Clinical Psychology, Doctor of Psychology (PsyD)
Requirements
All students must complete a minimum of 99 credit hours of graduate study plus 3 credit hours of internship credit for a total of 102 credit hours. In addition to listed coursework, students must pass the comprehensive examination, complete an introductory practicum and at least two doctoral practica (supervised clinical training in the community), a pre-doctoral internship, and a doctoral project.
The standard course load for a full-time student in the PsyD program is 12 credit hours each fall and spring semester with only occassional courses in summer semesters. Students must complete at least 30 credit hours of work in a 24-month period. For at least one of those two years, the student must be at Roosevelt on a full-time basis. Thus, students must complete at least two consecutive semesters of full-time study before becoming eligible for the doctoral degree.
The PsyD program may accept credit for substantially equivalent graduate-level coursework completed at approved universities or schools of professional psychology. A maximum of 36 credit hours may be waived with the approval of the PsyD Program Director for those entering with a master's degree and 27 credit hours for those entering with a bachelor's degree. Credit is granted only for courses in which the grade obtained was a B or higher and only if the courses were taken within seven years prior to the beginning of the student's doctoral program. Students will meet with the PsyD Program Director to identify which required courses will be waived based on their previous graduate work. This will include a review of transcripts and syllabi for course transfers. The doctoral project, internship, and at least twelve credit hours of practicum must be completed at Roosevelt University.
Courses taken in the PsyD program more than seven years before the semester in which the graduate degree is to be granted may not be counted toward the degree. There is a maximum limit of 10 years to complete all components of the program, including the pre-doctoral internship and the doctoral project. Students who have not completed the program by 10 years will be reviewed for dismissal. Students' progress will be evaluated at the seven-year point; if progress has not been adequate, students may be dismissed from the program.
Students may earn a minimum grade of B- in any one course in order for that course to count towards degree requirements but must earn a minimum 3.25 cumulative grade point average in order to remain a student in good standing in the program.
| Code | Title | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Clinical Requirements | ||
| PSYC 516A | PSYCHOPATHOLOGY I | 3 |
| PSYC 516B | PSYCHOPATHOLOGY II | 3 |
| PSYC 520 | BASIC CLINICAL SKILLS | 3 |
| PSYC 620 | INTELLECTUAL ASSESSMENT | 3 |
| PSYC 625 | PERSONALITY ASSESSMENT | 3 |
| PSYC 641A | COGNITIVE BEHAVIORAL THERAPY I | 3 |
| PSYC 641B | COGNITIVE BEHAVIORAL THERAPY II | 3 |
| PSYC 642A | PSYCHODYNAMIC THEORY I | 3 |
| PSYC 642B | PSYCHODYNAMIC THEORY II | 3 |
| PSYC 644 | MULTICULTURAL PSYCHOLOGY | 3 |
| PSYC 698A | MA CLINICAL PRACTICUM | 3 |
| PSYC 698B | MA CLINICAL PRACTICUM | 3 |
| PSYC 735 | CLINICAL SUPERVISION & CONSULTATION | 3 |
| Clinical Practicum (12 hours/4 semesters minimum) | 12 | |
| DOCTORAL CLINICAL PRACTICUM 1 and DOCTORAL CLINICAL PRACTICUM 1 | ||
| DOCTORAL CLINICAL PRACTICUM 2 and DOCTORAL CLINICAL PRACTICUM 2 | ||
| PSYC 799 | CLINICAL INTERNSHIP (taken twice) | 3 |
| Non-Clinical Requirements | ||
| PSYC 500 | ADVANCED STATISTICS | 3 |
| PSYC 530 | ADVANCED RESEARCH METHODS | 3 |
| PSYC 631 | SYSTEMS OF PSYCHOTHERAPY | 3 |
| PSYC 633 | SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY & GROUP DYNAMICS | 3 |
| PSYC 634 | COMMUNITY PSYCHOLOGY & SOCIAL JUSTICE | 3 |
| PSYC 635 | PROFESSIONAL, LEGAL, & ETHICAL ISSUES | 3 |
| PSYC 636 | HUMAN DEVELOPMENT | 3 |
| PSYC 638 | HISTORY & THEORETICAL SYSTEMS | 3 |
| PSYC 710 | BIOPSYCHOLOGY | 3 |
| PSYC 712 | PSYCHOPHARMACOLOGY | 3 |
| PSYC 716 | COGNITIVE, AFFECTIVE, & LEARNED BASE OF BEHAVIOR | 3 |
| PSYC 789 | DOCTORAL PROJECT SEMINAR | 3 |
| PSYC 789Y | DOCTORAL PROJECT SEM. CONT. (Mandatory continuation of 789) 1 | 0 |
| PSYC 790 | DOCTORAL PROJECT | 3 |
| Electives | ||
| Select three of the following: | 9 | |
| INTERMEDIATE STATISTICS | ||
| CHEMICAL DEPENDENCE | ||
| GROUP PSYCHOTHERAPY | ||
| CHILDHOOD & ADOLESCENT THERAPY | ||
| COUPLES AND FAMILY THERAPY | ||
| EMPLOYMENT TESTING | ||
| CONFLICT RESOLUTION IN ORGANIZATIONS | ||
| JOB ANALYSIS & PERFORMANCE MANAGEMENT | ||
| ORGANIZATIONAL ASSESSMENT/DEVELOPMENT | ||
| INSTRUCTIONAL DESIGN/TRAINING | ||
| INSTRUCTOR DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM | ||
| INDEPENDENT STUDY | ||
| CLINICAL NEUROPSYCHOLOGY | ||
| NEUROPSYCHOLOGICAL ASSESSMENT | ||
| ADVANCED PSYCHOTHERAPY SEMINAR | ||
| CHILD PSYCHOPATHOLOGY | ||
| Total Credit Hours | 102 | |
- 1
Students must complete 789Y Doctoral Project Seminar Continuation before they can receive a grade for 789 Doctoral Project Seminar
Clinical Practicum
Applied clinical experience, which includes practica and the pre-doctoral internship, is a cornerstone of the PsyD program. Students entering with a bachelor's degree complete an introductory practicum prior to beginning their doctoral practica. Students may begin their introductory practicum after they have completed eight courses (24 credit hours). These courses must include two semesters of Psychopathology, Basic Clinical Skills, either two semesters of Cognitive Behavioral Therapies or Psychodynamic Therapies, and Intellectual Assessment or Personality Assessment. Students register for and attend the MA Practicum Seminar (for six credit hours) during their introductory practicum.
Following completion of the introductory practicum, students must complete at least two doctoral practica. Students typically spend 16 to 25 hours per week at their clinical training site and attend a weekly doctoral practicum seminar during their practice. Each practicum seminar is 3 credit hours per semester and continues for two semesters. Practicum site placements are for 9 to 12 months. The focus of training depends on the individual student’s needs, interests, and experience.
Students who enter the program with a master’s degree may be able to receive credit for a previous completed master's practicum. If a clinical practicum was completed as part of the master’s degree, the practicum might transfer in as the introductory practicum (upon review by the PsyD Program Director and the Director of Clinical Training), leaving only two doctoral practica to be completed. Students who earned practicum credit as part of a doctoral program may transfer up to two semesters of clinical practicum upon review by the PsyD director and the clinical training director. Additional practicum credit may be transferred as elective credit at the discretion of the PsyD Program Director. A final practicum evaluation or letter from the licensed practicum supervisor documenting that the student has achieved the appropriate level of clinical skill should accompany any transfer of practicum credit request. No undergraduate practicum credit is accepted.
The PsyD Student Manual and the Clinical Training Manual have more details on requirements for practica and internship. Note that because the selection process for practicum placements begins early, students should begin preparing for an introductory or doctoral practicum a year before their anticipated start. All relevant materials are available to current students and can be accessed at the PsyD program's organization page within Roosevelt's Blackboard website.
Comprehensive Examination
The comprehensive examination provides an opportunity for students to review and integrate their knowledge of the theory, research, and practice of clinical psychology. The examination is taken after students have completed at least 72 credit hours of coursework, including PSYC 791A DOCTORAL CLINICAL PRACTICUM 1 and PSYC 791B DOCTORAL CLINICAL PRACTICUM 1 (one complete doctoral practicum). Students must indicate their intention to take the comprehensive examination at the beginning of the spring semester of the year in which they plan to take the examination. If a student decides to change the date on which he or she intends to take the examination, the PsyD Program Director must be notified no later than one month prior to the examination date. If a student notifies a change after one month or does not appear on the examination day, it will be considered a failure. If a student does not pass the examination, he or she may only retake it once. If the student cannot pass it the second time, the student will be dismissed from the program.
Pre-Doctoral Internship
All students must complete a 1-year, full-time pre-doctoral internship approved by the Director of Clinical Training. To be eligible to begin a pre-doctoral internship, students must have successfully completed all coursework and practica, passed the comprehensive examination prior to application submission, and defended their doctoral project proposal by May 15th in the year prior to applying for internship.
Students are expected to seek internships accredited by the American Psychological Association (APA) accredited internship training. Obtaining an internship is a competitive national process involving an electronic matching system. Students are expected to conduct a national search and need to look outside of large metropolitan areas to increase the likelihood of obtaining an internship. The Director of Clinical Training will provide guidance throughout this process.
Students register for a total of 3 credit hours for their internship experience, divided into 1.5 credit hours in the Fall semester and 1.5 credit hours in the Spring semester. Students are considered full-time during their internship experience.
Scholarship
The scholarship component of the program’s practitioner-scholar model is addressed by several components, including required coursework, the comprehensive examination, and the doctoral project. Students may further their scholarship skills by participating in faculty-led or independent research (which often involves posters, presentations, and publications). Students who have completed the requirements for the master’s degree are eligible to teach undergraduate courses in psychology once they have taken the Instructor Development Seminar (or if they are taking it concurrently with their first teaching experience). Students are paid for their teaching and may have multiple teaching opportunities.
Doctoral Project
Students develop and enhance scholarly skills pertinent to the practice of clinical psychology by completing a doctoral project. In the doctoral project, students demonstrate their ability to assess and integrate the research literature on the management and conceptualization of clinical issues. There are five types of projects: a traditional empirical study, an extended case study, a literature review on a selected topic, applied treatment and program evaluation research, and program proposals. PSYC 530 ADVANCED RESEARCH METHODS and PSYC 789 DOCTORAL PROJECT SEMINAR / PSYC 789Y DOCTORAL PROJECT SEM. CONT. help prepare students for the doctoral project. Students may begin informal work on their doctoral project at any time and are expected to begin such work by the end of their second year in the program, at the latest. At the end of the doctoral project seminar, students will have completed their first formal doctoral project proposal draft and selected at least two faculty members (a chair and 1-2 readers) who agree to constitute their doctoral project committee.
The doctoral project is to be conducted under the guidance of this doctoral committee, which determines when the project is acceptable and conducts the final oral defense of the project. At least two committee members, including the committee chair, must be full-time faculty within the Clinical Psychology program or have received prior approval from the department. All approved faculty for doctoral projects are listed on the Blackboard organization site for the program. A third member may be an external psychologist or researcher the student is affiliated with. See the current PsyD Doctoral Project Manual for details on the doctoral project.
As noted above, students must have successfully defended their doctoral project proposal by May 15th to be eligible to apply for an internship. If May 15th falls on a weekend, the proposal defense must occur by the Friday before. Students who do not meet this deadline will not be allowed to apply for internship the following year.
Student Evaluations
The PsyD program at Roosevelt University is accountable to the profession and the public for developing the professional standards of its future practitioners. Thus the successful completion of the program entails the development of academic knowledge and skills, professional skills, and interpersonal competencies necessary to function as an effective and ethical practitioner. Professional and interpersonal competencies include, but are not limited to, the ability to cultivate and maintain productive and respectful relationships across academic and clinical settings; the ability to respond productively to feedback and change problematic behavior that interferes or has the potential to interfere with one’s ability to function as a student and trainee; the ability to communicate effectively with instructors, supervisors, clients, students, and peers; and the ability to act ethically following cultural and professional standards.
The faculty provides feedback on students’ academic and professional development throughout the program. Students will be formally evaluated each year; students may be evaluated more frequently when concerns arise. Students are evaluated via a collaborative process that involves faculty and clinical training supervisors. Failure to meet the above standards may result in specific remediation requirements or dismissal from the program. Failure of a practicum or internship is also grounds for dismissal from the program. Please refer to the PsyD Program Manual for additional information.
Practice of Psychology by Graduate Students
PsyD students who render psychological services (other than practicum-related services) must report their activities to the director of the PsyD Program. If this activity is not within the student’s competence and under professional supervision, the student will be asked to desist as determined by the PsyD Program Director. Additionally, students should ensure they follow all APA's expectations and the APA Ethics Code for comportment and behavioral requirements for PsyD students. Failure to comply may be grounds for immediate termination from the psychology doctoral program.
APA Accreditation Information
Roosevelt University's PsyD Program in Clinical Psychology is accredited by the American Psychological Association. The Commission on Accreditation of the APA can be reached at:
Office of Program Consultation and Accreditation
American Psychological Association
750 1st Street NE, Washington, DC 20002-4242
Phone: (202) 336-5979 / E-mail: apaaccred@apa.org
Web: www.apa.org/ed/accreditation
The degree map is a general guide suggesting courses to complete each term on the academic pathway to your degree. It is based on the most current scheduling information from the PsyD program. The degree map is reviewed annually and updated as schedules change (although you retain the same course requirements as long as you are continuously enrolled in your degree program). Always work closely with the PsyD Program Director to understand curriculum requirements and scheduling, as each student’s academic plan can look slightly different but there are certain course requirements prior to completing practica and additional requirements prior to taking the comprehensive exam. A graduate course can only be repeated once; no more than two courses can be repeated.
Students may earn a minimum grade of B- in any one course in order for that course to count towards degree requirements but must earn a minimum 3.25 cumulative grade point average in order to remain a student in good standing in the program.
| Year 1 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fall | Credit Hours | Spring | Credit Hours | Summer | Credit Hours |
| PSYC 516A | 3 | PSYC 516B | 3 | PSYC 635 | 3 |
| PSYC 520 | 3 | PSYC 631 | 3 | ||
| PSYC 620 | 3 | PSYC 641B | 3 | ||
| PSYC 641A | 3 | PSYC 644 | 3 | ||
| 12 | 12 | 3 | |||
| Year 2 | |||||
| Fall | Credit Hours | Spring | Credit Hours | Summer | Credit Hours |
| PSYC 530 | 3 | PSYC 625 | 3 | PSYC 789Y | 0 |
| PSYC 642A | 3 | PSYC 642B | 3 | ||
| PSYC 638 | 3 | PSYC 789 | 3 | ||
| PSYC 698A | 3 | PSYC 698B | 3 | ||
| 12 | 12 | 0 | |||
| Year 3 | |||||
| Fall | Credit Hours | Spring | Credit Hours | ||
| PSYC 636 | 3 | PSYC 500 | 3 | ||
| PSYC 710 | 3 | PSYC 633 | 3 | ||
| PSYC 791A | 3 | PSYC 791B | 3 | ||
| Elective | 3 | Elective | 3 | ||
| 12 | 12 | ||||
| Year 4 | |||||
| Fall | Credit Hours | Spring | Credit Hours | ||
| PSYC 716 | 3 | PSYC 634 | 3 | ||
| PSYC 735 | 3 | PSYC 712 | 3 | ||
| PSYC 792A | 3 | PSYC 790 | 3 | ||
| Elective | 3 | PSYC 792B | 3 | ||
| 12 | 12 | ||||
| Year 5 | |||||
| Fall | Credit Hours | Spring | Credit Hours | Summer | Credit Hours |
| PSYC 799 | 1.5 | PSYC 799 | 1.5 | PSYC 799Y | 0 |
| PSYC 790Y | 0 | ||||
| 1.5 | 1.5 | 0 | |||
| Total Credit Hours 102 | |||||