Other Requirements

In addition to courses, the major requirements for the doctoral program in psychology are

• The M.A. thesis
• The research tool requirement
• The Ph.D. candidacy examination
• The doctoral dissertation

Thesis

Students are required to submit an empirical thesis in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the master's degree. An approved thesis proposal must be on file by June 15 of the second year of graduate study for the student to register for the third year practicum. We expect students to complete and defend the thesis project by the end of the third academic year in the program.

Research Tool

The research tool requirement may be completed by appropriate coursework in statistics, instrumentation, or computer science. The department has designated courses, including the two statistics courses required of all students, which can be used to fulfill this requirement. Successful completion of four of these courses with a grade of A or B will satisfy the Graduate School's research tool requirement.

Candidacy Examination

The purpose of the Ph.D. candidacy exam is to assess students' knowledge in four content areas: psychopathology; assessment; intervention; and ethics and multiculturalism. These content areas are broad and invariant. The specific topics covered, which vary across administrations of the exam, are tailored to match the topics covered in the basic clinical courses. Students answer three of four questions in each content area. The exam is given in four, three-hour blocks, with one block allocated to each of the content areas. Students are expected to take the exam no later than the summer following their third year in the program. The exam is offered once a year in June.

Dissertation

All candidates for the Ph.D. are required to submit an empirical dissertation which has the potential to make a substantial contribution to the field of psychology. An approved dissertation proposal must be on file by September 1 of the year in which students intend to apply for an internship.