Are PsyD program concentrations/emphasis areas important if I'm interested in neuropsychology?

This forum made possible through the generous support of SDN members, donors, and sponsors. Thank you.

TheReindeer

New Member
Joined
Mar 7, 2022
Messages
3
Reaction score
0
I've been accepted into 3 PsyD programs: University of Indianapolis, Spalding University, and Indiana University of Pennsylvania (IUP). Spalding has a new neuropsychology concentration/emphasis area (as a result they are accepting 40 students). Are concentrations like these important when looking at becoming boarded, or would I be able to take the required classes without a concentration if my university does not have a specific concentration in neuropsych (such as IUP and UIndy)? I took a brief look at ABCN's site on becoming certified, and my main concern as of now is taking the necessary classes to fulfill the didactics. Thanks!

Members don't see this ad.
 
University of Indiana used to have a legit neuropsych program, they may still. IIRC, they also have some cross over with their neuroscience PhD.

But it's in Indiana....the Burger King of America
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: 1 user
Members don't see this ad :)
1646923456293.png


And not even the new BK, but the old 80's version.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 2 users
Thanks for the advice so quick! All the 3 programs have good internship match rates, but they do not provide the exact sites, so can't tell where their students are going and of those internships are related to neuropsych. Regarding program quality, has anyone heard of these programs? There outcome data seems very similar in terms of match rates and licensure rates. 40 students for Splading seems like a lot, albeit with quite a lot of faculty. Should putting more emphasis on the areas of expertise of the faulty be a good direction? Looking at UIndy, there does not seem to be a faculty member who specializes in neuropsych. Or am I thinking about this way too early?
 
Thanks for the advice so quick! All the 3 programs have good internship match rates, but they do not provide the exact sites, so can't tell where their students are going and of those internships are related to neuropsych. Regarding program quality, has anyone heard of these programs? There outcome data seems very similar in terms of match rates and licensure rates. 40 students for Splading seems like a lot, albeit with quite a lot of faculty. Should putting more emphasis on the areas of expertise of the faulty be a good direction? Looking at UIndy, there does not seem to be a faculty member who specializes in neuropsych. Or am I thinking about this way too early?

If you want a career in neuropsych, you should definitely be looking for faculty mentors in the field. At the very least, faculty who do work in the neurosciences.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 users
My take is that many schools began offering neuropsychology concentrations once students began showing more interest in the area, which probably related to talking with psychologists who were/became interested in the area, who themselves became interested after hearing neuropsychologists made more money (at that time) than non-neuro psychologists. Thus, at least to me, it's often (although not always) felt primarily like a marketing move.

I've heard of the programs but don't have much direct experience with any of them. Like WisNeuro mentioned, your best bet is going to be identifying programs with faculty who are neuropsychologists (and, for programs with the traditional mentorship model, applying to them/their labs for admission), that offer classes in neuropsychology, and that have neuropsychology practica available.

Having an explicit concentration is not at all necessary for boarding. The above factors (i.e., neuropsychology coursework, mentorship, practica) are much more important. Although even then, there are folks who have limited neuropsychology training in graduate school, but who are able to make up for that on internship and fellowship and attain board certification. However, I think someone who received essentially no training in neuropsychology in graduate school would be pretty hard pressed to fill in those knowledge/training gaps, in part because they aren't going to be as competitive for the types of internship and fellowship they would need.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 users
Looking at UIndy, there does not seem to be a faculty member who specializes in neuropsych. Or am I thinking about this way too early?
I know boarded neuropsychs who received that type of mentoring exclusively outside of their program. But they went to programs in areas with lots of high quality neuropsych training locally (VAs, AMCs, private practices) and put in a lot of 'extra' work.

On the flip side, a program can have a lot of neuropsych focused faculty but if there aren't very many practica opportunities (or if those experiences aren't super high quality), that wouldn't be ideal either.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 2 users
Top