Clinical Psychology, Psy.D.

Admission Requirements for the PsyD degree

To be eligible for admission, applicants should submit materials before the annual deadline date of December 1st.

Go to http://www.xavier.edu/psychology-doctorate/admission.cfm on the Xavier website to reference the full details and the admission process.

Program of Studies

Students are accepted into the program on a full-time basis and are required to complete a minimum 120 credit hours to graduate. The curriculum of the first four years is divided into two major types of learning experiences: 1) knowledge/academic based, and 2) skills/clinical based. The 93 credit hours of courses that are primarily “academic” in nature are designed to develop content and methodologies in specific areas identified by the American Psychological Association Council on Accreditation (CoA) as essential for clinical training-biological, cognitive and affective, social and cultural aspects of behavior, history and systems in psychology, psychological measurement and assessment, human development, psychopathology, professional standards of ethics, research and evaluation, and professional interpersonal conduct. The remaining 27 credit hours involve courses such as professional development and practicum, clinical practicum, and internship that provide supervised experience and training in a range of clinical areas.

A unique feature of the program is the opportunity for students to develop a focus area in working with children and adolescents, working with individuals with severe and chronic disorders, or applying psychological interventions in health care settings. Prior to applying for internship in the fall of the fourth year, students must successfully complete the Clinical Competency Examination, which evaluates students’ progress in clinical skill development, and propose their dissertation.

Students who are accepted into the doctoral program who already hold a master’s degree in a field akin to clinical psychology may be able to apply a portion of the previous graduate work toward the fulfillment of the doctoral degree requirements.  The allowable number of transferable hours will vary; all accepted hours must come from courses that match the requirements of courses in the PsyD curriculum. In all cases a minimum of 75 hours of the required 120 must be completed at Xavier.

Petitions for transfer of credit will be granted with the recommendation of the School Chair and approval of the Dean of the College of Professional Sciences. Courses will be considered for transfer at a grade of B or higher.  Courses taken more than six years prior to entering the doctoral program will normally not be accepted for transfer.

Grading Policy:

Grades are based on a student’s performance meeting the standards established and communicated in writing by the professor of the course. A semester grade point average of 3.000 or higher is required for a student to remain in good standing. Any student whose semester (Fall, Spring, Summer) GPA falls below 3.000 or who earns a grade of “C (includes C+ or C)” or “F” in any 2 credit hour course will be placed on  “WARNING” by the Dean of the College of Professional Sciences and remains on WARNING throughout the remainder of the program. Once on warning, any student whose semester (Fall, Spring, Summer) GPA falls below a 3.00 may be dismissed. In addition, once on warning, any student who earns a grade of “C” or “F” in any course is subject to dismissal. A student who earns a grade of C or lower in 4 hours or more of course credit in one semester may be subject to dismissal immediately. The following interpretation of letter grades is used by the department A= excellent, B=good, C=minimal, and F=failure. Faculty may use a +/- system in grading. Students receiving a “C” in a course may be required to retake the course or do additional work to satisfy specific deficiencies. This will be determined by the professor of the course and will be discussed with the student and his/her advisor. The student may be required to register for a one hour tutorial (PSYC 900) to complete the necessary remedial work, for which he/she must earn a grade of pass to fulfill the requirements for the additional work. The work must be completed by the student during the following academic semester. Students receiving an “F” in a course are required to retake the course. A cumulative GPA of 3.000 or higher is required for graduation. An A = 4 points, a B = 3 points and a C = 2 points. Pluses and minuses alter the merit points by .3. All students are required to complete the “Yearly Graduate Student Activity Report: for each academic year by May 1.

Requirements for the PsyD degree

• All students must complete each of the following courses designed to provide integrative education in the graduate field of psychology. Although the curriculum may change to match advancement of the field of professional psychology, the current curricular requirements are listed below in the present order of completion.
• All students are required to take eight elective courses, four of which are specified as the student’s “focus area”: clinical child and adolescent psychology; individuals with severe and chronic problems in psychopathology, and; health care psychology across the lifespan. The other four electives are chosen by students in consultation with their advisor. A unique feature of the program is that students may opt to use their additional electives to work toward a “Certificate in the Foundations of Health Services Administration,” which is offered in cooperation with the Health Services Administration Department. These courses offer a foundation in the health services discipline and provide a basis for understanding the dynamics involved in the delivery of health care services in today’s changing professional climate.
• The PsyD degree will be awarded upon successful completion of required coursework, Clinical Competency Examination, Doctoral Dissertation, and an internship. After the fourth year of enrollment in the doctoral program (or its equivalent for students admitted with advanced standing), the student is expected to be enrolled in either PSYC 999, Internship, or PSYC 790, Continuous Major Research, until the dissertation is defended and deposited in the library. All of these requirements must be earned within the 8-year limit for the PsyD program.
• After the completion of the internship, students must be enrolled in PSYC 790, Continuous Major Research each semester until all dissertation requirements have been completed. A minimum of 75 of the 120 hours required coursework for the PsyD. Degree must be completed at Xavier.