Psychology

Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology

Currently Duquesne's Department of Psychology offers a combined M.A./Ph.D. program in Clinical Psychology. Only full-time students are accepted into the program.

Requirements

Pre-Doctoral Internship

Students are required to complete a one-year pre-doctoral internship as part of the requirement for the Ph.D. in clinical psychology. Applications for internships are typically submitted during the fourth year of Ph.D. studies, with the internships commencing in the following summer. Although some internships are available locally, most students travel elsewhere for their internships.

Examinations

Comprehensive: Students are required to take this exam following their third year of graduate studies. The exam is completed during the week preceding the fall semester. An examination will also be offered during the spring semester for students needing to retake failed portions of the fall exam.

Assistantships

First, second, third, and fourth year doctoral students are offered assistantships that include a nine-month stipend and a waiver of tuition. These positions require 15 hours of work per week as a teaching and/or research assistant.

Credit Requirements

A minimum of 78 credits (excluding six credits for the dissertation) is required. There is a residence requirement, which is fulfilled while completing the coursework. These 78 credits must include the following:

• 3 credits in Introduction to Qualitative Research (513)
• 3 credits in Psychology of Human Development (526)
• 3 credits in Psychology as a Human Science (537)
• 3 credits in Introduction to Psychotherapy (545)
• 3 credits in Introduction to Assessment (571)
• 6 credits in Clinical Practice (640, 663)
• 6 credits in Qualitative Research (611, 612, 614, 615, 616) Please check appendix for details on research curriculum choices
• 3 credits in Physiological Psychology (560)
• 3 credits in Contemporary Philosophy
• 1 credit in Ethics and Standards (623)
• 1 credit in Psychological Statistics (622)
• 3 credits in Experimental & Statistical Research Methods (624)
• 3 credits in Advanced Assessment (671)
• 3 credits in Psychology and Cultural Diversity (674)
• 1 credit in Psychology Minicourse, an additional 2 credits may be taken in minicourse

The student earns an M.A. in Psychology upon completion of 30 credits in the Ph.D. program. The student's progress is reviewed at this point and if satisfactory the student continues on with Ph.D. coursework. If the student's progress is not sufficient the student graduates with an M.A. degree.

At some time during graduate work leading to the Ph.D., students must complete at least three credits of coursework in each of the following areas:

1. Social Psychology (551, 552)
2. Personality or Developmental (519, 526)
3. Cognition, Motivation or Emotion (537, 637)
4. Psychopathology (543)

Students should also be aware of the following:

To fulfill Pennsylvania Psychologist Licensure Requirements: “Twenty semester hours of psychology courses must be from the following fifteen areas, with at least one course from each of five different areas: experimental psychology, developmental psychology, individual differences, psychological tests and measurements, social psychology, statistics, history and systems, experimental design, personality theory, psychology of learning, physiological psychology, abnormal psychology, comparative psychology, motivation, and perception.”

In preparation for eventual licensure as a psychologist, students are urged to keep copies of all course syllabi throughout their graduate training.