2011-2012 Archived Catalog Information

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
   There are 24 (3-credit) courses (19 required and 5 elective) 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. 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 first 4 semesters of graduate 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 are expected to complete the department’s clinical comprehensive examination following the successful completion of Prac II and prior to the end of the fourth academic year. 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 examination 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 Early Research Project, submitted the dissertation literature review, pass the clinical comprehensive examination, and successfully completed the dissertation proposal. Additionally, a minimum of 72 credits must have been completed with satisfactory grades before the student may apply for a pre-doctoral internship, including PSYCH: 711, 716, 717, 718, 719, 721, 722, 723, 738, 739, 740, 741, 764, and 792, 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.