Gary W. Harper, Program Director
(773) 325-2056 phone
gharper@wppost.depaul.edu e-mail
(773) 325-2057 fax

For application materials contact:
Lucinda Rapp
(773) 325-7887 phone
lrapp@wppost.depaul.edu e-mail
(773) 325-7888 fax

The Community Psychology Graduate Program at DePaul

We believe there is a need to equip students with psychological skills that are targeted toward non-individually oriented topics, such as community and organizational change, and evaluators of social policy. Students in the Community Ph.D. program will be trained in research methodologies to be applied to social and community interventions.  These students will gain an understanding of social-community change from a public health perspective rather than a traditional individual-counseling orientation and will be collaborating with either community agencies, not-for-profit groups, or grass-roots organizations. Their principle roles are in research, evaluation, program development, and other non-clinical activities.

The Community psychology program utilizes a unique approach toward training graduate students.  The program will stress training community professionals who work in the public or private sector with diverse gender, ethnic, racial, and sexual orientation populations.  This program exemplifies the mission of DePaul University through its strong emphasis on "service to others."  An objective of training will be to provide graduate students with educational and practical skills for scientific and leadership development as community advocates of social justice and empowerment.  The Community faculty and supervisors have both an intra- and interdisciplinary orientation, including but not limited to, social, experimental, and feminist psychology, plus sociology and public service.

The Community program seeks to achieve four inter-related goals in training, specifically:

Goal 1:  provide students with a breadth of knowledge in the content of community psychology

Goal 2:  provide statistical and methodological foundations in general psychology to demonstrate competence in core areas  within the discipline

Goal 3:  provide the means to contribute to new developments in the field of community psychology and the social basis of
behavior

Goal 4:  provide for the specific needs of the students and the communities they will serve

Since the community program has an ecological-community orientation that emphasizes a public health model rather than a clinical or medical model, those who have no specific interest in this area would be better served by another program.  In particular, those having interests in traditional clinical work would not find the Community program a good fit.  Students accepted in the Community program are ineligible to transfer into the Clinical program.
 

COMMUNITY ADMISSION REQUIREMENTS

All applications are processed and reviewed within the Psychology Department.  The Community faculty evaluates all application materials carefully and emphasizes the following criteria:

1.  Completeness of Credentials:  When important pieces of information, such as transcripts, are lacking, the faculty is compelled to reject the applicant.  Applications must be complete by January 10.  The process of evaluation begins shortly after this date and interviews for invited candidates take place in late February and in March.  Applicants will be notified if they qualify for an interview.  In-person interviews are preferred; however, phone interviews can be arranged if necessary.

2.  Graduate Record Examination Scores and Grade Point Average:  Combined Verbal and Quantitative GRE scores of about 1200 are expected; Advanced Psychology Subject scores are generally in the 600's.  Typically, successful applicants to our program have undergraduate GPA's of 3.2 or better.  If the student is particularly strong in one area but not another, these criteria are not followed rigidly.

3.  Undergraduate Preparation:  Students are expected to have had courses in statistics, experimental psychology, and other areas of psychology to permit advanced study in this field.  The minimum requirement for admission is 32 quarter hours (24 semester hours) in psychology.  Although not required, history & systems, social and community psychology, computer, and math courses are viewed positively.  In addition, applied and research experience will be an important consideration in the selection process.

4.  Letters of Recommendation:  The letters of recommendation are reviewed carefully.  Reference writers should be selected who can address the applicant?s academic abilities, potential for conducting research, and ability to work with others.

5.  Match to the Program: As the DePaul Community program is highly specialized, the match of a student?s career goals and experiences to the program objectives is also a significant consideration in the admission evaluation process.

6.  Minority Status:  The community faculty encourages applications from minority students.

7.  Disabled Students:  The clinical faculty encourages applications from disabled students.
 

CURRICULUM

Students will achieve the successful completion of a minimum of 120 quarter hours of graduate credit beyond the bachelor's degree and will complete either a traditional Master's Thesis or Capstone Research Project (an applied project focused on community-based interventions and prevention), and a Doctoral Dissertation.  A typical course is 4 quarter hours.

Core Community
Psy 492 Principles of Consultation
Psy 493 Clinical Community Psychology
Psy 495 Evaluation/Research in Community Mental Health
Psy 568 Seminar - Community Psychology
Psy 569 Seminar in Program Evaluation

Statistics and Methodology
Psy 410 Adv. Statistics I
Psy 411 Adv. Statistics II
Psy 416 Methods in Qualitative Research or MPS 555 Alternatives to Traditional Public Policy Analysis
Psy 418 Multlivariate Statistical Analysis or Psy 419 Factor Analysis & Structural Equation Modeling
Psy 420 Adv. Research Methods
Psy 597 Master?s Thesis Research or 592 Capstone Research Project
Psy 599 Dissertation Research

Other Psychology and Interdisciplinary
Psy 404 Learning & Cognition
Psy 406 Physiological Psychology or Psy 437 Adv. Personality
Psy 430 Adv. Social Psychology
Psy 445 Adv. Training & Dev. in Organizations or MPS 523 Evaluation of Organizational Effectiveness
Psy 500 Professional Ethics
Psy 520 Principles of Human Diversity
Psy 561 Adv. Psychology of Women
Soc 420 Urban Sociology or Soc 423 Urban Cultural Areas or MPS 573 Urban & Community Analysis
 

FUNDING

Students may be associated with a faculty member's external grant, but such arrangements would be made on a case-by-case situation.  Students may also be hired on a part-time basis for paid community practica.  Furthermore, students who are awarded their M.A. degree may have the opportunity to teach part-time at the university.  Student loans and federal grants are also available.  In addition, students  may receive tuition reimbursement from their employer.
 

OTHER PROGRAM REQUIREMENTS

Although an applicant is accepted into the M.A./Ph.D. community program, formal acceptance and admission to doctoral candidacy depends upon the student's satisfactory progress in meeting the various demands of graduate education and professional training.

Field Work and Practicum
Students will need to be placed at Chicago-area community sites in order to gain vital field work experience in community psychology.  Metropolitan Chicago has a large population of community sites to draw upon as resources for assisting in placing students in practica and job-related sites.

Master's Thesis/Capstone Requirement
It is expected that the student's proposal for the Master's Thesis or Capstone Research Project will be approved by January 15th of the winter quarter of the second year in the program.

Doctoral Comprehensive Exams
The student is expected to take doctoral comprehensive examinations in the area of community psychology in the Fall or Spring quarters of the third or fourth year in the program.  These examinations cannot be taken until the student has completed the master's thesis.

Dissertation
For the dissertation, 12 hours of Psy 599 (Dissertation Research) are required.  The student should form a dissertation committee and begin work on the dissertation proposal during the third or fourth year.
 

FACULTY RESEARCH AND INTERESTS

CLINICAL-CHILD TRACK

BUDD, KAREN, Ph.D., Professor (University of Kansas, 1975).  Behavioral Assessment and Treatment of Children and Families, Pediatric Psychology, Teenage and Other At-risk Parents.

COTLER, SHELDON, Ph.D., Professor (Southern Illinois University, 1966).  Socialization of Children and Adolescents, Child and Family Therapy, Evaluation of Community Interventions.

GRANT, KATHRYN, Ph.D., Assistant Professor (University of Vermont, 1995).  Stress and Psychological Symptoms Among Low Income Urban Youth, Gender Differences in Depression.

MCINTOSH, JEANNE M., Ph.D., Assistant Professor (UCLA, 1995).  Multisystemic (e.g. Family, Neighborhood, and Community) Processes of Meeting the Psychological Needs of Children, Integrated Mental Health Service Models, Culturally Informed Mental Health Approaches (especially for Latino and African American Populations), Single Parent and Other At-Risk Families, Psychological Applications of Media.

RIBORDY, SHEILA, Ph.D., Professor and Director, DePaul University Community Mental Health Center (University of Kansas, 1975).  Clinical Psychology, Child and Family Therapy, Child Abuse, Social-emotional Development of Children, Impact of Community Violence.

CLINICAL-COMMUNITY TRACK

HARPER, GARY, Ph.D., M.P.H., Assistant Professor (Purdue University, 1993).  HIV Sexual Risk among Homeless Adolescents, Community-based HIV Prevention for Gay/Bisexual Youth and Latina Female Adolescents, Effects of Negative Affect and Substance Use on Adolescent Sexual Risk, Collaborative Research with Community-based Organizations.

JASON, LEONARD A., Ph.D., Professor (University of Rochester, 1975).  Community Psychology, Public Policy, Sense of Community, Community Building, Primary Prevention, Alcohol and Drug Abuse, Health Psychology, Chronic Health Conditions (Chronic Fatigue Syndrome), Smoking Prevention, Television Viewing Among Children.

MCMAHON, SUSAN, Ph.D., Assistant Professor (DePaul University, 1996). Building Competencies of Urban, At-risk Youth through School-based Interventions, Understanding Risk and Protective Factors, Enhancing the Educational System Through Creative Approaches to Teaching Reading, Violence Prevention, Program Evaluation.

ROBINSON, W. LAVOME, Ph.D., ABPP, Professor (University of Georgia, 1980).  Minority Mental Health, Health Promotion, Adolescent Risk and Protective Behaviors, Adolescent Violence and Depression Prevention, School-based Interventions.

WATTS, RODERICK, Ph.D., Associate Professor and Director of Clinical Training (University of Maryland, 1984).  Program Evaluation, Race Relations, Human Diversity, Community Based Organizations, Manhood Development, Health Psychology.

COMMUNITY

FERRARI, JOSEPH R., Ph.D., Associate Professor (Adelphi University, 1989).  Chronic Procrastination, Shame/Guilt, Attitudes and Persuasion, Self Handicapping and Attribution Process, Sense of Community, Community Service, Learning and Volunteerism,Recovery Homes for Substance Abusers.

HARPER, GARY, Ph.D., M.P.H., See Clinical-Community Faculty

JASON, LEONARD A., Ph.D., See Clinical-Community Faculty

McMAHON, SUSAN, Ph.D., See Clinical-Community Faculty

ROBINSON, W. LAVOME, Ph.D., ABPP, See Clinical-Community Faculty

LIAO-TROTH, MATTHEW A., Ph.D., M.B.A., Assistant Professor of Public Services and Director of American Humanics (University of Arizona, 1999).  Organizational Behavior, Human Resources Management, Organizational Change and Development, Volunteer Management, and Virtual Organizations and Communities.

WATTS, RODERICK, Ph.D., See Clinical-Community Faculty

WILSON, MIDGE, Ph.D., See Experimental Faculty

INDUSTRIAL/ORGANIZATIONAL

CELLAR, DOUGLAS, Ph.D., Associate Professor (University of Akron, 1985).  Impact of Cognition and Personality Variables on Motivation and Performance, Training and Employee Development.

HALPERT, JANE, Ph.D., Associate Professor (Wayne State University, 1985).  Personnel Selection, Decision-Making, Women in Management, Non-Profit Organizations.

MAGLEY, VICKI J., Ph.D., Assistant Professor (University of Illinois, 1997).  Coping with Harassing Situations, Effects of Computer-mediated Interaction and the Efficacy of Hypothesis Disconfirming Strategies on Group Problem Solving.

STUHLMACHER, ALICE, Ph.D., Associate Professor (Purdue University, 1990).  Negotiation and Conflict Resolution, Decision-making, Safety, Performance Appraisal, Gender Issues in the Workplace, Computer-mediated Communication.

EXPERIMENTAL

ALLBRITTON, DAVID W., Ph.D., Assistant Professor (Yale, 1992).   Text Comprehension, Phenomena Related to Readers? Responses to a Narrative or Discourse, Applications of Technology to Learning.

CAMRAS, LINDA A., Ph.D., Professor (University of Pennsylvania, 1975).  Social and Emotional Development, Cross Cultural Studies of Infant Expressive Behavior, Nonverbal Communications.

ERBER, RALPH, Ph.D., Associate Professor and Chair (Carnegie Mellon University, 1985).  Self Regulation of Mood and Emotions, Ironic Processes in Mental Control, Interpersonal Relationships.

HEILIZER, FREDERICK H., Ph.D., Associate Professor (University of Rochester, 1958).  Personality, Conflict and Arousal in Relation to Personality, Characteristics of Anxiety.

MICHEL, GEORGE F., Ph.D.,  Professor (Rutgers University, 1972).  Development of Sensorimotor Intelligence, Hemispheric Specialization of Function, Psychobiological Development of Animals, Cognitive Development During Infancy.

REYNA, CHRISTINE E., Ph.D., Assistant Professor  (UCLA, 2000).  Impression Formation and the Consequences on Interpersonal Relationships, Achievement Striving, and Political Attitudes.

SHEU, CHING-FAN, Ph.D., Associate Professor (New York University, 1989).  Judgment and Decision-making, Psychophysics, Quantitative Methods.

TRACY, ROBERT J., Ph.D., Associate Professor (Texas Christian University, 1970).  Cognitive Processes and Human Learning, Memory, Mental Imagery, Belief Systems, Computer Applications.

WILSON, MIDGE, Ph.D., Professor (University of North Carolina, 1979).  Social Psychology, Culturally Diverse Aspects of Physical Attractiveness and Impression Formation, Sexual Harassment, Gender Issues, Feminist Scholarship.

GENERAL PSYCHOLOGY

FERRARI, JOSEPH R., Ph.D., See Community Faculty

MICHEL, GEORGE F., Ph.D., See Experimental Faculty
 

ADJUNCT FACULTY

BERNT, CONNIE, Psy.D., Chicago School of Professional Psychology
CAVANAGH, ROBERT, Ph.D., Loyola University
CHILDREY, GARY, Ph.D., Boston University
CONTI, DANIEL J., Ph.D., DePaul University
CORIROSSI, DELLA, A.C.S.W., Jane Addams School of Social Work
LIN, DIANE, Ph.D., Loyola University
ORBAN, JOSEPH A., Ph.D., Virginia Polytechnic and State University
PINES, CATHERINE, Ph.D., Emory University
TERRIS, WILLIAM, Ph.D., Illinois Institute of Technology
TOLAN, PATRICK, Ph.D., University of Tennessee