Graduation Requirements
To be eligible for graduation, students must meet the following requirements:
- 98 semester credit hours, of which 88 credit hours must be completed by the end of the fifth year of matriculation. The total credit hours must include:
- 70 credit hours of required core courses*
- 12 credit hours (two years) of practicum and practicum seminar groups
- A minimum of 12 credit hours of electives
- 4 credit hours of Clinical Research Project
- Successful completion of all sections of the Clinical Presentation Evaluation (CPE)
- Successful completion of the Clinical Competence Examination (CCE) no later than the end of the fifth year after matriculation
- Successful completion of a one year, full-time internship or its equivalent
- Successful completion of the Clinical Research Project
- Grade point average (GPA) of at least “B” (3.0 on a scale of 4.0)
- Completion of these requirements within seven years of matriculation into the program
- A completed Petition to Graduate submitted to campus administration
*Core courses are taken in the following distribution areas: Assessment, Bases, Individual Differences, Intervention, Methodology, and Professional Issues
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, to develop and investigate original research questions, and to draw conclusions based on the results of your study. CRPs may involve original empirical research using quantitative, qualitative or mixed-methodologies, or a comprehensive literature review with an original contribution, such as a proposal for program development, evaluation, or a novel treatment approach.
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 collaboration include:
- Dr. Lisa Lilenfeld along with other faculty and students presented at a national conference: Edwards, T.M., Lilenfeld, L.R., & O’Sullivan, D. (2014, October). A cross-cultural examination of the influences of an afrocentric worldview on body dissatisfaction. Poster presented at the 20th Annual International Meeting of the Eating Disorders Research Society; San Diego, California.
- Gruzska, S. N., Lilenfeld, L.R., & Riso, L.P. (2014, October). Are women with eating disorder pathology negatively impacted by a therapist’s body size?: An experimental analog study. Poster presented at the 20th Annual International Meeting of the Eating Disorders Research Society; San Diego, California.
- Dr. Jessica Gurley along with other faculty and students had six posters presented at the 2014 American Psychological Association (APA) conference in Washington DC. Corum, M., & Gurley, J.R., (2014, August). Doctoral-level training in psychological assessments and internship director satisfaction. Poster presented at the American Psychological Association Annual Convention, Washington DC.
- Gurley,J.R., Darby, J., & Corum, M. (2014, August). The EPPP is not the whole story: An examination of licensure rates among APA accredited clinical psychology programs. Poster presented at the American Psychological Association Annual Convention, Washington DC.
- Luzzi, J., Butler, L., Gurley, J.R., Piechowski, L., & Lally, S. (2014, August). Assessment use and acceptability among forensic psychologists. Poster presented at the American Psychological Association Annual Convention, Washington DC.
- Dr. George Stricker, faculty member, and two students presented at the 2014 APA conference in Washington DC. J. Wilson, K. Dunlop, & J. Sexton (2014, August). Electronic gaming and motivation (with) Poster presented at the American Psychological Association Annual Convention, Washington DC.
- Dr. Larry Riso collaborated with a student in a 2014 book: Riso, L.P., & Guzman, A. (2014). Treatment of adult depression. In L.R. Grossman & S. Walfish (Eds.), Translating Research into Practice: A Desk Reference for Practicing Mental Health Professionals, New York: Springer.
- He also presented at APA 2014: Kindel, L.T. & Riso, L.P. (2014). Are schema modes important for relationship functioning in married and dating Couples: Implications for Schema Therapy with Couples. Poster presented at the annual meeting of the American Psychological Association.
- Dr. Lisa Piechowski combined with other faculty and students presented at the 2014 APA conference in Washington, DC. Piechowski, L.D., Corum, M., Gray, J., & Gurley, J. (2014, August). Identifying invalid presentations in civil forensic evaluations. Poster presented at the American Psychological Association Annual Convention, Washington, DC.
- Gray, J., Piechowski, L.D., Corum, M., & Gurley, J. (2014, August). Test usage in forensic disability evaluations: an analysis of archival data. Poster presented at the American Psychological Association Annual Convention, Washington, DC.
- Corum, M., Piechowski, L.D., Gray, J., & Gurley, J. (2014, August). Trends in the assessment of malingering in forensic disability evaluations. Poster presented at the American Psychological Association Annual Convention, Washington, DC.
- She also had a number of publications: Gurley, J. R., Sheehan, B. L., Piechowski, L. D., & Gray, J. (2014). The admissibility of the R-PAS in court. Psychological Injury and Law, doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s12207-014-9182-2
- Piechowski, L.D. (2014). Workplace disability. In K. Heilbrun, D. DeMatteo, S. Brooks-Holliday, & C. LaDuke (Eds.) Forensic Mental Health Assessment: A Casebook—Second Edition. New York: Oxford University Press.
- Dr. Steve Lally co-authored a book: Higuchi, S. A., & Lally, S. J. (eds.) (2014). Parenting coordination in post-separation disputes: A comprehensive guide for practitioners. Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.
