Program Requirements

Students enrolled in the American School of Professional Psychology at Argosy University | Southern California are required to successfully complete 98 credit hours distributed as follows: scientific foundations requirements, 21 credit hours; statistics and research methodology requirements, 6 credit hours; ethics requirements, 3 credit hours; psychopathology requirements, 9 credit hours; diversity requirements, 3 credit hours; consultation and supervision requirements, 3 credit hours; assessment requirements, 9 credit hours; interventions requirements, 15 credit hours; professionalization group requirements, 2 credit hours; practicum requirements, 15 credit hours; elective requirements, 9 credit hours; clinical research project requirements, 3 credit hours; internship requirements, 0 credit hours. Students who receive a grade below “B-” in any course must retake the course during the next academic year or sooner.

Elective Requirements

Students enrolled in the PsyD in Clinical Psychology degree program at the American School of Professional Psychology at Argosy University | Southern California are required to complete 9 credit hours of electives). Students choose courses in consultation with their advisor. Students may complete one of the optional concentrations to fulfill the elective requirements.

Professionalization Group Requirements

These discussion groups for first-year students are led by a full-time faculty member and meet once a week for one hour. Students discuss topics related to professional psychology and the development of a professional identity. The faculty member leading the group will help students with academic and field training planning, general consultation on the PsyD in Clinical Psychology degree program, and questions emerging during the student’s first-year academic experience. The Professionalization Group carries 1 academic credit hour for each semester.

The course objectives are as follows:

• To assist and support students in developing identities as clinical psychology trainees and evolving clinical psychology professionals through readings, discussion, role play and classroom presentation.
• To introduce students to the ethical practice of psychology and contemporary issues in clinical psychology
• To orient students to the roles, norms, and expectations of graduate studies and professional practice
• To provide academic advisement and student advocacy

Practicum and Practicum Seminar Requirements

The practicum is the first opportunity provided to American School of Professional Psychology at Argosy University | Southern California students for clinical field training. Within the series of practicum courses, the American School of Professional Psychology at Argosy University | Southern California provides students with the opportunity of working under supervision with a clinical population within a mental health delivery system. The practicum is an essential part of clinical training and all students are required to participate in the practicum experience. Liability insurance is included in the cost of the practicum.

Full-time students will normally be placed in a Diagnostic Practicum and Seminar during their second year of study, in a Therapy Practicum and Seminar during their third year of study, and an Advanced Practicum during their fourth year of study. For registration purposes, the practicum and seminar are treated like a course. The practicum/seminar carries 3 credit hours per semester and 6 credit hours per academic year. Advanced Practicum (PP8300 ) carries 1.5 credit hours per semester and 3 credit hours per academic year.  Practicum usually begins in September and concludes in June. However, a limited number of practicum programs may begin in July or August, and finish in June. For each of the Diagnostic, Therapy, and Advanced Practicum years, the student will be required to spend a minimum of 600 hours in the practicum training experience.

A practicum may not be done in a student’s place of employment, nor is any student transferred from the practicum requirements. Students who come to the American School of Professional Psychology at Argosy University | Southern California with extensive clinical backgrounds are placed in practicum sites in areas where they have an interest and do not have previous experience.
 

Practicum Eligibility

All students who enter the practicum application process must be in good academic standing, and have a minimum grade point average of 3.0 (on a scale of 4.0). Students must have completed the academic planning which will allow for all the practicum prerequisite courses to be completed prior to the beginning of the practicum. No student may begin a practicum without being in attendance at the American School of Professional Psychology at Argosy University | Southern California for a minimum of two and one-half semesters.

Diagnostic Practicum

To be eligible for a Diagnostic Practicum, a student must have successfully completed or transferred the following courses:

Therapy Practicum

Requirements for the Therapy Practicum include:

• Successful completion of the Diagnostic Practicum and Diagnostic CCE
• Good academic standing
• Successful completion of courses designated as Diagnostic Practicum prerequisites
• Successful completion of courses designated as Therapy practicum prerequisites

To be eligible for Therapy Practicum, in addition to the Diagnostic Practicum prerequisites, a student must have successfully completed the following courses:

The director of Clinical Training also has the discretion to make decisions on any probationary student who is beyond the first year of attendance. This would include both looking for practicum and participating in practicum.

If a first-year student is placed on probation based on fall semester grades, the student may not look for a practicum during the spring semester. If the student has achieved a GPA of 3.0 when the spring grades are available, the student may, at the discretion of the director of Clinical Training, look for a practicum.

If a first-year student who has accepted a practicum is placed on probation after spring grades are received, the student may not attend the practicum if the GPA is below a 3.0 after the spring grades are received. The Training Committee may make exceptions only after a thorough review of the student’s academic and clinical suitability. If the GPA is at or above 3.0 after the spring grades are received, the student may, at the discretion of the director of Clinical Training, begin the practicum.

Advanced Practicum Prerequisites

Requirements for the Advanced Practicum include:

• Successful completion of the Diagnostic Practicum and Diagnostic CCE
• Successful completion of the Therapy Practicum and Therapy CCE
• Good academic standing

Practicum Seminar Requirements

All students enrolled in a practicum must also concurrently enroll in a practicum seminar. The seminar meets weekly throughout the fall (15 weeks) and spring (15 weeks) semesters. These meetings allow the student to reflect on practicum experiences and to acquire additional skills and attitudes useful in field training. The specific content and emphasis of the seminar varies according to the practicum setting and focus of the enrolled students and the professional expertise of the faculty member.

Types of Practicum

Diagnostic Practicum

Emphasizes the clinical observation and diagnostic interviewing of clients and provides gradual exposure to psychological testing procedures.

Therapy Practicum

Emphasizes therapeutic intervention. Time is allocated to direct therapeutic contact, seminars and meetings, and supervision.

Advanced Practicum

Provides the opportunity for students to gain further experience in either testing, therapy, or a combination of both.

Practicum Evaluations

Please refer to the American School of Professional Psychology at Argosy University | Southern California Training Manual for a more detailed description of training requirements and guidelines. All students are responsible for being familiar with the information contained in the training manual.

Clinical Competency Examination Requirements

The Clinical Competency Examination (CCE) is a series of competency-based examinations, which are designed to evaluate students’ mastery of major clinical assessment and therapeutic skills.

Students should be prepared to demonstrate clinical competence both conceptually and in application. It is also expected that students, having learned theoretical and applied bases in classroom courses, will have made use of out-of-class clinical contacts (i.e., practicum, seminar groups, supplementary supervision, visiting lecturers) to refine and extend the skills to be evaluated by the CCE. Therefore successful completion of coursework and practicum do not guarantee passing the CCE.

Descriptions and Procedures for Successful Completion

There are four sections to the CCE:

1. Diagnostic Scoring and Interpretation. The student meets this requirement by successfully completing all assessment courses.
2. Diagnostic Interview and Formulation. Students submit a tape, transcript, and diagnostic report and self-critique of a diagnostic interview they have conducted with a client. The tape must not have been submitted earlier either in the school or outside it for review, supervision or critique.
3. Psychotherapy Interventions and Formulations. Students submit a tape of a therapy interview, transcript, and therapy case formulation report including a self-critique. This tape cannot have been submitted earlier either in the school or outside it for review, supervision or critique. A prerequisite for this portion of the CCE is successful completion of the Comprehensive Examination.
4. Ethics. The student meets this requirement by passing PP7100 - Professional Issues: Ethics, Conduct, and Law .

Grading

Each course considered to be part of the CCE must be passed with a grade of “B” or better, with the exception of the Diagnostic Interview and Psychotherapy Competencies, which are graded “Pass/Pass with Revision/Fail.”

The course instructors will explain the grading of the CCE required courses. Practicum seminar leaders will distribute material about how to complete the diagnostic and psychotherapy CCE tasks and the criteria for passage. Students work with their seminar leaders and re-submit CCE material until mastery is achieved. Each CCE task must be completed before advancing to the next level of training.

Comprehensive Examination Requirements

All doctoral degree program students are required to successfully complete Comprehensive Examinations. The material covered in the Comprehensive Examinations covers the courses and material required of students during the first three years of study at the American School of Professional Psychology at Argosy University | Southern California. The examinations require students to be able to integrate the material from those years into a form demonstrating both mastery of the material and ability to organize what they have learned in a coherent and logical manner.

Students who are unable to pass the Comprehensive Examinations will receive information concerning their performance on the examinations and assistance in constructing additional experiences and instruction aimed at enabling them to pass these program requirements.

Comprehensive Examination Prerequisites: Clinical and Research Exam

To be able to sit for the Comprehensive Examination, the student must have completed successfully all first and second-year courses, excluding the practicum.  Courses that are transferred are considered successfully completed.  The following first and second year courses must be completed in order to qualify for the examination:

Comprehensive Examination Prerequisites: Clinical and Research Exam

Comprehensive Examination Prerequisites: Scientific Foundations Exam

To be able to sit for the Comprehensive Examination (Scientific Foundations Exam), the student must have successfully completed all of the courses in Scientific Foundations: History and Systems of Psychology, Cognitive and Affective Bases, Physiological Psychology, Psychometric Theory, Social Psychology, and Lifespan Development. Courses that are transferred are considered successfully completed. The following courses must be completed in order to qualify for the Scientific Foundations Comprehensive Examination:

Comprehensive Examination Prerequisites: Scientific Foundations Exam

Procedures for the Comprehensive Examination

Students are required to take the Comprehensive Examination no later than the end of the fifth year after matriculation. At the American School of Professional Psychology at Argosy University | Southern California, the Comprehensive Examination is offered once each year in August. Students are slated to take the Clinical and Research Comprehensive Examination in the Summer of year two, and the Scientific Foundations Comprehensive Examination in the Summer of year three of the program. Students interested in taking the Comprehensive Examination should fill out the request form during the summer I semester of the year they intend to take each test. The Comprehensive Examination Request Form will be available for students. 

Clinical Research Project Requirements

The American School of Professional Psychology at Argosy University | Southern California  Clinical Research Project  Manual (published as a separate document) is designed as a guide to the Clinical Research Project (CRP) process. The student should consult the CRP manual as the primary resource for information about the process from start to finish. Students are required to read and follow the CRP guidelines in the CRP manual in their entirety as they begin to develop their CRP topics. The CRP manual was also written as a resource for CRP chair and committee members.

The APA Publication Manual (6th edition, revised, 2009) should be used as the guide to editorial style and typing instructions.

Clinical Research Project Overview

The Clinical Research Project (CRP) is a training experience designed to provide students with a guided opportunity for producing a scholarly paper in which students build upon and consolidate research skills learned in the statistics and research methods course sequence and prior empirical observations and components of courses in the basic curriculum. A broad range of qualitative methods of inquiry is permitted in the CRP. The types of projects allowed are listed below:

Participation in and Original Contribution to some larger qualitative research project conducted by a member of the faculty or other researcher

The student’s contribution to this project should clearly demonstrate scholarly knowledge and the ability to critically evaluate methodological rigor and clinical significance. Merely participating or collecting data will not be sufficient, but the CRP may include making an original contribution to the larger project, with independent analysis and writing.

Qualitative Empirical Study

This involves the collection, analysis, and interpretation of original data (broadly defined to include secondary descriptive analysis of data already available, replications, content analysis, etc.) to address a problem of theoretical or practical interest. A CRP student may utilize qualitative, descriptive, field or exploratory approaches. This study will involve a sample at minimum of 11 to 20 participants.

Quantitative Empirical Study

This involves the collection, analysis, and interpretation of original data to address a problem of theoretical or practical interest. A CRP student may utilize quantitative, descriptive, or inferential approaches to data analysis, with the approval of the committee and program dean.

Depending on the nature of the type of CRP, students will be expected to demonstrate competency in the following processes:

• Identifying a focused and relevant clinical research topic
• Identifying and reviewing literature relevant to their topic of interest
• Critically reviewing literature related to their topic of interest
• Applying relevant research approaches to clinical data
• Integrating findings from prior literature and clinical analyses into understanding of current literature and clinical theory and prior empirical research

Students, working closely with faculty members, identify a topic that can be fully addressed within the scope of the curriculum, and within the expertise of the full- or halftime faculty currently teaching in the program. In all topics, students will be expected to demonstrate competency in critical analysis of research and empirical literature, application of findings to topic under study, and integration of literature and clinical reviews into new perspectives on the topic being studied. The CRP should be of publishable quality.

To repeat: Students are not limited to research on patient populations. All students, however, are required to provide a clinical rationale for proposed reviews. The final CRP document should demonstrate:

• A mastery of theoretical, clinical, and empirical literature relevant to the topic studied
• Methodological and statistical knowledge relevant to the area of inquiry
• The ability to integrate specific theoretical, empirical and clinical observations and findings across studies and synthesize such information into clear conclusions or further hypotheses
• The ability to write clearly and concisely in the style adopted by the profession. (APA Publication Manual, 6th Edition, revised 2009)

In other words, the CRP should be a sophisticated piece of written scholarship that demonstrates the ability to frame and address a psychological issue by an exacting review of published literature and its application to actual clinical data.

Types of Questions

The following range of inquiry is permitted in the CRP:

• The topic must have some clinical application.
• There must be a published empirical literature of sufficient size to warrant critical review.
• The focus of the literature and/or clinical review is determined by the student in collaboration with the CRP committee.

Please refer to the American School of Professional Psychology at Argosy University | Southern California at Clinical Research Project Manual for a more detailed description of CRP requirements and guidelines. All students are responsible for being familiar with the information contained in the CRP Manual.

Internship Requirements

Internship Application Requirements

All students are required to complete a one-year (12-month) internship, or a two-year (24-month) half-time internship as a condition for graduation. This intensive and supervised contact with clients is essential for giving greater breadth and depth to the student’s overall academic experience. Typically, full-time students will begin the internship during their fourth or fifth year of enrollment.

In order to be eligible to apply for internships, the student must have completed the following requirements:

• Be in good academic standing (i.e. must not be on academic/financial aid probation)
• Successfully pass the doctoral Comprehensive Examination (Part One and Part Two)
• Successfully pass the entire set of CCE tasks
• Resolved all grades of incomplete by October 1 of the year they apply
• Obtain Clinical Research Project (CRP) proposal approval from all committee members, and the Institutional Review Board (if applicable)

Any student who does not meet one or more of these requirements, must petition the Training Committee in order to obtain permission to apply for internships.

Internship Application Procedures

The Training Department actively provides guidance and support for students throughout the internship search process — in both group and individual format. The following are the general steps in the process:

1. The student formally declares intent to apply for internship.
2. The student is required to attend a semester-long seminar which focuses on the internship application process.
3. The student arranges to have American School of Professional Psychology at Argosy University | Southern California faculty members and practicum supervisors write letters of recommendation on his or her behalf.
4. The student meets with the director of Clinical Training to review the student’s eligibility and to discuss procedures related to the internship application process.
5. The student researches a range of internship sites both in the surrounding geographical area and nationally. Various resources are available to conduct this research, such as directories of internship training (e.g., APA online, APPIC online, and CAPIC online).
6. The student submits a list of internship sites that he or she is requesting approval to apply to. The Training Department carefully reviews all applicants’ requests and decides which sites to approve based on compatibility, rank order, and site application limits.
7. The student sends application materials directly to his or her approved sites. The Training Department will coordinate the processing and sending of APPIC’s verification of applicant’s eligibility and readiness form.
8. The student arranges to meet with internship personnel at those sites where they are offered interviews.
9. The Training Department assists the student in preparing for Uniform Notification Day in February when students will receive their match results online through the National Matching Service Web site.
10. In the event a student does not receive an internship on Uniform Notification Day, the Training Department provides guidance and assistance to him or her in continuing the search process.
11.  Students will be permitted to begin their internships if they are in good academic standing, have completed all doctoral academic requirements (including any course incompletes), have successfully passed all CCE tasks and have completed all of their CRP requirements.

Learning Contracts

Interns are responsible for discussing their training goals and interests with their internship training director or primary supervisor in order to develop a formal learning contract soon after internship begins. This contract will be a written document sent to the Training Department by the student within a month after the start of internship.

Evaluation and Remediation

Internship supervisors complete a mid-year and final internship progress report. These forms are an evaluation of the student’s progress, competence, and performance relative to the learning objectives as well as other factors of importance to the internship site program. These forms are carefully reviewed by the Training Department to make sure that the student is making satisfactory progress.

The Training Department actively works to address areas of significant difficulties, and, as necessary, coordinates with the internship site supervisor a remediation plan. If, at any point during the internship process, a student is in need of remediation, the American School of Professional Psychology at Argosy University | Southern California procedures for practicum and internship remediation will be implemented. At the completion of the internship year, the Training Department makes the final determination whether or not the internship requirements have been met. If post-internship remedial work is required, the student, the Training Department, and the internship site director will develop a written contract specifying clinical areas needing improvement, methods by which such improvement will be achieved, and criteria by which improvement will be measured. The process of consultation and approval by the Training Department and final approval and/or hearing of student appeal by the Appeals Committee applies to internship remediation.

Please refer to the American School of Professional Psychology at Argosy University | Southern California Training Manual for a more detailed description of training requirements and guidelines. All students are responsible for being familiar with the information contained in the training manual.
 

Concentrations in the Doctor of Psychology in Clinical Psychology Degree Program

Granting of the MA in Clinical Psychology Degree en route to the PsyD in Clinical Psychology Degree

Upon successful completion of the first two years of coursework in the PsyD in Clinical Psychology degree program, the Diagnostic Practicum in year two, and the Clinical and Research Comprehensive Examination, students will be granted the Master of Arts (MA) degree in Clinical Psychology. This degree does not fulfill the coursework requirements for eligibility as a licensed Marriage & Family Therapist in the state of California.

The following courses are required for the awarding of the master of arts degree and the promotion to candidacy as a doctoral student:

• PP7010 - Lifespan Development  (3)
• PP7060 - Social Psychology  (3)
• PP7100 - Professional Issues: Ethics, Conduct, and Law  (3)
• PP7110 - Professionalization Group I  (1)
• PP7111 - Professionalization Group II  (1)
• PP7200 - Statistics and Research I  (3)
• PP7201 - Statistics and Research II  (3)
• PP7230 - Psychometric Theory  (3)
• PP7300 - Psychopathology I  (3)
• PP7301 - Psychopathology II  (3)
• PP7330 - Child and Adolescent Psychopathology  (3)
• PP7340 - Issues in the Assessment and Treatment of Diverse Populations  (3)
• PP7365 - Clinical Interviewing  (3)
• PP7370 - Cognitive Assessment  (3)
• PP7373 - Integrative Assessment  (2)
• PP7520 - Personality Assessment  (4)
• PP8010 - Cognitive Behavioral Theory and Therapy  (3)
• PP8039 - Interventions II  (3)
• PP8040 - Psychoanalytic Theory and Therapy  (3)
• PP8050 - Family and Couples Therapy  (3)
• PP8201 - Practicum I  (3)
• PP8202 - Practicum II  (3)

Course/Credit Transfer

Transfer of Courses/Credit into the Doctor of Psychology in Clinical Psychology Program from other Institutions

Like other institutions which offer graduate degrees, Argosy University does not automatically transfer credit from graduate coursework taken at other institutions. Students who have taken graduate courses elsewhere may petition to have these courses apply toward a transfer of courses in the curriculum.

For a course to be considered eligible for a transfer, the following conditions must be met:

• The course must have been taken no more than seven years before the student’s entry into the program.
• The course must have been a graduate-level course taught by a doctoral level instructor, taken for graduate-level credit at a regionally accredited college or university. In the case of institutions outside the United States, the appropriate state or national accreditation is required.
• Any course submitted towards a transfer of a 3-credit hour course must have itself carried 3 or more graduate credit hours.
• A student must have earned a grade of “B” or better on any course submitted for a transfer.
• A maximum of 30 credit hours may be transferred towards the Doctoral program in clinical psychology.

The school does not accept any credit hours earned as military credit, credit hours by examination, credit hours by correspondence, credit hours for life experience, online courses, or graduate credit hours from non-accredited schools.

Any student who desires to submit a course for transfer review should notify the Student Services Department and obtain the appropriate transfer request form. This form should be completed and returned to the Student Services Department. Requests must be made in writing. Transfer requests may be submitted any time during the admission process until the end of the first year of matriculation. Transfers are not reviewed or officially granted until a student is officially accepted.

Students petitioning for transfer are requested to provide course descriptions, syllabi, exams, diagnostic test protocols and write-ups. Transfers are granted by the faculty if there is an 80 percent overlap in course content and objectives between the course submitted for transfer and the course as it is offered at Argosy University. Students may obtain the procedures to be observed in submitting transfer requests from the Student Services Department.