NUS launches clinical psychology program to expand Singapore’s mental healthcare workforce

The National University of Singapore (NUS) has introduced the country's first accelerated clinical psychology training program, allowing eligible undergraduate students to complete their undergraduate and master's studies in five years instead of the usual seven.

Launched in August 2026, the initiative is intended to expand Singapore's pool of qualified clinical psychologists as the country strengthens its mental healthcare services and support systems.

The new Concurrent Degree Programme in Clinical Psychology (CDP-CP) combines undergraduate psychology education with postgraduate clinical training through a structured five-year pathway.

The program comes as Singapore continues to prioritize mental health services following the launch of its National Mental Health and Well-being Strategy in 2023, which strengthened efforts to improve support across healthcare facilities and communities.

As demand for mental health services grows, the development of a larger workforce of trained clinical psychologists has become an important part of the country's response.

NUS Psychology has introduced the accelerated pathway to help eligible students enter the profession sooner while maintaining the academic preparation and clinical training required to qualify.

The CDP-CP follows a “three-plus-two” structure, comprising three years of undergraduate study focused on clinical foundations, followed by the same two-year Master of Psychology (Clinical) completed by all clinical psychologists trained at NUS.

By integrating the two stages, the program reduces the overall time needed to complete the qualifications from seven years to five.

The accelerated pathway does not replace the university's existing standalone master's program. The traditional route will continue to serve aspiring clinical psychologists who prefer to gain relevant work experience after their undergraduate studies before committing to postgraduate training.

It also remains an option for students who want to explore other interests before choosing clinical psychology or those who enter the profession later in their careers.

Dr Lohsnah Jeevanandam, director of the Clinical Psychology program at the NUS Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, led the design of the CDP-CP alongside Dr. Matthew Lim and the rest of the clinical psychology faculty. She said the two routes are intended to accommodate different career preferences and timelines rather than replace one another.

“We’re not replacing one pathway with the other,” she said. “Rather, we’re giving more people more options to meet the same growing need.”

The university is therefore maintaining two routes into clinical psychology: an accelerated program for eligible students ready to commit early and a standalone master's pathway for those who want to gain work experience or take more time to decide on their professional direction.

Accelerated training from undergraduate study to clinical practice

The central objective of the CDP-CP is to increase the number of clinical psychologists entering Singapore's mental healthcare workforce without reducing the quality of their preparation.

The program brings clinical psychology coursework and supervised practical experience into the undergraduate years, allowing students to build a foundation for advanced training earlier than they would through the traditional route.

“There’s a significant national demand for clinical psychologists and we needed to think about how to make the whole pipeline more efficient, so that we can produce more qualified clinical psychologists, faster, without compromising on training,” said Dr. Jeevanandam.

Students who register their interest in the concurrent degree program receive priority access to a focused selection of clinical psychology courses.

These include Introduction to Clinical Psychology, Counselling Psychology and Psychological Assessment, which provide an earlier grounding in the theories, methods and concepts they will encounter in postgraduate study.

The early coursework is intended to give students a stronger understanding of clinical psychology before they begin the master's component.

By introducing relevant subjects during their undergraduate education, the program aims to prepare participants for the demands of advanced coursework and subsequent clinical training.

Another key component is a six-month supervised clinical internship integrated into the undergraduate years.

The internship is designed to fulfill the relevant work-experience requirement typically associated with admission to the traditional master's program, allowing students on the accelerated route to gain practical exposure earlier in their education.

During the internship, students work under close supervision and encounter aspects of real-world client support. Their responsibilities include conducting basic mental wellness screenings and helping organize and deliver group wellness programs.

The supervised placement gives them an opportunity to understand how psychological concepts are applied in practice while learning about the responsibilities involved in supporting people experiencing mental health challenges.

The internship also allows students to gain an early appreciation of the professional and ethical considerations involved in clinical work.

Through supervised exposure to clients and wellness activities, participants can begin connecting classroom learning with the practical demands of mental healthcare before progressing to their master's studies.

“The internship is a shorter, more concentrated experience than the year of work experience it replaces, but one deliberately designed to give students a meaningful first encounter with clinical practice,” said Dr. Jeevanandam.

She added that completing the internship does not reduce the academic and practical requirements of the postgraduate qualification. Students must still undertake the same advanced coursework and further clinical training required for the Master of Psychology (Clinical).

The accelerated structure therefore reduces the time between undergraduate study and entry into the profession by reorganizing the training pathway, rather than eliminating the advanced preparation required of clinical psychologists.

Admission remains highly selective

Although the program offers a shorter route into clinical psychology, admission is competitive. More than 60 students majoring in Psychology have registered their interest, but only around 10 are expected to secure places in the program.

Selection is based not only on academic performance but also on whether applicants demonstrate the aptitude needed for clinical psychology.

The profession involves working with people experiencing difficult circumstances, requiring practitioners to exercise sound judgment, maintain ethical standards and approach sensitive situations responsibly.

“We’re talking about developing clinical psychologists who are going to be talking about life and death matters, so we need to make sure we pick the people who have the aptitude for it,” said Dr. Jeevanandam.

The selection process is intended to identify students who are suited to the responsibilities of clinical practice, rather than treating the accelerated program simply as a faster route to a postgraduate degree.

The Department plans to increase the cohort size as the program develops, Dr. Jeevanandam said. However, the university intends to retain the same careful selection process as it expands the number of students receiving accelerated clinical psychology training.

The limited initial intake reflects the program's emphasis on selecting suitable candidates and maintaining the quality of preparation as the university develops the new pathway.

For students who are ready to commit to the profession early, the five-year structure offers a clearer and more direct progression from undergraduate education to clinical practice.

Wu Tong, a first-year Psychology major who has registered her interest in the CDP-CP, said the opportunity to begin clinical work sooner was a key reason for her interest in the program.

“The traditional path works well for many, especially those who want time to gain experience before committing to a Master’s. But for me, I felt ready to commit early… It meant I could move through my training with a clear, structured timeline, and start practising sooner rather than waiting longer to get there,” she said.

Her experience highlights the distinction between the two pathways. While the traditional route gives students time to gain work experience and explore their interests before pursuing postgraduate study, the accelerated option is designed for those who have already decided to pursue clinical psychology and want a structured timeline for completing their training.

NUS expands its contribution to Singapore's mental healthcare workforce

The launch of the CDP-CP builds on NUS's existing efforts to strengthen mental healthcare capabilities in Singapore. The university has supported the development of professionals working in mental health through programs aimed at expanding their knowledge and skills, including training for medical practitioners.

Since 2010, the NUS Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine has offered the Graduate Diploma in Mental Health (GDMH) in collaboration with the Institute of Mental Health. The diploma equips medical professionals with additional knowledge and skills to support people living with mental health conditions.

The new clinical psychology pathway extends these efforts by focusing on the development of future clinical psychologists. These specialists will complement the capabilities of other professionals already delivering mental healthcare, helping to strengthen the range of expertise available across the system.

The initiative also forms part of a wider group of Concurrent Degree Programmes at NUS designed around national workforce priorities. The university has been developing such programs in areas including healthcare, public policy, management, environmental management and digital transformation.

These programs are intended to align higher education pathways with the needs of the workforce by combining areas of study or structuring qualifications to prepare students for priority sectors.

The clinical psychology program applies this approach to mental healthcare, where expanding the pool of qualified practitioners is a growing concern.

Singapore's National Mental Health and Well-being Strategy, launched in 2023, has provided a broader national framework for improving mental health support in healthcare settings and communities.

The development of a stronger clinical psychology workforce is part of the wider effort to ensure that the system has trained professionals equipped to respond to mental health needs.

By allowing eligible students to complete undergraduate and master's studies in five years, the CDP-CP is designed to reduce the time required to enter the profession while preserving the advanced coursework and clinical training necessary for qualification. Its integrated curriculum, early clinical psychology courses and supervised internship are central to that approach.

The university's decision to retain the traditional master's route also means that students who prefer to gain relevant work experience or explore other career interests will continue to have an established pathway into the profession.

As the accelerated program develops, NUS plans to grow its intake while maintaining a selective admissions process.

The longer-term aim is to prepare more qualified clinical psychologists for Singapore's mental healthcare system and help address the gap between the country's need for practitioners and the number available to provide services.