About the Program
Graduate students in Psychological Sciences are expected to become qualified researchers and experts in their selected area of concentration and to acquire a broad and in-depth background of the field in general. The graduate program provides comprehensive training leading to the Ph.D. with one of the following six degree options: Clinical, Cognitive, Industrial-Organizational, Mathematical and Computational Psychology, Neuroscience and Behavior, and Social Psychology. The clinical psychological sciences graduate program is a charter member of The Academy of Psychological Clinical Science, which is a coalition of doctoral training programs that produce and apply scientific knowledge to the assessment, understanding and advancement of human problems. The Clinical Psychological Sciences program is committed to excellence in scientific training and uses clinical science as the foundation for designing, implementing and evaluating assessment and intervention procedures. The program is designed to give students a broad background in psychology and expansive knowledge of clinical psychology through didactic courses and seminars. Students will receive clinical experience in the Purdue Psychology Treatment and Research Clinics (PPTRC) as well as other clinical practice and courses. To gain research experience, students will join a research team and participate in a first-year project, master’s thesis, preliminary paper/examination and PhD dissertation. Program Website Program Requirements
30 Credits RequiredRequired Courses (xx credits)
Statistics Courses (6 credits)
Seminar Courses (6 credits)
To be taken every semester for one credit each. These seminars are mandatory for all students each semester. Students applying for internship should come but are excused from the mandatory attendance policy. Research presentations: Clinical colloquium offers an opportunity to be exposed in greater depth to ongoing research activities and findings. Each student will present at colloquium at least twice during their time in the program on empirically-based research projects, most typically that are part of programmatic research milestones (1st year project, MS thesis; preliminary exam). Clinical presentations: Some presentations at colloquium have a clear clinical practice focus. For example, a specific evidence-based intervention or clinical considerations for a specific population. These presentations often have interactive elements and some of the presenters are supervisors of practica. In addition, students are required to deliver one clinical case presentation prior to internship. This presentation must be a based on a case assigned during a psychotherapy practicum (i.e. Child and Family or Adult Services) for whom the student was a primary therapist. Professional Development: Seminars that are focused on professional development offer students an opportunity to learn skills and ask frank questions regarding important aspects that are not formally included in most doctoral psychology curricula but may be helpful for a successful career as a psychologist, e.g. how to start a private practice; the job search; successes and failures; mentoring; and interactions between clinical psychology and the law. Additionally, every year, students who have successfully completed the internship match process deliver a seminar describing the internship application and interview process, provide tips, and answer questions. Diversity Journal Club: colloquium provides opportunities to think about diversity and multiculturalism issues that are relevant to research, practice, and teaching in clinical psychology. These seminars may include a discussion of a recent journal article, presentation and conversation about policy statements/current events, guest speakers (from within or outside the department), experiential exercises, or thematically-organized discussion groups. Each spring there will be a colloquium focused on clinical practice (the “multicultural case conference”). Typically one or more senior graduate students will present on a clinical case where attention to and incorporation of diversity were key. Clinical Psychology Courses (xx credits)
Clinical Assessment Courses (xx credits)
Practicum Training (12 credits)
All graduate students participate in formal practicum training at Purdue, and are required to be enrolled in PSY 67900 for at least six semesters for the PhD, or four semesters for the MS on the way to the PhD. In the course of their practicum placements students are expected to meet the following goals: - Deliver a range of psychological services, including intervention, assessment, and consultation, in a manner consistent with APA ethical principles, standards of clinical psychology practice, and applicable state legal mandates.
- Demonstrate the use of the clinical science model in a clinical setting including an understanding of the scientific evidence that supports the theory or procedures on which assessment and therapeutic techniques are based. For clinical practice procedures that are not evidence-based, a thorough understanding of related evidence, the limitations of available scientific evidence, and the theoretical or empirical basis for deviations from evidence-based practices should be demonstrated.
Practicum experiences are graded (rather than Pass/No Pass). Not only does this permit finer-grained recognition of student performance, given the multiple facets of clinical work, but practicum experiences also will count toward credits required for graduation. Internal Practica Requirements
Students should take PSY 679 Assessment Practicum in the second semester of their first year. Students then typically take PSY 679 as either Adult Services Clinic or as Child Family Treatment. In their third year, students will take whichever internal practicum they did not take in their second year. For years two and three, students typically take 3 credits each semester. If students choose to continue to enroll and see clients, then at least 1 credit hour is required. By the fourth and fifth year, students will be participating in external practica, which generally provide more clinical hours and more focused clinical experiences than what is offered in the in-house practicum clinics. Electives (9-24 credits)
The Department of Psychological Sciences requires all graduate students to take at least three courses (nine credit hours) outside of the student’s major area. These courses are elective and should reflect a student’s individual training needs, but might be chosen to fulfill overlapping departmental and APA requirements. At least two courses must be graduate courses offered within the Department, while the third course may be from outside of the Department (e.g. an Interdisciplinary Neuroscience course, a HDFS course, a Sociology course). These courses must be approved by the student’s advisory committee. In general, it is expected that clinical students will take more electives than the requisite three. Clinical students must meet additional APA requirements and will need to take additional methodological and statistical courses to become excellent researchers. Thesis Research (6-12 credits)
Students are required to complete and orally defend a Master’s Thesis demonstrating independent research expertise within the first three years of graduate training. Ideally, the Master’s Thesis will result in important, published contributions to the empirical literature. The Master’s Thesis is designed to facilitate research training. Thus, students should work closely with their Major Professor and sometimes with other committee members as a research team. Program Learning Outcomes
Students will: - Achieve competence in conducting, reviewing and evaluating empirical research.
- Develop knowledge in the bases of research and psychological theory.
- Gain competence in the delivery of evidence-based professional psychological services.
- Be equipped to contribute to the field through responsible and exemplary professional behavior as psychologists.
Additional Information
First-year project: The first-year project is designed to facilitate the immediate involvement in research of incoming students in collaboration with their faculty mentors. These typically involve analysis and reporting on data previously collected by the Major Professor but can involve primary data collection. The project should ideally be capable of completion within the first year in the program. Thus, a student must begin, early in the first semester, to meet regularly with his/her Major Professor to discuss and complete the broad outlines of the project. APA Accreditation (and Licensure) Requirements: The American Psychological Association (APA) stipulates that students in accredited clinical programs should demonstrate competence in: - Profession-wide competencies (PWC), including: a) research, b) ethical and legal standards, c) individual and cultural diversity, d) professional values, attitudes, and behaviors, e) communication and interpersonal skills, f) assessment, g) intervention, h) supervision, and i) consultation and interprofessional/interdisciplinary skills.
- Discipline-specific knowledge (DSK), including: a) affective aspects of behavior, b) biological aspects of behavior, c) cognitive aspects of behavior, d) developmental aspects of behavior, e) social aspects of behavior, f) history and systems of psychology, g) research methods, h) statistical analysis, and i) psychometrics.
- Advanced integrative knowledge: Students must also demonstrate advanced integrative knowledge of at least two of the discipline-specific areas listed above. This is typically done via a graduate-level course that serves as “an evaluated educational experience that provides basic coverage in two or more areas and integration across those areas.” These areas of competence and knowledge may be demonstrated through students’ participation in coursework (full courses or parts of courses), independent study, research experiences, or clinical practica. For the DSK areas (and for “advanced integrative knowledge”), APA requires that knowledge be demonstrated via an “evaluated educational experience” (EEE), defined as “a learning experience (e.g. course, parts of courses, or independent study) the outcome of which is assessed by a person recognized as having current knowledge and expertise in the area of the learning experience.”
GPA Requirements
Only courses for which “A” or “B” grades are earned are acceptable in fulfilling departmental requirements. Students are expected to repeat any required courses in which they receive a grade of “C+” or lower. Graduate Programs Disclaimer
- The student is ultimately responsible for knowing and completing all degree requirements. Students should consult with their advisor/department for more information.
- Not all graduate programs may be actively recruiting students and course modality availability may vary.
- Please refer to the Explore Graduate Programs website for a list of currently available graduate programs.
- Transfer credit policy: Credits earned for graduate study at other universities (both domestic and international) may be applied toward an advanced degree. Only credit hours associated with graduate courses for which grades of B- or better were obtained will be eligible for transfer. Any additional conditions under which credit transfers may be made are determined by the various departments.
- Comparative information about Purdue University and other U.S. educational institutions is also available through the College Navigator tool, provided by the National Center for Education Statistics, and through the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard.
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