Psychology, M.A./Ph.D.

Clinical Psychology Concentration

Clinical students in the M.A./Ph.D. track are required to satisfy all requirements for the M.A. degree in clinical psychology as well as all requirements for the Ph.D. degree. A minimum of 45 credit hours is required for the M.A. The Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology requires 104 credit hours including internship hours (2 credits). All credits taken to satisfy the M.A. degree may be applied toward the Ph.D. degree requirements.

Students who receive an M.A. in Clinical Psychology from another institution will submit syllabi, thesis document, and other materials for review. The students will work closely with their advisor and the Director of Clinical Training to develop their doctoral plan of study. All courses taken at another institution are reviewed for course equivalence with our required courses. If deemed equivalent, the course requirement is waived. In addition, the thesis is reviewed by a committee of three faculty, and, if viewed as comparable in scope and theoretical focus to the UNC Greensboro thesis requirement, no additional thesis work will be required.

For information regarding deadlines and requirements for admission, please see https://grs.uncg.edu/programs/.

For information on the application and admission, please see https://psy.uncg.edu/graduate/admissions/.

It is important to note that the department does not accept students who seek a terminal M.A. degree in Clinical Psychology, only those seeking a Ph.D.

For clinical program students, course grades lower than a B cannot count toward either the M.A. degree or Ph.D. degree; these courses must be re-taken, or substitute courses taken. Course equivalents are decided according to departmental policy, which varies by course category (e.g. tools courses vs. clinical courses).

M.A. Degree Program Requirements

Required: 45 credit hours

Course List
Code	Title	Credit Hours
Research and Quantitative Analysis (17 credits)
PSY 609	Statistical Methods in Psychology I	4
PSY 610	Statistical Methods in Psychology II	4
PSY 624	Research Methods in Psychology	3
PSY 699	Thesis ¹	6
or PSY 698	Capstone Examination in Clinical Psychology
History and Systems of Psychology (1 credit)
PSY 615	History and Systems of Psychology ²	1
or PSY 601	Graduate Problems in Psychology
Profession-Wide Competencies (18 credits)
PSY 707	Psychological Disorders in Children	3
PSY 708	Psychological Disorders in Adults	3
PSY 723	Evidence-based Practice with Children and Adolescents	3
PSY 725	Psychological Assessment in Adults	3
PSY 727	Theory and Methods of Behavioral Assessment and Therapy	3
PSY 728	Theory and Methods of Intellectual Assessment	3
Clinical Practicum Training (9 credits)
PSY 741	Contemporary Topics in Clinical Practice ³	3
PSY 742	Practicum in Clinical Intervention	6
Total Credit Hours		45

¹: Only students who enter the program with a previously-earned master's degree in psychology that included a thesis project may select PSY 698. All other students must select PSY 699.
²: If PSY 601 is selected as an alternative, academic transcript must list this course as "Historical Perspectives on Psychology as a Science" for licensure /accreditation.
³: Topics include: Case Conceptualization, Supervision, Diversity, and Consultation.

Students Entering with a Master's Degree (with Thesis)

Entering students who have completed a master's degree in psychology at another institution that included a thesis project but did not involve any practicum training may elect to complete PSY 698 Capstone Examination in Clinical Psychology as their capstone experience. Students will form a clinical comprehensive examination committee and engage in independent applied scholarly work, culminating in a formal and in-depth presentation and discussion of a clinical case they have conducted as part of their master's training. They will receive evaluative feedback regarding their competencies from the clinical faculty on their committee. This option is only offered to students with an equivalent master's thesis project from their prior institution. The student's thesis document will be reviewed and approved by a panel of three UNCG Psychology Department faculty and the Graduate Program Director.

Ph.D. Degree Program Requirements

Required: 104 credit hours

In addition to the M.A. requirements (45 credits), students must complete the following 59 credits:

Course List
Code	Title	Credit Hours
Discipline Specific Knowledge (Basic and Advanced Integrative) (6 credits)
Select two courses (6 credits) from the following: ¹		6
PSY 735C	Contemporary Problems
or PSY 735D	Contemporary Problems
or PSY 735I	Contemporary Problems
or PSY 735J	Contemporary Problems
or PSY 735S	Contemporary Problems
GRO 621	Health and Aging
HEA 662	Gender and Health
HDF 713	Social and Emotional Development
Additional Profession-Wide Competencies Required for the Ph.D. (9 credits)
PSY 724	Ethical Responsibilities of Clinical Psychologists	3
PSY 735J	Contemporary Problems	3
PSY 745	Multicultural Issues in Clinical Psychology	3
Additional Quantitative Course/Seminar Requirement for the Ph.D. (6 credits)
Select 6 credits, including at least 3 credits from the following: ²		6
ERM 731	Structural Equation Modeling in Education
ERM 732	Hierarchical Linear Modeling
ERM 782	Multivariate Analysis
ERM 785	R for Education and the Social Sciences
Additional Ph.D. Research Requirements (21 credits)
PSY 751	Independent Doctoral Research	6
PSY 761	Preliminary Examination: Integration Across at Least Two Areas Within Psychology	3
PSY 799	Doctoral Dissertation Research	12-24
Ph.D. Clinical Practicum Training (15 credits)
PSY 741	Contemporary Topics in Clinical Practice ³	3
PSY 742	Practicum in Clinical Intervention ⁴	6
PSY 762	Advanced Practicum in Clinical Psychology	6
Required Internship Training (2 credits)
PSY 763	Internship in Clinical Psychology ⁵	2
Total Credit Hours		59

¹: Specific courses fulfilling this requirement are individually planned for each student in consultation with the doctoral planning committee and are determined in part by the student's pre-matriculation competencies and research and career goals. Courses offered at sister institutions may also fulfill this requirement as deemed by the planning committee.
²: Or another quantitative course approved by the doctoral planning committee. If only 3 credits of quantitative course work are taken (from the list of courses provided in the catalog for this requirement or a comparable course approved by the planning committee), then the student must also take 3 credits of PSY 735C, PSY 735D, PSY 735I, PSY 735J, or PSY 735S covering a contemporary issue in the discipline of Psychology (i.e. covering Discipline-Specific Knowledge) or the integration of two or more areas within Psychology or a seminar outside the department approved by the committee. If 6 credits of quantitative course work are taken, then the requirement is satisfied.
³: 3 credits minimum must be completed in addition to the M.A. requirement and specific topics covered must be different
⁴: In addition to the credits earned for the M.A.
⁵: 1 credit in each of two semesters.

Discipline Specific Knowledge (Basic and Advanced integrative)

Coverage of basic knowledge in five core areas of Psychology (Biological, Developmental, Social, Cognitive, and Affective) and advanced integration of this knowledge across at least two of these areas is evaluated and met through a variety of ways including: 1) formal graduate level course work which builds on a student’s pre-matriculation experiences and competencies, 2) laboratory based research, including the thesis and dissertation, and 3) preliminary examination paper and oral defense. In some cases, pre-matriculation competencies may fulfill the basic foundational requirement for one or more areas. Regardless of the specific way in which a student meets these requirements outside of formal course work, a minimum of two graduate-level courses are required to complete this requirement.

Students select from a menu of courses, based on their pre-matriculation experiences and in consultation with the planning committee. At least two courses, each incorporating at least two of the basic core areas and including integration across the area, are required. In choosing from an array of courses, coverage of at least four different core areas must be attained. Students will obtain foundational coverage in the fifth basic area through other educational means (e.g., thesis prelim or dissertation, pre-matriculation competencies with graduate-level evaluation, etc.). Regardless of means of acquiring advanced integrative knowledge, all educational experiences are evaluated at the graduate level.

Specific courses fulfilling this requirement are individually planned for each student in consultation with the doctoral planning committee and are determined in part by the student’s pre-matriculation competencies and research and career goals.

Additional Quantitative Course/Seminar Requirement for the Ph.D. Degree

Note that a minimum of 3 credits must be in the Quantitative area. If 6 credits are taken in Quantitative, no additional seminar is required. If only 3 credits are taken in the Quantitative area, the student must supplement their course work with an additional seminar (PSY 735C, PSY 735D, PSY 735I, PSY 735J, or PSY 735S) course either in clinical or within another area(s) of Psychology, or an outside seminar approved by the doctoral planning committee).

Required Milestones*

Residency (Immersion)
Plan of Study
Research Competency
Comprehensive Exam (Written & Oral)
Dissertation Proposal
Admission to Candidacy
Dissertation Defense
Filing the Final Approved Dissertation

*: General information about milestones for doctoral programs is available in Section III of the Graduate Policies page in the University Catalog. For information about how milestones are accomplished for a specific program, please refer to the doctoral program's handbook.