Reviewed on Jan 24, 2025(Enrolled 2024)
What Students Say
Likes
- Faculty is top-notch
- Campus is very clean and located in a very scenic environment
- International Student Services are very supportive.
Dislikes
- Connectivity with the other parts of the city is relatively difficult if you rely on public transport.
- It would be great if the college had resources for pursuing PhD Degrees.
- The public bus that can be used to travel around the campus stops running after 3.15pm which might be a difficulty for students having classes after that time.
Course Curriculum
10
- The difficulty of the course is moderate to difficult. Since my course helps the graduate to apply for licensing as a Professional Counselor, the course is a mix of theoretical and applied.
- The most positive aspect is that the faculty is top-notch, all the professors have on average 30 years experience in the field of psychology as a practitioner as well as academician. Also, my course was earlier a non-STEM and is currently changed to a STEM subject which increases my OPT period from 1 to 2 years. The negative part is one of the 4 classes in each semester takes place online.
- There are typically 2 classes a day. All the classes take place at night around 4pm onwards as this course is for professionals.
- There is one more Indian student in my batch.
Admission Experience
- To pursue my second master's degree in clinical psychology, I applied only to two colleges in the United States of America: Pittsburg State University and Pennsylvania State University. I applied for the Master's in Clinical Psychology at both universities. I received offers from both universities, but I chose Pittsburg State University for various reasons. I did not apply to any other universities.
-
Pittsburg State University was my first choice for various reasons:
1. I was assigned my academic advisor shortly after receiving the offer letter.
2. I received a 2000 dollar scholarship with my offer.
3. I also met my academic advisor a couple of times before I was sure I would start my journey at Pitt State.
4. I was offered a Graduate Teaching Assistantship Position based on my academic credentials. - The admission process was simple and entailed the following steps:
1. An online form was to be completed and submitted. The online application form requires one to provide details about past educational background, work experience, statement of purpose, letters of recommendation, and English language test scores. The application included a $60 fee that had to be paid online.
2. After submission within the deadline, the application is reviewed for a duration of 3-4 weeks and an admission decision is posted on the application portal and emailed. - The eligibility criteria included:
1. The student should have an undergraduate GPA of 3.0.
2. For English Language Test Score eligibility: 79 IBT, 6.5 IELTS total band score (no score lower than 5.5), 53 PTE, or Duolingo 110 (no section score under 100 for students whose primary language is not English). - The overall admission experience was extremely smooth. I never faced any difficulties. In case of any challenges or difficulties, the admissions office and the international office were very supportive and prompt to help and provide guidance. The orientation program was very useful and fun. It helped the international students get introduced to bank account opening, gathering funding, on-campus jobs, activities taking place on the campus, introduction to resourceful people on the campus, meeting with the campus police, etc. The orientation program also educated students about cultural shock. The university promotes cultural diversity and arranges global festivals where international students set up stalls and display their traditional food, costumes, etc. As I am a trained Indian classical dancer, I also got an opportunity to showcase my dance at a couple of shows, and I was also invited to share my knowledge of dance with the dance minor students in the university. I have had the opportunity to learn in-depth knowledge of psychology in the past few months from the expert faculty and also got to be a part of some research work.
- I applied to the fall intake. After submission within the deadline, the application is reviewed for a duration of 3-4 weeks and an admission decision is posted on the application portal and emailed. There are two intakes for the program, one in the fall and another in the spring. Both the intakes have similar timelines, where the application form is available from September and is due by December 1st week. It takes up to 3-4 weeks for review and a decision to be made.
Faculty
10
- The faculty-student ratio is 1 to 20, which is a fairly good ratio for an interactive discussion.
- The experienced faculty teach with all their expertise and provide tonnes of information that is sufficient for in-depth study about the subject and for preparation of jobs.
- The course entails a practicum internship where the faculty engages with students in searching for jobs.
- Each professor of the faculty is an expert in the field; they teach with warmth, they are open to new ideas, and they are accommodating as well as extremely supportive.
Campus Life
10
- There is only one campus, which is spread across a large area. There are several buildings.
- There is a library, sports facilities, a student recreation centre, and student health centres.
- There are several clubs and student organizations keep arranging festivals throughout the year.
- This college focuses on various sports, music, art, dance etc.
Part Time Jobs
- 1. Typically, 1-2 students per batch receive a TA position.
- 2. The pay range is 200-300 dollars biweekly.
- 3. There are several on-campus jobs available for students and the wages are 8-10 dollars per hour.
- 4. The maximum hours of work per week is 20 hours.
- 5. It is not as difficult to secure an on-campus job. One needs to keep networking and be actively looking at university websites for job openings.
- Around 8-10 dollars per hour. It is not as difficult to secure an on-campus job. One needs to keep networking and be actively looking at university websites for job openings. The job applications require one to fill the application form, submit CV as well as attend interview to finally secure the job. There are many career fairs and on-campus job fairs that provide such resources.
Placement
10
- Around 90 percent of the graduating batch secures employment within 6 months of completion of the course.
- Average salary: 150,000 dollars a year.
- The course entails a practicum internship. Usually the hospitals, health centres, clinics etc. Usually, the internship sites absorb the interns and offer them jobs after graduation. Most of my seniors are satisfied with their current jobs and have shared that it wasn't that difficult to secure a job as the course prepares the students enough to do well on the professional front.
Accommodation
Off Campus
10
- I found my Off-campus accommodation through Google search
- Monthly rent is 499 dollars
- The accommodation where I live has a private bedroom-bathroom setup.
- Future students should search for accommodation before landing in Pittsburg to avoid hotel stays.
- The accommodation where I live is 29 mins walking from campus but 4 mins by car. Most of the Indian students live in and around the campus.
Exams
- English language tests (IELTS or TOEFL) are required as an eligibility criteria. Statement of Purpose, LOR, and CV are required as a part of the admission process, as well as the transcripts. The application form required detailed information about previous academic and work experience.
- I did not have an interview as a part of the admission process but had a video meeting with my advisor shortly after receiving the offer.
Fees
-
Tuition & costs per semester (academic year 2024-2025 )
Tuition (flat rate, incl. campus fees): $10,151
+ Books & Supplies (estimated)-$500
+ Residence Hall Living (estimated): $4,855
Semester Total-$15,506
Academic Year Total: $31,012 - Monthly expenses range from 400 to 600 dollars. Rent ranges from 250 to 499 dollars. Transportation is free. Living expenses range from 100 to 200 dollars.
Scholarship
- I received the Gorilla International Scholarship, which was worth 5000 dollars per academic year. Up to 6,000 dollars per year (renewable) scholarship is awarded to international students. Many international students receive this scholarship if they can display a good academic background. Other than scholarships, many of my batchmates got on-campus jobs that helped them fund their living expenses and a small amount of tuition fees.
