Do you want to gain an in-depth understanding of mental health and the skills to treat mental health disorders?
Do you see yourself becoming a mental health professional or pursuing research that explores the mechanisms of mental health and well-being?
Are you interested in learning about underpinnings of therapeutic intervention or how therapy can be effectively implemented in different treatment settings?
Do you want to have an impact on public health and increase access to and awareness of mental healthcare across the population regardless of race, income, gender, sexuality, religion, or ethnicity?
If you answered yes to any of these questions, then the Bachelor of Science in Clinical Psychological Science (aka Clinical Science) is for you.
What is Clinical Science?
Clinical science is a science devoted to promoting psychological health and well-being and to understanding, reducing, and preventing human suffering. Clinical scientists incorporate tools and principles drawn from medicine, neuroscience, and biology, as well as neighboring psychological disciplines such as social psychology, cognitive psychology, and developmental psychology.
The field spans a spectrum of topics: from basic laboratory studies that elucidate the mechanisms underlying psychological states, to the application of these findings in the development of psychotherapeutic interventions, to the dissemination and implementation of evidence-based psychotherapy.
What will I learn in this degree program?
Through academic and applied experiences, the program introduces you to an array of research methods, theories, and cutting-edge findings from psychological and brain sciences. This extends to interdisciplinary coursework on data analytics, life sciences, and the study of public health that can be broadly leveraged to address pressing psychological problems. Applied experiences in clinical science labs and local treatment centers will help you integrate your knowledge and practical skills and apply these toward your own clinical research or patient care.
What can I do with this degree?
Our clinical science degree prepares you for graduate training in psychological and brain sciences and neighboring disciplines such as public health, social work, counseling, mobile health technologies, and psychiatry. It also boosts your competitiveness for advanced bachelor-level positions in healthcare, such as program evaluator, technician, case manager, and research positions in psychological and brain sciences.
Why become a Clinical Science Major?
A clinical science major sets you apart as a psychology major with specialized skills. You will not only gain a general knowledge of psychology like the traditional psychology degree but acquire a rigorous knowledge of the development, diagnosis, and treatment of mental health disorders, as well as how factors like cultural diversity impact mental health.
You may also gain clinical experience by shadowing psychologists and clinical social workers in the community through our practicum experiences. You could learn to track therapy outcomes at a community mental health center, implement school-based substance use prevention programs in Bloomington middle schools, or learn about the integration of mental health care and medical care in our local hospitals.
Do you want to become a practitioner? Take a course on clinical skill acquisition and supervision.
Curious about a specific treatment modality? Take an advanced seminar on the science and practice of this specific form of intervention.
Fascinated by clinical research? Get course credit for joining a clinical science lab.
No matter where you go from here – whether you pursue a master’s in social work or counseling or a Ph.D. in clinical psychology or technical jobs in behavioral health at the bachelor’s level – the program will equip you with the background you need.
Learn more at go.iu.edu/cps
