Just three years after the launch of Drake University’s Master of Science in Clinical Psychopharmacology (MSCP), an online curriculum training psychologists to prescribe medication, the program has doubled in size and recently had a strong presence at a national clinical psychology summit.
This two-year master’s program, offered through Drake University’s College of Pharmacy & Health Sciences (CPHS), prepares licensed post-doctoral psychologists to sit for the Psychopharmacology Exam for Psychologists (PEP), seek out fellowships, and apply for the certification that will enable them to prescribe psychotropic medications to their clients in Iowa and other states. Not only does this advanced credential widen their scope of practice, but it also helps increase access to essential mental health care.
19 students entered the program this fall, as compared to 3 students when the program began in 2022, 5 in 2023, and 9 in 2024. Although only 7 U.S. states currently allow psychologists to prescribe medications, the 19 students who entered Drake’s MSCP program this fall reside in 14 different states and 2 different countries.
“We are finding that there is significant interest in our program, even from psychologists in states that don’t allow psychologists to prescribe,” said Craige Wrenn, Professor and Chair of Pharmaceutical & Administrative Sciences. “This trend stems from the recognition that medication knowledge enhances psychology practice, regardless of prescribing status. The fact that our program distinctively leverages the expertise of pharmacy faculty is very attractive to prospective students.”
This summer, two students and two faculty members of the young program presented at the Clinical Practice Leadership Summit of the American Academy of Clinical Psychology from June 26-27, 2025. This two-day virtual summit featured a program that advanced clinical practice, psychopharmacology education and training, and legislative action for the prescribing of psychotropic medications by psychologists.
Highlights from the Summit are listed below:
- Dr. Rita Rivera, PsyD and current Drake MSCP student, presented on Ethnopsychopharmacology: Hispanic / Latin Populations.
- Dr. Ashley Allen, PsyD and 2025 MSCP graduate, presented on The Hidden Risk for Overdose: Clinical Assessment of Anticholinergic Burden and Toxicity.
- Dr. Ryan Ernst, PsyD and MSCP Training Director, presented on Plasma Protein Biomarkers Assays: A Diagnostic Tool for RxP Psychologists.
- Dr. Craige Wrenn, PhD and Professor and Chair of Pharmaceutical & Administrative Sciences, presented on Alzheimer’s Pharmacotherapy: From Small Molecules to Disease-Modifying Immunotherapies.
Learn more about Drake’s Online Master’s in Clinical Psychopharmacology or apply now.