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: https://www.odu.edu/vcpcp/.

Admission

Admission information is available at the program's website (https://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 with a demonstrable background in psychology, substantive research experience, clinically relevant experience, compelling letters of recommendation, and strong fit to the program mission and to a specific 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 to be prepared to clearly indicate their alignment with the mentor.  The Virginia Consortium Program is deeply committed to recruiting a diverse student body.   

For full consideration, the applicant must submit:

1. Official scores on the Graduate Record Examination are currently optional.
2. Official transcripts of academic coursework (transcripts from every institution contributing to the baccalaureate degree and transcripts for additional advanced degrees as applicable).
3. The Consortium's supplemental application materials, 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 specific 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 three professional letters of recommendation.
5. Ranked choices of potential research mentors.
6. Completed graduate school application.

Curriculum Requirements

The Clinical Psychology PhD program of the Virginia Consortium Program in Clinical Psychology (VCPCP) provides students with a high level of professional training consistent with the standards required for accreditation by the American Psychological Association (APA). 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 doctoral dissertation). An oral and written comprehensive examination, empirical doctoral dissertation, multiple years of clinical practicum training, and a full-time one year APA-approved pre-doctoral clinical internship are also required for the degree. The APA pre-doctoral internships are offered outside the Consortium. Additional details about the VCPCP program can be found in its Program Handbook, which is available on the program's website (www.odu.edu/vcpcp).

Two pathways toward degree completion are possible:

PATH A:  For students entering the program with a master's degree, students are required to complete a minimum of 116 credit hours as noted below. Students entering the program who have already completed an empirical master's thesis in a graduate program prior to admission may have it evaluated to meet the program's requirement for a Foundational Research Project (FRP). Students with a master's degree but without an empirical master's thesis will be required to complete an FRP or, alternatively, may elect to pursue a master's thesis (see Path B below). The following curricular requirements will be followed for students in Path A:  

Course List

Code	Title	Credit Hours
Path A Curriculum Requirements
Core Courses
CPSY 632	Intellectual Assessment	3
CPSY 651	Developmental Psychology	3
CPSY 661	Psychopathology	3
CPSY 664	Clinical Assessment: Personality and Individual Differences	3
CPSY 700	Clinical and Ethical Practice	3
CPSY 713	Research Methods in Psychology	3
CPSY 720	Multicultural Issues in Clinical Psychology	3
CPSY 725	Cognitive Behavioral Therapy	3
CPSY 727	Analysis of Variance and Experimental Design	4
CPSY 728	Regression and Correlation Design	4
CPSY 749	Social and Affective Bases of Behavior	3
CPSY 801	Empirically-Supported Therapies	3
CPSY 826	Biological and Cognitive Aspects of Behavior	3
Total Credits for Core Courses		41
Clinical Practicum		33
CPSY 895	Clinical Practicum
or CPSY 896	Advanced Clinical Practicum
Research		18
CPSY 883	Research in Clinical Psychology
Clinical Dissertation		12
CPSY 899	Clinical Dissertation
Internship		12
CPSY 890	Internship in Clinical Psychology
Total Credit Hours		116

PATH B:  For students entering the program without a master's degree from a graduate program, students are required to complete a minimum of 116 credit hours. Students who are not interested in completing a master's thesis would complete a Foundational Research Project (FRP) and notify the program within their first semester their intention to follow Path A.

Otherwise, students entering the program without a master's degree earned from a graduate program may first attain a master's degree in Old Dominion University (36 credits) followed by completing the requirements for the doctoral degree (80 credits). The following curricular requirements will be followed for students in Path B:

Course List

Code	Title	Credit Hours
Path B Curriculum Requirements
Master's Degree in Psychology		36
See curriculum for M.S. in Psychology for more information.
Clinical Psychology students will be advised by their research mentor or DCT regarding the appropriate courses to take to prepare them for the PhD in Clinical Psycholgy.
The Graduate Program Director for the M.S. in Psychology program will work with Clinical Psychology students regarding curriculum choices for the master's program.
Total Credit Hours		36

Course List

Code	Title	Credit Hours
PhD in Clinical Psychology
Section A-Required Foundational Core (9 credits)*
Select three of the following:		9
CPSY 651	Developmental Psychology
CPSY 661	Psychopathology
CPSY 720	Multicultural Issues in Clinical Psychology
CPSY 749	Social and Affective Bases of Behavior
CPSY 826	Biological and Cognitive Aspects of Behavior
(*whichever two courses not selected for master's Section B contribute here)
Section B-Required Clinical Courses (54 credits)
Required Clinical Courses		6
CPSY 725	Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
CPSY 801	Empirically-Supported Therapies
Clinical Practicum		33
CPSY 895	Clinical Practicum
or CPSY 896	Advanced Clinical Practicum
Internship in Clinical Psychology		12
CPSY 890	Internship in Clinical Psychology
Section C-Required Research Courses (20 credits)
Research in Clinical Psychology		8
CPSY 883	Research in Clinical Psychology
Clinical Dissertation		12
CPSY 899	Clinical Dissertation
Total Credit Hours		80

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.