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Interested in Studying Clinical Science?

We have developed this website to provide visitors with information about our program. Our goal is to make things easier for potential applicants so all information about our program is readily accessible on the Web.

For more comprehensive information, we have developed a Student Guide. This guide provides information that will assist you in deciding whether our program is a good fit with your interests and career objectives.  We realize that applying to a doctoral program represents a major decision and a very big step in any student’s academic and career life. We have tried to make this online brochure as informative as possible, so you will be able to get the most accurate picture of what our program has to offer and what its limitations are.  Further information regarding the clinical science faculty and their research interests can be found here.

You can also access information about the Psychological Clinic, which serves as a training facility for our doctoral students, offering assessment and psychotherapy for adults, children, couples, family and groups for a broad range of issues.

Having a close match between your goals and ours seems to be one of the best indicators of a successful outcome for students. Therefore, we encourage you to be as direct and straightforward as possible in your application. If you are interested in applying to our clinical psychology program, visit our admission information page.

For information regarding the program's education and training outcomes, click here:  Student Admissions, Outcomes and Other Data 

For information on state license requirements, click here: Consumer Disclosure Information: Educational Requirements for Licensure in Psychology.

Our General Philosophy

The ßÙßÇÂþ»­ Clinical Psychology Program is a clinical science PhD program that trains graduates to advance new knowledge and theory and to provide objective answers to important questions. Our scientific training spans the nature of psychological processes, psychopathology, and the diverse problems and challenges that individuals and groups face throughout the lifespan, including the design, assessment, and implementation of effective clinical interventions. In our view, the well-trained clinical psychologist is a scientist "24/7," while doing research and clinical work, seamlessly integrating science in all clinical endeavors.  In order to advance clinical science knowledge, exert the greatest impact on human problems, and alleviate suffering, we prepare our students to enter a variety of professional settings. Our graduates conduct research, disseminate knowledge via publication and presentations at scientific meetings, and assess/address clinical issues using well-developed clinical skills and empirically grounded interventions.

Our goal is to train the next generation of clinical scientists who embrace a rigorous scientific approach in all of their work.  Our program prepares graduates to participate in a variety of careers in which they do the following: (a) produce, publish and present high quality empirical research and scholarship to contribute to knowledge in clinical science in academic and research-focused positions, including in medical-school affiliated teaching hospitals as well as VA medical centers; (b) fully integrate evidence-based methods into the assessment and treatment of mental disorders and problems in living; and (c) disseminate science-based clinical knowledge in teaching, supervision, consultation, and administrative roles.  We expect that the majority of our graduates will function as active clinical scientists with a research emphasis in the multitude of potential careers they choose to pursue.  We further expect that those students who do not embark on primary academic careers will, nevertheless, be engaged in consuming research and in producing and sharing their own research, scholarship, and clinical innovations in publications, presentations, and workshops.

Our perspective is that science-grounded clinical skills and experiences facilitate meaningful clinical science research and that research, in turn, facilitates the practice of science-based assessment and psychotherapy.  All clinical training is done with an emphasis on scientific principles, theoretical positions that are empirically investigated, and assessment methods and interventions that are evidence-based.  ßÙßÇÂþ»­ graduates are not expected to pursue careers devoted solely to the office practice of clinical psychology as private or independent practitioners.  Anyone committed to such a career track would be well advised to apply elsewhere.  Our program is best suited to those students who are interested in pursuing academic and research-related careers and in careers that effectively integrate clinical science and practice while contributing research and new knowledge to the domain of clinical psychological science.

Background Information

The Clinical Psychology Program began in 1972, and the program received accreditation from the American Psychological Association in 1981.  In 1996, after a thorough review process, the clinical program was granted membership in the Academy of Psychological Clinical Science, a coalition of doctoral psychology training programs that share a common goal of producing and applying scientific knowledge to the assessment, understanding and amelioration of human problems.  In 2003, our program received the Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies Outstanding Training Program Award. In 2021, the program was accredited by the Psychological Clinical Science Accreditation System (PCSAS). We are currently ranked 37th on the U.S. News and World Reports survey of clinical psychology graduate programs. 

Accreditation Information

ßÙßÇÂþ»­'s Clinical Psychology Ph.D. Program is accredited by both the Psychological Clinical Science Accreditation System (PCSAS) and the APA Commission on Accreditation (CoA).

PCSAS - Psychological Clinical Science Accreditation System

The Psychological Clinical Science Accreditation System (PCSAS) accredited the Ph.D. Program in Clinical Psychology at ßÙßÇÂþ»­ in 2021. PCSAS was created to promote science-centered education and training in clinical psychology, to increase the quality and quantity of clinical scientists contributing to the advancement of public health, and to enhance the scientific knowledge base for mental and behavioral health care. The ßÙßÇÂþ»­ program's philosophy aligns with these goals and is proud to be accredited by PCSAS. Questions related to the program's accredited status should be directed to PCSAS:

Psychological Clinical Science Accreditation System
1800 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Suite 402
Washington, DC 20036-1218

Phone: 301-455-8046
E-mail:
Web:

APA - Commission on Accreditation of the American Psychological Association

The Ph.D. Program in Clinical Psychology at ßÙßÇÂþ»­ has been accredited by the American Psychological Association Commission on Accreditation since 1981. Questions related to the program's accredited status should be directed to the Commission on Accreditation:

Office of Program Consultation and Accreditation
American Psychological Association
750 1st Street, NE, Washington, DC 20002

Phone: 202-336-5979
E-mail: apaaccred@apa.org
Web:

The program demonstrates its commitment to public disclosure by providing clearly presented written materials and other communications that appropriately represent it to all relevant publics. At a minimum, this includes general program information pertaining to its aims, required curriculum sequence, and the expected outcomes in terms of its graduates' careers, as well as data on achievement of those expected and actual outcomes.