PsyD Clinical Psychology

Our Clinical Psychology doctoral degree at Marshall University in Huntington, West Virginia, will make you a versatile and highly employable worker. When you enter the program, we will provide you with a background in:

Our doctoral students in Clinical Psychology learn from faculty who practice cutting-edge techniques in the field of psychology. The Clinical Psychology Doctorate program provides our students with an intense focus on Psychology in 5-6 years. Students who already have a Masters Degree in psychology, with a clinical emphasis, from a regionally accredited institution can apply for advanced standing in the Psy.D. program.  To be considered Advanced Standing, applicants should have successfully completed graduate-level coursework consistent with the first 2-years of the PsyD program curriculum and be prepared to enter into our training clinic upon admission. Our program houses both a full-time and part-time track for students.

Our program sets forth 10 goals for our students:

Among the courses that are offered in the Clinical Psychology Doctorate program are Individual Psychotherapy/Interviewing, Cognitive Psychology and Chemical Dependency.

Our Psy.D. program has a nearly 100% job placement rate. The 2019 median pay for psychologists is $80,370 according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. The job outlook in the field of psychology from 2019-2029 is 3%. Employment of clinical, counseling and school psychologists is projected to grow because of an increased demand for psychological services in hospitals, social service agencies, mental health centers and schools.

The Psy.D. program in Psychology prepares students for the opportunity to work on projects with faculty throughout the community. Research is conducted off campus at various sites in West Virginia, such as schools, prisons and community centers. We’re also host to a Behavioral Health Speakers Bureau, where we bring in experts on many different topics.

Our hope is through the opportunities we provide, we prepare our students to be well-rounded with a diverse set of skills that can apply to several marketable psychology backgrounds. Students are prepared to understand human behavior, respond appropriately, think critically, communicate well and evaluate information. You will develop several skills that will benefit you in a wide range of workplace and professional school settings in West Virginia and beyond.

Applicants must have completed a minimum of 18 undergraduate semester hours of psychology, including statistics, experimental psychology or research methods, and abnormal psychology in order to be considered for admission. Please note that some courses may have undergraduate prerequisite coursework attached to them. While these undergraduate courses are not required for admission, they must be taken prior to a student’s enrollment in those courses with such prerequisites.

Students are admitted to the Psy.D. program once per year for classes starting in the Fall semester. Applicants are required to submit the completed application form with all requested supplemental materials, official transcripts from degree-granting institutions, official transcripts of all previous graduate coursework, official report of the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) General Test (scores may not be more than five (5) years old), and three letters of recommendation. Completed applications along with all supporting materials must be received by the December 1 deadline to receive priority consideration for admission the following fall. It should be noted that the application process is competitive. It is recommended that scores on the Verbal section not be lower than 150 and scores on the Quantitative section not be lower than 141. Likewise, it is recommended that applications have a minimum combined total on those two sections of 297. Grade point averages for successful candidates typically range from 3.2 to 3.6. Application materials and current program information can be obtained by contacting the Marshall University Psychology Department, the Marshall University Graduate Admissions office, or by consulting the Psychology Department website at www.marshall.edu/psych.

Applicants are divided into two groups as follows:

Practica in the program are arranged according to vertical teams. Each team is led by a clinical faculty member who is a licensed psychologist. Teams are organized around a particular orientation to clinical conceptualization and treatment planning. Teams include students at all levels of training and allow newer students to be exposed to practica in which they may be placed as they progress through the program. Vertical team arrangements also allow more experienced students to become mentors to more junior students.

All students admitted to the program must complete the portfolio evaluation review as part of the comprehensive evaluation process. In addition, students who are admitted without a master’s degree will take a written comprehensive prior to being awarded the master’s degree.

All students are required to complete a doctoral research project prior to receiving their Psy.D. degree. Details of the doctoral research process are discussed in the Psy.D. Student Handbook.

All students are required to complete a one year, full time (or two year, half time) internship in clinical psychology at an approved internship training site. There are a very limited number of local approved sites and students should anticipate the possibility of relocation during this portion of the training period. Please contact the Psy.D. program director for additional information concerning this requirement.

All students are required to enroll as full time students for a one year “residency” period. For most students, this will be the 4th year, when students focus on their doctoral research and their rural practicum placements.

A key component of our program is training in and supervised delivery of psychological services in rural settings. All students will spend at least one academic year (two sequential full semesters) placed in an approved rural training site. This placement will require driving to the site and may require an overnight stay each week. More information about this part of the program is available from the Psy.D. Program Director and/or the Practicum Coordinator.

Courses are offered during Fall, Spring and Summer terms, with most courses offered no more than once per year. Students must plan to take courses during each term to make appropriate progress through the curriculum.

Other information about program (e.g. comprehensive exams, specific procedures for requesting evaluation of prior graduate coursework, graduate assistantships and other student funding opportunities; the doctoral program fee charged to students each semester of enrollment) is available from the psychology department; please contact the Psy.D. Program Coordinator.