REQUIREMENTS FOR TERMINAL MASTER'S PROGRAM IN CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGY A Master of Arts degree in clinical psychology will be awarded to students who successfully complete the prescribed program of study of the first years of the doctoral sequence , including: (1) A minimum of 45 semester hours of academic work with the following distribution : (a) a minimum of 36 semester hours in psychology (b) a minimum of nine semester hours in theology (2) A minimum of one year of resident graduate work. REQUIREMENTS FOR THE PSY.D. IN CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGY (1) RESIDENCE AND COURSE WORK A minimum of four years of residence is required for the doctor ate. While the doctorate is not awarded simply for completion of stated course work , there are basic unit requirements for the degree (133 semester hours) . Each student is assigned a faculty advisor who assists in the planning of each semester ' s schedule of courses and supervises the student's progress in the program . For transfer credit , see under General Academic Information . Psychology: Psy .D. students must complete a minimum of 98 semester hours in psychology. This includes at least 80 academic units , of which 21 units must be selected from PLB elective psychotherapy courses, and 18 units of practicum. Theology: All students must complete a minor in theology which includes a minimum of 18 semester units. Integration Seminars: All students participate in a series of five seminars (11 units) devoted to the integration of a variety of theological and psychological concepts in research , theory and practice. Dissertation Research: The Psy .D. requires eight units of dis sertation research. (2) PRELIMINARY ORAL INTERVIEW AND ADMISSION TO DOCTORAL STUDY All students have an oral interview with a faculty committee to evaluate their progress and potential for successful completion of the doctoral program. This interview is scheduled after the com pletion of three semesters in residence , including at least one practicum assignment. The results of this interview are reported to faculty which votes either to admit, admit with conditions , or not to admit the student to doctoral study . (3) COMPREHENSIVE EXAMINATIONS All students must pass a set of five doctoral-level comprehensive examinations covering the following areas: 1) psychological development; 2) psychological function; 3) psychological inter vention; 4) psychology and theology; and 5) an advanced examination formulated by the student's advisor and his doctoral committee. These examinations are given twice annually and serve as the major means of evaluating a student's suitability to continue studies toward the doctorate . The examinations may be taken any time after completion of 75% of the course work and must be taken prior to the Professional Qualifying Examination. The student must pass at least three of the four basic areas to avoid retaking the entire examination . If the student passes at least three of the areas only the one or two areas failed must be retaken. Only two retakes of the examination are allowed. The dates of the
Comprehensive Examinations are specified in the Academic Calendar. (4) ADMISSIONS TO CANDIDACY Official candidacy for the doctorate signifies an advanced stage in the student's progress and is accompanied by a redefinition of fulltime enrollment which enables the student to place greater emphasis on his practicum experience, internship and disserta tion, and less emphasis on formal coursework . In order to be admitted to candidacy the student must have: (a) Successfully completed the Preliminary Oral Interview (b) Passed the Comprehensive Examinations (c) Received approval of dissertation proposal by his Doctoral Committee . An Advancement to Candidacy form is available from the office of admissions and records. (5) PROFESSIONAL QUALIFYING EXAMINATION (PSY .D.) Psy.D. students must successfully complete an examination de signated to evaluate their readiness for a full-time internship in professional counseling. It may be taken any time after three of four basic areas of comprehensive examinations have been passed and must be completed six months prior to internship . The examining committee may require the student to complete additional course work , practicum , or other professional growth experiences prior to beginning the internship . See the Professional Qualifying Examination Guidelines for further detail. (6) INTERNSHIP All students are required to complete 1500 hours of clinical internship prior to graduation. The internship may consist of two years of experience on a half-time basis . All internships are to be approved in advance by the Professional Training Committee . For further details , refer to the Internship Guidelines. (7) COMPLETION OF TRAINING THERAPY All students must receive certification of completion of training therapy from the director of clinical training. A minimum of 50 hours of group therapy plus 50 hours of individual therapy is required. See Training Therapy Guidelines for further details. (8) DISSERTATION A dissertation evidencing high attainment in scholarship related to professional psychology must be submitted by all doctoral candidates . The dissertation topic and proposal must be approved by the candidate ' s advisory committee prior to the beginning of the student's internship. Three weeks prior to expected gradua tion the candidate must submit to the registrar the original and three copies of his dissertation signed by his dissertation commit tee. Detailed information is found in the Student Dissertation Guidelines. (9) FINAL ORAL EXAMINATION The final examination is an oral defense of the dissertation , before the doctoral committee and other invited professionals.
continued 145
Made with FlippingBook flipbook maker