guest post: American vs. Canadian admissions
Written by Madison Edge
Similarities and Differences Between American & Canadian Clinical Psychology PhD Programs
There may be all but a physical wall between the United States of America and Canada at present, with the border closed to most travel and immigration services just beginning to start up after a six-month halt, but prospective clinical psychology graduate applicants also seem to hit a proverbial wall when thinking about applying to programs across the border. Many of my Canadian friends and professional acquaintances look at me with shock when I suggest considering American programs, saying the program structure must be different or expressing worries of licensure ineligibility upon return to Canada. I’m sure that many American applicants have identified potential mentors conducting interesting research in Canada, but similar thoughts have deterred them from applying.
These worries are understandable but far from the truth! Clinical psychology graduate programs are far more similar than different in the United States and Canada. I hope the following discussion of the similarities and differences of accredited programs in the two neighbouring countries will serve as guidance and motivation to take that leap and confidently widen your application pool to another country.
Similarities
Program Structure. Canadian and American clinical psychology graduate programs generally follow the same structure. You are expected to earn a Master’s degree and then a Doctorate degree, and almost all students earn these two degrees at the same program and are expected to continue from one to the other seamlessly (e.g., one earns one’s Masters “along to way” to their Ph.D.). Accredited programs in both countries subscribe overwhelmingly to the scientist-practitioner model (read more on this here [link to blog post]) and follow the mentor model, where an applicant is admitted to be supervised by a specific professor over the course of both degrees. All programs will comprise of coursework, differing intensities of research expectations (usually, a Master’s thesis and doctoral dissertation at minimum), various exposure to clinical work in university-run clinics and practicum placements in the community, and very often, opportunities to assist with the teaching of undergraduate classes. The degree(s) generally take the same time to complete (4 – 7 years, plus one for internship) and with the exception of a Psy.D., students will finish their graduate studies in clinical psychology with the Ph.D. designation and be eligible for licensure (more on that later).
Application Process. The application process for Canadian and American programs is almost identical too. Programs in each country require the standard online application, 1-3 page personal statement, standardized test scores, undergraduate transcripts, letters of reference, and potentially a writing sample or two. Regarding the GRE, most Canadian programs require the general test and a smaller number also require the Psychology Subject Test – but this is changing due to the COVID-19 pandemic, as it is in America. Anecdotally, I have noticed that some programs typically requiring both tests have waived the Psychology Subject Test requirement but are still requiring the general test during the pandemic. Applicants who have completed an Honours thesis as part of their undergraduate degree are usually favoured in both countries due to demonstrated research experience and almost all programs in both countries invite a short-list of applicants to in-person interviews (pre-pandemic), however, Canadian programs may be more forgiving if you are unable to attend. For example, a Canadian program I applied to explicitly stated in their invitation email that applicants are welcome to choose between an in-person and remote interview and their choice will not affect their application, while an American program’s invitation warned that applicants unable to attend Interview Day in person would be at a significant disadvantage.
Licensure & Regulatory Bodies. Finally, an answer to the burning question: if you cross the border for education in clinical psychology, can you come home for internship or to licensure? Yes! In 2012, the regulatory bodies for clinical practice in Canada and America, the CPA and APA respectively, signed the First Street Accord, stating that each must view programs and internship sites accredited by one country as accredited by the other. Therefore, a person who attends an APA-accredited graduate program in America can apply for a CPA-accredited internship in Canada and then come back to America and be eligible for licensure – and vice versa. You can read more about the newest version of the First Street Accord here [https://www.apa.org/ed/accreditation/signed-accord-cpa.pdf]. This being said, I have consistently been given the recommendation to get licensed in the state or province you intend to live and work in long-term, as each region will have different laws you will need to be familiar with to practice.
Differences
Program Structure. There are two large differences between Canadian and American clinical psychology graduate programs. First, there is a small difference in the structure of the programs in each country that mainly affects the title of the program you apply for when you are coming in with an undergraduate degree. American clinical psychology programs will typically intake at the Ph.D. level, even for undergraduate-level applicants, and have a masters-equivalent benchmark built into the program. This can range from a masters-equivalent research project classified as a course that involves a small piece of original research to a lengthy, formal masters thesis with an oral defense; in each of these situations the applicant would still identify the Ph.D. program on their application. In contrast, an applicant with an undergraduate degree would apply to the master’s program of most Canadian universities and be required to complete a formal masters degree with a thesis and oral defence. Upon completion, the student may need to formally “apply” for the Ph.D. program, however, these applications are almost guaranteed to be successful. Due to the structure of Canadian programs, it may be slightly easier to intake at the Ph.D. level if you already possess a masters degree and have completed an empirical thesis, however, you will still be required to take most or all of the clinical coursework at the masters level before advancing to Ph.D. coursework.
Funding. The other major difference centers around funding. Most American APA-accredited clinical psychology graduate programs will fund their students internally, usually by offering a partial or complete tuition waiver and providing an additional stipend that the student will earn through research or teaching work. This money comes from the department itself and students can be but are rarely funded via external scholarships. CPA-accredited Canadian programs will also usually offer stipends (but not always!) but, in my experience, will rarely waive tuition. It should be noted that tuition is substantially cheaper at Canadian universities (even for international students, who usually only pay a domestic-equivalent tuition rate less than $10,000 CAD per year) and is not equal to the steep out-of-state rates typically charged by American universities. Furthermore, many Canadian graduate students receive funding from the federal government through NSERC, SSHRC, or CIHR grants meant to fund your masters thesis research. These are competitive grants with an application process independent of one’s program application that only Canadian citizens or permanent residents can apply to. They are roughly equivalent in value to program stipends and, if an applicant secures one successfully, they will often become more attractive to the program admissions committee as a self-funded student. In the somewhat rare cases where a CPA-accredited Canadian program does not offer a stipend, the program may implicitly expect most of its applicants to secure federal grant funding and this may impose financial difficulties on international applicants who do not possess significant personal funds.
Psy.Ds. As a final note, Psy.D. programs are rare in Canada and some of the few already established are not currently accredited by the CPA. If obtaining a Psy.D. is your goal and you reside in Canada, you may wish to apply broadly to American programs if you are able to.
My Experiences & Tips
One might ask – especially in light of current events – why a Canadian would choose to move down south, as I planned to by applying to ten American programs and one Canadian program. In hindsight, I am exceedingly happy I ultimately chose the Canadian program, but there were logical reasons for me to apply across the border: broadly, because there are many more forensic-oriented programs in the United States (as an aside, I am now attending the only clinical program in Canada with a formal forensic track) and specifically, because my fiancé lives and works in the United States and immigrating there via a student visa seemed like the easiest method of reunification. The overwhelming similarities between programs discussed above also facilitated my decision to apply internationally.
While the broad, structural program similarities and differences were already highlighted, I want to elaborate further on my own experience as a Canadian applicant in the United States. Please keep in mind that these are my own perceptions and may not generalize across applicants.
When I was putting together my application, I was shocked that two out of eleven of my programs required proof of transcript equivalency via a third-party evaluation service. I can understand the need when the applicant comes from a country with a substantially different education system, but the Canadian and American university systems are practically identical! But no, this requirement was not able to be waived, and it required me to spend an additional $100 and give myself an extra three weeks for the evaluation to process. Be sure to investigate this requirement early if you’re an international applicant and allow for more processing time! At the interview phase, I found that Canadian programs offered an interview day – American programs often offered an interview experience. While my Canadian program interview consisted of a formal interview day from 9-5 at the university and then a short reception off-campus with the current graduate students, my American program interviews were often multi-day affairs that comprised of multiple tours, receptions, and other organized events in addition to the actual interviews. It may sound fun, but it is an incredibly long time to present the most peppy, engaging, and intelligent version of yourself. Lastly, after applying to seven US programs in my first cycle and ten US programs in my second, it must be said – I only received one fully-funded offer. While reasons for this where never explicitly tied to my nationality and were almost certainly due to other factors most of time, a mentor of mine proposed that my status as first alternate for admission twice with supervisors whose research closely aligned with my own interests may have been, in part, due to my international status. The bottom line? We as applicants cannot know all the factors that go into making admission decisions and sometimes, it might just be easier to admit a domestic applicant.
I would like my first piece of advice to ring loudest: apply across the border if you are interested in the program! The success stories on both sides show it can be done. However, international applicants should start looking into program requirements earlier than usual, as they may be more complex or need additional pieces. At the interview stage, one professor at almost every program asked if a Canadian like me “could actually live here” – depending on the results of this contentious election, this question may be asked less, but nevertheless be prepared with an answer for how you would navigate a different political climate, especially in “red” states. Universities are often a liberal haven in the most conservative of states, but they need to know you can cope in the town outside the ivory tower! Furthermore, be prepared to make conversation and answer questions about your country of residence (yes, even Canada!) but try not to make it your whole identity. While it can be the obvious conversation-starter, you do not want to miss chances to highlight your achievements and personality in interview settings by making your nationality the only memorable aspect of you.
Finally, get a NEXUS card before interviews if COVID-19 has subsided – less time in customs lines is always a bonus!
About the Author:
Madison Edge is a first-year clinical psychology graduate student at Simon Fraser University in Vancouver, BC, Canada. Her research interests include violence risk assessment, the intersection of mental illness and the law, and more specifically improving the prediction of violent acts before they are committed. When she is not up to her eyeballs in schoolwork, she enjoys reading all sorts of fiction, discovering new home workout videos, and improving her amateur photography skills.
ResearchGate:
https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Madison_Edge
LinkedIn:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/madison-edge-4243b3a7/