Doctor of Philosophy Clinical Psychology (PhD)

Christina M. Rodriguez, PhD, Graduate Program Director

The Department of Psychology participates in the Virginia Consortium Program in Clinical Psychology.  This unified PhD program is offered jointly by Old Dominion University and Norfolk State University, and it is nationally accredited by the American Psychological Association.  The combined efforts of these institutions give considerable breadth and depth to this unique program.  Students take classes at both institutions and are engaged in research activities and clinical work throughout their training.  The Program follows a scientist-practitioner training model. Detailed information about the program is available at the program's website:  http://www.odu.edu/vcpcp.

Admission

Admission information is available at the program's website: http://www.odu.edu/vcpcp with an application deadline of December 1.  To be considered for admission to the Clinical Ph.D. program, an applicant is required to have a baccalaureate degree, a demonstrable background in psychology, substantive clinical and research experience, and strong fit to the program mission and to a research mentor.  A personal interview is also required prior to selection. Students are admitted into the program with a specific research mentor.  Applicants are encouraged to contact potential research mentors for additional information and to express interest.  The Virginia Consortium Program is committed to recruiting a diverse student body.   

The applicant must submit:

1. Official scores on the Graduate Record Examination are currently optional.
2. Official transcripts of academic coursework (transcripts from each institution contributing to the baccalaureate degree and transcripts for additional advanced degrees as applicable).
3. The Consortium's supplemental application, which includes:
   1. A personal statement outlining  (a) personal career goals, (b) how those career goals fit with the training program, (c) clinical interests, experiences, and goals, (d) research interests, experiences, and goals, (e) how those research interests and goals align with the program and with potential research mentor(s). 
   2. Diversity statement that describes one’s commitment to, and experience advocating for, equity, diversity, and inclusion.
   3. A curriculum vitae.
4. A minimum of two professional letters of reference.
5. Ranked choices of research mentors.
6. Completed graduate school application.

Curriculum Requirements

The Clinical Psychology PhD program provides students with a high level of professional training. Students entering the program with a bachelor’s degree or with a master’s degree are typically required to complete a minimum of 116 credit hours. Consult the program office about the applicability of graduate credit attained from one of the consortial institutions. To attain the degree, a minimum of five years of post-baccalaureate training is required, including four years full-time in residence (excluding the pre-doctoral internship and dissertation). A foundational research project or master's thesis, oral and written comprehensive examination, empirical dissertation, practicum training, and full-time one year APA-approved pre-doctoral clinical internship are also required for the degree. All APA pre-doctoral internships are offered outside the Consortium.

Course List

Code	Title	Credit Hours
CPSY 661	Psychopathology	3
CPSY 727	Analysis of Variance and Experimental Design	4
CPSY 632	NSU-Intellectual Assessment	3
CPSY 664	Clinical Assessment: Personality and Individual Differences	3
CPSY 728	Regression and Correlation Design	4
CPSY 700	NSU-Clinical and Ethical Practice	3
CPSY 713	Research Methods in Psychology	3
CPSY 651	Developmental Psychology	3
CPSY 801	Empirically-Supported Therapies	3
CPSY 635	NSU-Multicultural and Social Psychological Issues	3
CPSY 725	NSU-Cognitive Behavioral Therapy	3
CPSY 836	Multilevel Models: HLM	3
Clinical Practicum		33
CPSY 896	NSU-Advanced Clinical Practicum
Research		21
CPSY 883	Research in Clinical Psychology
Dissertation		12
CPSY 894	ODU Clinical Dissertation
Clinical Internship		12
CPSY 890	ODU Internship in Clinical/Community Psychology
Total Credit Hours		116

Additional Requirements

Student Evaluation

Students are regularly evaluated in academic course work, research activities, clinical work, and professional behavior.  A formal evaluation of student’s progress is conducted at least annually. Each student is also evaluated through a written and oral comprehensive examination.

Dissertation Award

The David Leigh Pancoast Award is given to the student in the Virginia Consortium Program in Clinical Psychology with the outstanding doctoral dissertation.