Psychology, PhD

Requirements for the PhD

A minimum of 72 credits is required for the PhD. The credits are readily earned in the course of completing the regular requirements. Up to 24 credits may be granted for a master’s degree awarded by another institution.

In addition to the credit requirement, the PhD in psychology requires:

1. Demonstration of proficiency in the program-specific core and required courses as described in the following links: biological and health, clinical, cognitive, developmental, and social.
2. Demonstration of competence in research at the master’s level, with an oral defense of a master’s thesis or equivalent work. (This may be waived for students entering with a master’s degree.)
3. Maintenance of a B average (3.0) in all course work.
4. A comprehensive examination in a field of specialization.
5. Demonstration of teaching competence in a formal course setting.
6. A dissertation based on empirical research.
7. An oral examination concerned primarily with the dissertation.

It is possible to complete these requirements in four years, although most students take four to six years to complete the work for a PhD.

Clinical Program Note: Clinical students are also required to complete a one-year internship in an approved setting. This internship normally takes place after the student has met the requirements for admission to doctoral candidacy. For this reason, the minimum time in which a PhD may be earned in clinical psychology is one year longer.

Supervised Teaching: Each student is required to fulfill a requirement of teaching at least one supervised course.