The Program in Clinical Psychology consists of a minimum of five years of full-time study. Please feel free to consult the Department of Psychology Doctoral Program Manual for more detailed information on all of these points. The requirements are as follows:

1. Completion of 72 credits

   24 (3-credit) courses (18 required and 6 elective) are to be completed within the first three years of the program for full-time students. A full-time course load is 12 credits. Please note that all courses must be completed with a grade of B- or better. Any grade less than a B- must be offset by an appropriate honor grade in order to maintain graduate degree candidacy. Continuance of degree candidacy status requires that a maximum of six semester credits less than B- be offset in this manner. Should a student earn a third C grade (or lower), his or her continuance in the program is contingent upon the review of the Committee on Standards and Ethics. The Department reserves the right to require the withdrawal of a student from the program if, in its estimation, the probability of his or her success is doubtful. Such factors such as academic performance, interest, effort, and suitability for the field enter into the judgment.

2. Completion of practicum experiences

   Suffolk University’s clinical psychology doctoral program is committed to providing the highest quality practicum experiences available. Practicum sites have been chosen that are committed to training and providing students with supervision by appropriate professionals. Each practicum is designed to be consistent with the goals of the doctoral program. Two years of practicum experience are required of our doctoral students beginning in their second academic year. A third year is optional, but recommended. Students receive weekly supervision by professionals at their practicum sites and attend a weekly practicum seminar at Suffolk where they are able to integrate their practical experiences and educational training within the program. Students receive extensive individual supervision that is consistent with the student’s level of training, contact hours, and case load.

3. Completion of teaching assistantships

   As a part of their scholastic training, students are expected to serve as teaching assistants during their 6 semesters of full-time study. Duties and requirements will vary by course and by instructor, but students are expected to develop a range of teaching skills by supporting student learning across the various content areas of psychology. Students who wish to teach independently within the department must complete PSYCH 772: Teaching of Psychology.

4. Early Research Project

   Students are not admitted into the Clinical Psychology Program for a terminal master’s degree. A master’s degree is granted, however, usually after the second year, once the student has completed 48 credits of course work and the Early Research Project. These projects provide students with an opportunity to apply the knowledge gained in research and statistics courses by pursuing research under the supervision of a faculty member who serves as the major advisor; on the recommendation of this advisor, students will deliver an oral presentation to the department and submit a written report on their research project. 

5. Comprehensive examinations

   All students, once finished with their Early Research Projects, must satisfactorily complete the department’s comprehensive examinations prior to admission to doctoral candidacy. The comprehensive examinations must be satisfactorily completed for the students to participate in the APPIC pre-doctoral internship match. The Director of Clinical Training will not approve any internship placement nor will complete any forms related to internship application of placement until all comprehensive examinations have been passed.
   The examinations consist of a research component and a clinical component.  The research component consists of a set of questions on research design and methodology (approximately four hours).  The clinical component consists of a written case report (students choose a therapy case, a psychological assessment case, or a neuropsych assessment case) and an oral defense of the report and work with the client.

6. A doctoral dissertation

   The dissertation is conceptualized as an original empirical project that makes a substantive contribution to the knowledge base of clinical psychology. A major advisor and a doctoral committee that consists of two other members of the research faculty supervise the dissertation. The committee is responsible for approving the proposal, overseeing data collection and analysis, and reviewing the final written draft. The doctoral committee must approve the formal dissertation and a departmental oral defense must also be completed.

7. An internship

   Doctoral students shall complete an APA and APPIC approved predoctoral internship. These are typically one year of full time training (at least 1600 hours). In order to apply for a pre-doctoral internship, students must have successfully completed the Master’s Thesis or Early Research Training Program, The Research Methods Comprehensive Examination, the oral and written Clinical Comprehensive Examinations, and the dissertation proposal. Additionally, a minimum of 48 credits must have been completed with satisfactory grades before the student may apply for a pre-doctoral internship, including PSYCH: 716, 717, 718, 721, 722, 723, 748, 738, 739, 740, 741, the additional assessment requirement and the additional intervention requirement. The pre-doctoral internship may take place at an APA-approved site or at a site that has written approval of the Clinical Training Committee and meets all of the following requirements.

(Please feel free to obtain the Clinical Psychology Ph.D. Program Student Check Sheet by clicking here).

PSYCH 716-Adult Psychopathology
PSYCH 717-Adult Assessment
PSYCH 718-Research Methods and Ethics
PSYCH 719-History & Systems of Psychology
PSYCH 721-Evidence-Based Principles in Clinical Psychology
PSYCH 722-Univariate Statistics
PSYCH 723-Multivariate Statistics (Prerequisite: 722)
PSYCH 748-Developmental Psychopathology
PSYCH 738-Clinical Practicum and Ethics 1A
PSYCH 739-Clinical Practicum and Ethics 1B (Prerequisite: 738)
PSYCH 740-Practicum 2A (Prerequisite: 739)
PSYCH 741-Practicum 2B (Prerequisite: 740)
PSYCH 792-Intro to Neuropsychology

Choose one from the following to fulfill the Assessment requirement (must be completed in first or second year):
PSYCH 746-Child Assessment (Prerequisite: 748)
PSYCH 747-Adult Neuropsychological Assessment
PSYCH 753-Child Neuropsychological Assessment

Choose one from the following to fulfill the Intervention requirement:
PSYCH 736-Couples and Family Therapy
PSYCH 737-Dialogue and Psychological Inquiry in Psychotherapy
PSYCH 769-Crisis and Disaster Mental Health
PSYCH 774-Child Therapy
PSYCH 779-Acceptance and Mindfulness in Psychotherapy

Choose one from the following to fulfill the Diversity requirement:
PSYCH 729-Social Justice, Race, & Ethnicity
PSYCH 733-Racial & Ethnic Bases of Behavior and Experience
PSYCH 756-Counseling Across Cultures

Choose one from the following to fulfill the Cognitive Bases requirement:
PSYCH 731-Cognitive Affective Bases of Behavior and Experience
PSYCH 765-Cognitive Development

Choose one from the following to fulfill the Social Bases requirement:
PSYCH 732-Social Bases of Behavior
PSYCH 757-The Social Psychology of Gender
PSYCH 768-Social Psychology and the Family

Free Electives: Six additional elective courses. Electives vary by year. A maximum of three electives (9 credit hours) may be taken from the following list:
PSYCH 780-Early Research Training
PSYCH 781-Comprehensive Exam Preparation
PSYCH 782-Dissertation Proposal Preparation
PSYCH 783-Dissertation Research

Summary of courses offered within the Clinical Child elective:
PSYCH 736-Couples and Family Therapy
PSYCH 746-Child Assessment
PSYCH 748- Developmental Psychopathology
PSYCH 765-Cognitive Development
PSYCH 768-Social Psychology and the Family
PSYCH 774 Child Therapy

Summary of required courses for the Neuropsychology concentration:
PSYCH 747- Adult Neuropsychological Assessment
OR
PSYCH 753-Child Neuropsychological Assessment Across the Life Span
AND
PSYCH 751-Psychopharmachology
PSYCH 792-Intro to Neuropsychology
PSYCH 793-Adult Neuropsychological Syndromes
PSYCH 795-Human Neuropsychology I
PSYCH 796-Human Neuropsychology II

Advanced level courses: The following zero credit courses can be taken once students have completed all required coursework.

PSYCH 000-Dissertation Residency
Students who have completed all required program courses (72 credits) and who area working on their dissertations must register for this course every fall and spring semester (excluding pre-doctoral internship semesters) until the doctoral degree is conferred. This course provides students with full-time status. It confers no credit and is not graded. Tuition is currently set at one credit hour per semester.

PSYCH 801 is required for all predoctoral internship students in the fall and spring semesters of the internship year. This course provides students with full-time status. It confers no credit but is graded pass/fail. Tuition is currently set at one credit hour per semester.

PSYCH 777-Advanced Practicum (Prerequisite: 744 & 745).
Students must concurrently register for PSYCH 000. Enrollment in this course requires the consent of the Director of Clinical Training. It confers no credit but is graded pass/fail. Tuition is currently set at one credit hour per semester.

72 credits required for participation in predoctoral internship, 48 credits required to apply for predoctoral internship. See program manual for details

Full-time enrollment = 4 courses per semester

PSYCH 772-Teaching of Psychology is a prerequisite to teaching as an adjunct in the department.

Dissertation Proposals must be approved by November 1st of the year of application to Predoctoral Internships.

Upon completion of 72 credits, students are required to enroll in PSYCH 000-Doctoral Continuation until doctoral degree is conferred.

Doctoral degrees cannot be conferred until 1600 hours of the predoctoral internship are completed.