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Doctor of Psychology Program

Doctor of Psychology Curriculum

Our PsyD in Clinical Psychology program is offered in a traditional, though flexible format with classes meeting in the mornings, afternoons and some evenings. The program can be completed in as little as four years, however most students complete the program in five or six years. This program must be completed in seven years.

The program prepares students to become licensed clinical psychologists (provided they pass the appropriate licensure examinations). Argosy University does not guarantee third-party certification/licensure. Outside agencies control the requirements for taking and passing certification/licensing exams and are subject to change without notice to Argosy University.

Course Listing

The PsyD in Clinical Psychology degree program at the Illinois School of Professional Psychology at Argosy University, Chicago requires the successful completion of 98 semester credit hours distributed as follows: core course requirements, 68.5 credit hours; advanced intervention and supervision elective requirements, 3 credit hours; diversity elective requirements, 3 credit hours; general elective requirement, 3 credit hours; integrated assessment elective requirements, 3 credit hours; professional practice elective requirement, 1.5 credit hours; practicum requirements, 12 credit hours; and clinical research project requirement, 4 credit hours. In addition, students are required to successfully complete professionalization group and internship.

Full Course Sequence

Core Course Requirements

Students Are Required to Take the Following:

  • PP 7000 - History and Systems (3)
  • PP 7020 - Child and Adolescent Development (3)
  • PP 7040 - Cognition and Affective Processes (3)
  • PP 7051 - Biological Bases of Behavior (3)
  • PP 7080 - Personal and Professional Development Group (2)
  • PP 7100 - Professional Issues: Ethics, Conduct, and Law (3)
  • PP 7202 - Statistics (3)
  • PP 7203 - Research Methods (3)
  • PP 7320 - Health and Dysfunction I (3)
  • PP 7321 - Health and Dysfunction II (3)
  • PP 7339 - Survey of Diversity and Multicultural Psychology (3)
  • PP 7341 - Issues in the Assessment and Treatment of Racially and Ethnically Diverse Populations (3)
  • PP 7352 - Clinical Supervision (1.5)
  • PP 7359 - Introduction to Clinical Psychopharmacology and Substance Abuse (3)
  • PP 7370 - Cognitive Assessment (4)
  • PP 7520 - Personality Assessment (4)
  • PP 7550 - Consultation in Diverse Settings (1.5)
  • PP 8010 - Cognitive Behavioral Theory and Therapy (3)
  • PP 8020 - Person-Centered and Experiential Theory and Therapy (3)
  • PP 8040 - Psychoanalytic Theory and Therapy (3)
  • PP 8050 - Family and Couples Therapy (3)
  • PP 8185 - Social Psychology and Difference (3)
  • PP 8470 - Adult Development and Aging (3)

Students Choose One of the Following Research Electives:

  • PP 7210 - Advanced Qualitative Methods (1.5)
  • PP 7211 - Advanced Quantitative Methods (1.5)
  • PP 7212 - Test Theory and Construction (1.5)
  • PP 7213 - Structural Equation Modeling (1.5)

Core Course Requirements—68.5 Credit Hours

Advanced Intervention and Supervision Elective Requirements

Students Choose One or More of the Following:

  • PP 7374 - Assessment: Advanced Rorschach (3)
  • PP 7400 - Advanced Group Leadership and Supervision (3)
  • PP 7600 - The Countertransference Experience (1.5)
  • PP 7615 - Health Psychology: Prevention, Stress and Serious Illness (1.5)
  • PP 8011 - Advanced Cognitive Behavioral Psychotherapy (3)
  • PP 8032 - Advanced Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy and Supervision (3)
  • PP 8066 - Advanced Diversity Group Leadership (3)
  • PP 8102 - Advanced Family and Couples Therapy (3)
  • PP 8118 - Advanced Interventions with Diverse Populations (3)
  • PP 8333 - Treatment and Diagnosis of ADHD (3)
  • PP 8401 - Child and Adolescent Psychotherapy (3)
  • PP 8625 - Child and Family Forensics (3)
  • PP 8626 - Civil Psychology and Law (3)
  • PP 8645 - Introduction to Neuropsychology (3)
  • PP 8653 - Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (3)
  • PP 8661 - Eating Disorders (1.5)
  • PP 8662 - Addictive Disorders (1.5)
  • PP 8671 - Clinical Use of Dreams (1.5)
  • PP 8677 - Mourning and Loss (3)
  • PP 8645 - Introduction to Neuropsychology (3)
  • PP 8683 - Existential Psychotherapy (3)
  • PP 8731 - Couples and Marital Therapy (3)

Advanced Intervention and Supervision Elective Requirements—3 Credit Hours

Diversity Elective Requirement

Students Choose One of the Following:

  • PP 7330 - Child and Adolescent Psychopathology (3)
  • PP 7322 - Community Mental Health (3)
  • PP 7611 - Health Psychology: Pain, Neurological Conditions and Rehabilitation (3)
  • PP 7615 - Health Psychology: Prevention, Stress and Serious Illness (3)
  • PP 8022 - Exploring Diversity I (1.5)
  • PP 8024 - Exploring Diversity II (1.5)
  • PP 8025 - Diversity Psychology: Past, Present & Future (3)
  • PP 8043 - Psychoanalysis and Diversity (3) *
  • PP 8116 - Psychology of Gay, Lesbian, and Bisexual Development (3)
  • PP 8117 - Indigenous Healing Models and Modern Psychotherapy (3)
  • PP 8616 - Psychology of Women (3)
  • PP 8624 - Criminal Psychology (3)
  • PP 8450 - Advanced Child Neuropsychology (3)
  • PP 8682 - Psychotherapy and Spirituality (3)
  • PP 8701 - Geriatric Assessment/Introduction to Neuropsychological Screening (3)
  • PP 8711 - Child Maltreatment (3)
  • PP 8717 - Psychology of Gender (3)

Diversity Elective Requirement—3 Credit Hours

Integrated Assessment Elective Requirements

Students Choose One of the Following:

  • PP 7391 - Integrated Forensic Assessment (3)
  • PP 7392 - Integrated Neuropsychological Assessment (3)
  • PP 7393 - Integrated Projective Assessment (3)

Integrated Assessment Elective Requirements—3 Credit Hours

Professional Practice Elective Requirement

Students Choose One of the Following:

  • PP 7120 - Psychology and Management (1.5)
  • PP 7322 - Community Mental Health (1.5)
  • PP 7600 - The Countertransference Experience (1.5)
  • PP 7610 - Extended Empathic Responding I (1.5)
  • PP 7611 - Health Psychology: Pain, Neurological Conditions and Rehabilitation (1.5)
  • PP 7612 - Extended Empathic Responding II (1.5)
  • PP 7615 - Health Psychology: Prevention, Stress and Serious Illness (1.5)
  • PP 7640 - Supervision in Family and Couples Therapy (1.5)
  • PP 7900 - Intervention and Prevention Program Development (1.5)
  • PP 8043 - Psychoanalysis and Diversity (1.5)
  • PP 8155 - Practice Development and Marketing for Psychologists (1.5)
  • PP 8334 - Attention Deficit Disorder and Nonverbal Learning Disability (1.5)
  • PP 8651 - Skills Laboratory in Health Psychology: Meditation (1.5)
  • PP 8653 - Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (3)
  • PP 8661 - Eating Disorders (1.5)
  • PP 8662 - Addictive Disorders (1.5)
  • PP 8671 - Clinical Use of Dreams (1.5)
  • PP 8702 - Neuropsychological Assessment I (1.5)
  • PP 8704 - Neuropsychological Assessment II (1.5)
  • PP 8751 - Family Systems and Health (1.5)
  • PP 8752 - Antepartum and Postpartum Mood Disorders (1.5)
  • PP 8950 - Special Topics (1.5)

Professional Practice Elective Requirement—1.5 Credit Hours

Professionalization Group Requirements

Students Are Required to Take the Following:

  • PP 7110 - Professionalization Group I (0)
  • PP 7111 - Professionalization Group II (0)

Professionalization Group Requirement—0 Credit Hours

Practicum Requirements

Students Are Required to Take the Following:

  • PP 8201 - Practicum I (3)
  • PP 8202 - Practicum II (3)
  • PP 8203 - Practicum III (3)
  • PP 8204 - Practicum IV (3)

Practicum Requirements—12 Credit Hours

Clinical Research Project Requirement

Students Are Required to Take the Following:

  • PP 8499 - CRP Proposal Development (2)
  • PP 8501 - Clinical Research Project I (2)

Clinical Research Project Requirement—4 Credit Hours

NOTES * Courses listed in multiple distribution elective categories may only be used to fulfill one of the elective category requirements. A course may not be taken to fulfill both requirements.

Graduation Requirements

Students who are admitted into the program will be responsible for completing the program requirements that are in effect at the time of their admission. The Illinois School of Professional Psychology at Argosy University, Chicago retains the right to modify these requirements in accordance with the demands of the profession of psychology. The courses will be completed in the order recommended by the Illinois School of Professional Psychology at Argosy University, Chicago. To be eligible for graduation, students must meet the following requirements:

  • A minimum of 98 semester credit hours that includes:
    • 68.5 semester credit hours of core course requirements
    • 13.5 semester credit hours of elective course requirements (Advanced Intervention and Supervision, Diversity, Integrated Assessment, Professional Practice, and General Elective)
    • 12 semester credit hours of practicum and practicum seminar requirements (two years)
    • 4 semester credit hours of clinical research project requirements
  • Successful completion of the Professionalization Group
  • Successful completion of the Comprehensive Examination no later than the end of the fifth year
  • Successful completion of the Clinical Research Project Successful completion of a one-year, 2000 hour, full-time predoctoral internship
  • Successful completion of the Clinical Evaluation Conference Examinations Successful completion of the Clinical Research Project
  • Successful completion of a one-year, full-time internship or its equivalent
  • GPA of at least a “B” (3.0 on a scale of 4.0), with no more than two grades lower than “B-,” and a grade of “B-” or better in all non-elective courses
  • A completed Petition to Graduate submitted to campus administration

Research Training

Consistent with our practitioner-scholar model and goals, this program can help you learn the knowledge and skills needed to critically evaluate professional literature, use this literature to inform your professional practice, and engage in research that aligns with your career objectives. Across the curriculum, your studies will be informed by current empirical research, and you will be taught to critically evaluate the literature and assess outcomes in a manner consistent with the model of the local clinical scientist. Formal training in research methods and statistical analysis occurs in two required semester-long courses, and, with this knowledge and experience, you may then begin work on your Clinical Research Project (CRP).

The Clinical Research Project (CRP)

The CRP is designed to develop and refine the skills necessary to integrate your clinical knowledge with research literature to produce original, scholarly research in clinical psychology. During this project, you will be expected to:

  • Significantly deepen your knowledge about a particular area (or areas) of clinical psychology
  • Sharpen your critical thinking and writing skills
  • Develop and apply skills in research methodology

The CRP requires you to analyze and synthesize the psychological literature and to develop original research questions. To successfully complete this project, you must investigate these questions and draw conclusions based on your study results. CRPs may involve original empirical research using quantitative, qualitative, or mixed methodologies, or a proposal for program development with analysis of pilot data.

The Clinical Research Project can serve as a launching point for students and alumni to pursue further scholarship such as publications and presentations, often in collaboration with program faculty. Recent examples of such collaborations are listed below:

Asay, P.A. & Lal, A. (2014). Who’s Googled whom? Trainees’ Internet and online social networking experiences, behaviors, and attitudes with clients and supervisors. Training and Education in Professional Psychology, 8, 105-111.

Ng, W. & Bae, S. (2012). Personal and professional characteristics of clinical psychologists in Malaysia: A preliminary study. In Noor, N. & Dzulkifli, M. (Eds.) Psychology in Malaysia: current research and future directions Kuala Lumpur: Pearson Malaysia Sdn Bhd.

Paderta-Sosa, A., Ndagijimana, K., Zakowski, S. (November, 2013). The wounds of helping: Addressing secondary trauma in Rwandese healthcare providers. Presented at the annual conference of the International Traumatic Stress Studies, Philadelphia, PA.

Witty, M. & Webb, E. (2011, July). Special issues in transgender health. Presented at the 2011 Association for the Development of the Person-Centered Approach annual conference, Loyola University, Chicago, IL.