Degree Requirements
The student must complete at least 120 credits of approved doctoral course work. In the first three years of the program, students must register each semester for a minimum of 12 credits of PsyD courses. In years four and five of the program, students must register for a minimum of 12 credits, at least 9 of which must be PsyD courses.
A student must maintain a B average each semester. Students who earn a semester GPA of less than 3.0 will be put on academic probation. Pending a faculty review and the student’s obtaining a GPA of 3.0 or above the subsequent semester, the student may be taken off probation. If a student earns below a 3.0 GPA in any semester subsequent to the probation, he or she will be reviewed by the faculty. In this review, the faculty will discuss the student’s performance and may dismiss the student from the program. This decision is made only after careful consideration of the student’s overall performance in the program and allowing for due process, including the student’s response to such academic concerns.
If a student earns a grade of B- or below, the course may be repeated only once. Both grades will re-recorded on the transcript, but only the most recent grade will be used in calculating the grade point average. However, when a student is found to have violated Widener’s academic fraud policies, that student is prohibited from exercising the repeat-of-course option to remove the F grade (given as result of fraud) from the GPA calculation.
The student must provide evidence of good interpersonal functioning in professional relationships. A student who demonstrates conduct inconsistent with the ethical and professional standards of the discipline may be dismissed from the program or placed on probation after a faculty review. In the event the student is placed on probation, a remediation plan will be implemented. Following a second faculty review in the subsequent semester, the student may be taken off probation. If the student is put on probation for behavioral concerns in any semester subsequent to the initial probation, he or she will be reviewed by the faculty. In this review, the faculty will discuss the student’s performance and may dismiss the student from the program. This decision is made only after careful consideration of the student’s overall performance in the program and allowing for due process, including the student’s response to such behavioral concerns.
All third-year students must clear any grades of Incomplete by the end of the spring semester to sit for the third-year qualifying examination. The master of arts is awarded upon the student’s successful completion of all courses for years one through three, successful completion of practicum rotations, and achievement of passing scores on all sections of the third-year qualifying examination.
A student must have a cumulative 3.0 grade point average at graduation and must pass all PsyD courses to graduate. The student must successfully complete candidacy, which involves passing the third-year qualifying examination, completing the dissertation (including the dissertation oral defense), passing the final clinical oral examination, and completing two internship rotations.
Program
Model of Training
The full-time program is accredited by the American Psychological Association (APA: 750 First Street, NE, Washington, DC 20002-4242; phone 202-336-5500) and offers five years of intensive professional training in psychology leading to a PsyD degree. The program follows the model of training in professional psychology developed by the National Council of Schools of Professional Psychology (NCSPP). This model specifies seven areas of core competency: relationship, assessment, intervention, research and evaluation, consultation and education, management and supervision, and diversity. In each of the areas, the curriculum provides substantial opportunities for learning. Additionally, students receive training in the basic science courses specified by APA and NCSPP. The program’s theoretical approach is eclectic, and students are exposed to a number orientations, including psychodynamic, cognitive/behavioral, social constructionist, interpersonal, and family systems.
Didactic and experiential components of the instructional program are combined in a curriculum that is designed to achieve a balance between classroom instruction and practical applied experience. Required areas of instruction are paralleled by relevant supervised clinical experience through a system of practicum and internship field placements across all years of training. This procedure facilitates the integration of theory and research with practice.
Program Outcomes
Completed and Attrition Patterns
- Over the past seven years, the mean length of time it has taken for graduates to complete the program is 5.10 years and the median is 5. In the seven reporting years, no student began the program with advanced standing.
- The breakdown of the number of years students took to complete the program over the past seven years follows:
| Fewer than five years: |
1% |
| Five years: |
73% |
| Six years: |
20% |
| Seven years: |
4% |
| More than seven years: |
2% |
- The attrition rate over the past ten years is 4%.
Internship
All students in good standing receive an internship position approved by the American Psychological Association (750 First Street, NE, Washington, DC 20002-4242; phone: 800-374-2721).
Internship Statistics for the Past 7 Years
- Those who obtained internships: 458 (100%)
- Those who obtained paid internships: 458 (100%)
- Those who obtained APPIC member internships: 0 (0%)
- Those who obtained APA/CPA-accredited internships: 458 (100%)
- Those who obtained internships conforming to CDSPP Guidelines (school psychology only): N/A
- Those who obtained 2-year half-time internships: 458 (100%)
Licensure
- More than 90% of graduates pass the national examination leading to licensure in professional psychology on the first attempt.
- More than 95% of graduates pass the Pennsylvania examination in ethics and the law in professional psychology on the first attempt.
- Program licensure rate from 2008 to 2018 was 87%.