University of West Alabama began in 1835 as a church-related female academy. The school closed during the Civil War and Reconstruction Period, reopening in the late 1860s or early 1870s. History of the school is unclear regarding the period of reopening, but it appears that a few male students were admitted, but a resolution by the school’s Board of Trustees in 1876 excluded boys. The school, known as Livingston Female Academy, eventually became a normal school, focusing on the education of female teachers. The school remained a private, female academy and normal school until 1907 when the state assumed control, and the Board of Trustees was abolished in 1919. The school became State Teachers College in 1929, becoming Livingston State College in 1957. Men were admitted in the early 1900s, but the student body remained mostly female through the 1950s. In 1995, university status was granted and the school became the University of West Alabama.
College of Education Department of Instructional Leadership and Support
For over 175 years, the University of West Alabama’s College of Education has provided training to students to prepare them for opportunities in the education field as well as other liberal arts professions, including counseling and psychology.
Master of Science in Continuing Education Counseling/Psychology
The University of West Alabama offers a Master of Science in Continuing Education Counseling and Psychology which includes courses in theories of personality, advanced abnormal psychology, personality assessment and techniques in family counseling. Students must also take an applied concentration elective equalling 12 credit hours. This degree does not qualify graduates to certify as a teacher in the state, and out-of-state students should check the certification requirements of their own state. Students must maintain a GPA of 3.0 or better and satisfactorily score on a written comprehensive examination demonstrating mastery of the program.
Accreditation
Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges
Alabama State Department of Education
National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education
Contact
Jan Miller, Chair
Bibb Graves 223
University of West Alabama
Livingston, AL 35470
Telephone: 205-652-3445
Email: jmiller@uwa.edu
Website
University of South Alabama
The University of South Alabama was founded in 1963 by an act of the Alabama Legislature. It is a diverse and vibrant public university with ten colleges and schools. There are more than 15,000 students enrolled at the college, and more than 250,000 patients are treated at the hospital on campus.
College of Arts and Sciences
The College of Arts and Sciences at the University of South Alabama offers degree programs in the arts, humanities, social and natural sciences. The college has 19 departments and four interdisciplinary programs. The goal of the college is to help students develop an awareness of cultural traditions, an understanding of scientific method, intellectual curiosity, independent thinking and the ability to communicate effectively.
Psychology Department
The department of psychology offers a master of science in psychology designed to provide students with the knowledge of current theories, principles and methods of psychology for employment in the field of mental health or to prepare students for doctoral studies. students must provide a statement of purpose, writing sample and three letters of recommendation. students must have completed at least 21 hours of psychology courses at the undergraduate level and scored 300 or higher on the general test of the graduate record examination.
Clinical Counseling Psychology
The college offers a Clinical Counseling Psychology doctorate program offering training in the areas of Clinical and Counseling Psychology, and is jointly administered by the Department of Psychology. The program prepares students to work successfully with a variety of professionals to promote health and treat mental disorders. Graduates have gained employment in community agencies, health organizations, schools and industry, as well as academic settings.
Accreditation
Southern Association of Colleges and Schools
Contact
Dr. Elise Labbe, Professor
Department of Psychology
College of Arts and Sciences
Director of Clinical Training
CCP Ph.D. Program
University of South Alabama
Telephone: 251-460-6622
Email: elabbe@southalabama.edu
Website
There are many reasons why an individual may seek the services of a psychologist, and with reports that the industry is growing, it stands to reason that colleges and universities would increase their offerings of psychology graduate degrees in Alabama.
For more information on obtaining your online Psychology Degree, please see ” The Top 15 Best Affordable Online Master’s in Psychology and Masters in Counseling Degree Programs“.
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