Please view the Psychology Graduate Student Handbook for more detailed information about the PhD programs or the webpages for the Clinical program or the Behavioral, Cognition and Neuroscience program.

There are two tracks within the doctoral program, clinical psychology (APA accredited), and behavior, cognition and neuroscience. Students who have been admitted to the doctoral program in psychology but do not have an M.A. in psychology that has been accepted by the department must complete the degree requirements for the M.A. in Psychology (thesis option) before they can be awarded the doctorate. 

The Clinical program is fully accredited by the American Psychological Association Committee on Accreditation (COA) and has been accredited since 1972. COA is part of the Office of Program Consultation and Accreditation (OPCA).  OPCA contact information is as follows: 

Office of Program Consultation and Accreditation 

750 First Street, NE 

Washington, DC 2002-4242 

Phone: 202-336-5979 

TDD/TTY: 202-336-6123 

Fax:  202-336-5978 

Email: apaaccred@apa.org 

http://www.apa.org/ed/accreditation 

Admission to the Program

In addition to meeting the minimum university requirements for graduate study, applicants must earn a satisfactory score on the Graduate Record Examination (General and Advanced Psychology tests). Admission is based on test scores, previous academic performance, and letters of recommendation. Those applicants to the clinical psychology track judged to be among the top 30 or 35 are invited for an interview, and the final selection is based on all information, including the interview. Students are admitted for full-time study only. 

Tracks

Clinical Psychology or Behavior, Cognition and Neuroscience (BCAN) 

Degree Requirements

• 72 credit hours of approved graduate work 
• Two tools of research are required but do not result in course credit toward the degree. The tool requirement is flexible and can be met in a variety of ways: 

1) demonstration of knowledge of a language relevant to the student’s career;  

2) demonstration of mastery in a computer program language;  3) satisfactory completion of one skill-oriented graduate course offered by another department at American University or by nonpsychology departments of the Consortium universities;  4) participation in one clinical institute which is approximately equal in time and difficulty to a full course; and  5) supervised tool training in other settings when approved by the student’s advisor and the department chair. 

• Four comprehensive examinations outlined by advisors or other faculty members. These are tasks which involve students in the kinds of activities they will later engage in as professional psychologists. At least one of the four comprehensives must be oral and at least two must be written. 
• Dissertation: A written proposal for the dissertation is to be submitted to the dissertation committee by the middle of the second semester of the third year. The original proposal, or a revision thereof, should meet the requirements of the committee by the end of the second semester of the third year. This allows adequate time for completion of a quality dissertation even if initial experimentation turns out to be exploratory in nature. The dissertation must be accepted by the dissertation committee, the department chair, and the university. 
• Clinical Psychology track: As part of the doctoral clinical track requirements, clinical students serve a one-year internship in an appropriate setting outside the university. 

Course Requirements

Clinical Psychology

• PSYC-502 History and Systems of Psychology (3) 
• PSYC-550 Psychological Research (3) 
• PSYC-551 Psychopathology: Theory and Research (3) 
• PSYC-618 Principles of Neuropsychological Assessment (3) or assessment course approved by the department 
• PSYC-630 Psychotherapy: Theory, Research, and     Practice (3) 
• PSYC-633 Psychological Assessment I (3) 
• PSYC-652 Assessment of Intellectual Function and       Personality (3) 
• PSYC-680 Experiential Psychotherapy Practicum I (3) 
• PSYC-681 Experiential Psychotherapy Practicum II (3) 
• PSYC-710 Behavior Therapy Practicum (3) 
• PSYC-791 Psychodynamic Psychotherapy Practicum I (3) 
• PSYC-792 Psychodynamic Psychotherapy Practicum II (3) 
• One course in Biological Bases of Behavior from the following: 

PSYC-501 Physiological Psychology (3) 

PSYC-513 Neuropharmacology: The Biochemistry of Behavior (3) 

PSYC-518 Advanced Human Neuropsychology 

• One course in Cognitive-Affective Bases of Behavior from the following: 

PSYC-530 Conditioning and Learning (3) 

PSYC-575 Advanced Memory and Cognition (3) 

• One course in Individual Bases of Behavior from the following: 

PSYC-505 Advanced Personality Psychology (3) 

PSYC-560 Advanced Child Psychology (3) 

• One course in Social Bases of Behavior from the following: 

PSYC-521 Ethnic and Minority Issues (3) 

PSYC-540 Advanced Social Psychology (3) 

PSYC-545 Psychology of Sex Differences (3) 

• 6 credit hours from the following: 

PSYC-798 Doctoral Dissertation Seminar (3) 

PSYC-799 Doctoral Dissertation Research (1–9) 

• 6 credit hours of statistics 

Behavior, Cognition and Neuroscience

• 6 credit hours of PSYC-598 Neuroscience Seminar (3) 
• 18 credit hours from the following: 

PSYC-501 Physiological Psychology (3) 

PSYC-513 Neuropharmacology (3) 

PSYC-518 Advanced Human Neuropsychology (3) 

PSYC-530 Conditioning and Learning (3) 

PSYC-551 Psychopathology: Theory and Research (3) 

PSYC-560 Advanced Child Psychology (3) 

PSYC-575 Advanced Memory and Cognition (3) 

PSYC-618 Principles of Neuropsychological Assessment (3) 

Other courses focusing in the neurosciences may be taken with approval of the student’s advisor and the Graduate Curriculum Committee. 

• 6 credit hours from the following: 

PSYC-798 Doctoral Dissertation Seminar (3) 

PSYC-799 Doctoral Dissertation Research (1–9) 

• 6 credit hours of statistics 
• 12 credit hours of electives 
• 24 credit hours of lab research 

Special Opportunities

• Research opportunities in laboratories at the National Institutes of Health and related research institutions are available for students in both experimental and clinical psychology.