Program Requirements

Students enrolled in the PsyD in Clinical Psychology degree program at the Illinois School of Professional Psychology at Argosy University | Schaumburg are required to satisfactorily complete 98 credit hours distributed as follows: assessment requirements, 12 credit hours; clinical intervention and psychotherapy requirements, 22.5 credit hours; consultation and supervision requirements, 3 credit hours; elective requirements, 10.5 credit hours; ethics and professional conduct requirements, 5 credit hours; human development requirements, 6 credit hours; psychology foundations: basic science/psychology requirements, 12 credit hours; psychopathology requirements, 6 credit hours; statistics and research methods requirements, 6 credit hours; clinical research project requirements, 3 credit hours; and practicum and practicum seminar requirements, 12 credit hours.

Students who register for PP7371 - Objective Personality Assessment , PP7372 - Projective Personality Assessment , or PP7370 - Cognitive Assessment  must have completed an undergraduate course in psychological assessment or tests and measurements or be enrolled concurrently in this course. Students enrolling in PP7200 - Statistics and Research I  must have the necessary undergraduate background in statistics or research methods.

Elective Requirements

10.5 credit hours of electives are available for advanced general studies, advanced interventions, special populations or concentration specialization areas.

Additionally, 3 credit hours of Advanced Practicum (PP8300 Advanced Practicum) may be counted toward the elective requirements.

Retaking Courses

Any required course in which a grade below “B-” is received must be retaken. An elective in which a grade below “B-” is received need not be retaken, however credit will not be received. A student who receives a grade “F” or “No Credit” in any course must retake the course during the current or next academic year.

Postdoctoral Supervision Hours

Depending on the licensure requirements of the state in which a student is making application, graduates may begin counting postdoctoral supervision hours toward licensure upon successful completion of their Clinical Research Project (CRP) and final approval by the CRP chair and committee members, provided that internship and other degree requirements have been met. Requirements for when a student may begin to count postdoctoral hours vary from state to state. Students may not refer to themselves as “Doctor” or use the title of PsyD until internship and all program requirements have been completed and a bound copy of the student’s CRP has been submitted to the Student Services Department.

Practicum and Practicum Seminar Requirements

The practicum is the first opportunity provided to Illinois School of Professional Psychology at Argosy University | Schaumburg students for clinical field training. Within the series of practicum courses, Illinois School of Professional Psychology at Argosy University | Schaumburg 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 charged at the time of registration for practicum.

Full-time students will normally be placed in a Psychodiagnostic Practicum and Seminar during their second year of study and in a Psychotherapy Practicum and Seminar during the following year. 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. Practicum usually begins in September and concludes in June. Students may be required to take a supplemental practicum. However, many practicum programs also begin in July or August, and finish in June. Students must minimally accumulate a total of 2,000 hours of supervised practicum training between their Psychodiagnostic, Psychotherapy, and/or Advanced practicum. For each of the Psychodiagnostic and Psychotherapy Practicum years, the student will be required to spend a minimum of 800 hours in the practicum training experience. If students only complete the minimum (i.e., 800 hours), then an advanced or supplemental practicum must be completed.

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

Practicum Requirements

All students who enter the practicum application process must be in good academic standing, have a minimum grade point average of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale and 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 Illinois School of Professional Psychology at Argosy University | Schaumburg for a minimum of two semesters.

Requirements for the Psychotherapy Practicum include:

• Successful completion of the Psychodiagnostic Practicum and Psychodiagnostic CCE
• Good academic standing

The director of Clinical Training has the discretion to make decisions on any probationary student who is beyond the first year of attendance. This would include both searching 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, search for a practicum.

To be eligible for a Psychodiagnostic Practicum, a student must have successfully completed or waived the following prerequisite courses:

Clinical Competency Examination Requirements

Students in both the doctoral Psychodiagnostic Practicum and the doctoral Psychotherapy Practicum must successfully complete a written and oral clinical proficiency examination in the spring semester. The Clinical Competency Examination (CCE) is composed of a written case conceptualization and self-critique with accompanying audio or video tape, transcript of a psychotherapy or diagnostic session, and an oral portion consisting of a discussion of the above issues and other relevant clinical data in the presence of the seminar leader and the other faculty member.

Students demonstrate their conceptual abilities, theoretical knowledge, and applied clinical skills obtained through the integration of classroom theoretical work, clinical field training and supervision at their practicum, and in the practicum seminars. In the event that a student passes either the written, oral, or both portions of the CCE with revision, the practicum seminar leader will develop a remediation plan with the student. All revisions must be completed within one semester of the original CCE submission date.

In the event that a student fails the examination, she or he must seek remediation, and will be permitted to retake the examination the spring semester of the following year. The Clinical Training Committee, in consultation with the initial examining faculty member, will recommend a program of remediation to address concerns noted in the first CCE. The student’s progress in remediation will be taken into account. A student may retake the CCE one time. A second failure will result in dismissal from the school. Further details regarding specific requirements of the CCE are available in the clinical training manual.

Descriptions and Procedures for Successful Completion

Procedures for the Psychotherapy and Psychodiagnostic CCE require the student to submit a tape, a transcript, a client assessment and progress report, and a self-critique of a therapy session or clinical interview that the student has conducted with a client. The student will have received supervision on this session from the practicum site supervisor, but this session must not have been submitted for review, supervision or critique at the Illinois School of Professional Psychology at Argosy University | Schaumburg or elsewhere prior to submission for satisfying the requirements of the CCE.

The Psychotherapy or Psychodiagnostic CCE is graded “High Pass,” “Pass,” “Pass with Revision,” and “Fail.” In the event that a student passes the CCE with revision, the practicum seminar leader will develop a remediation plan with the student. All revisions must be completed within one semester of the original CCE.

Detailed explanations of these procedures are contained in the CCE Diagnostic and Therapy Advisories which are distributed to practicum seminar faculty and students at the beginning of the fall semester.

Clinical Research Project Requirements

Each doctoral degree program student is required to develop a Clinical Research Project (CRP) as a requirement for graduation. The CRP is intended to be a scholarly work that provides students an opportunity to deepen their knowledge and thought about a particular clinical area, to demonstrate the ability to analyze methodological issues, and to produce an original piece of scholarly work in the field of Clinical Psychology.

The philosophy of the PsyD in Clinical Psychology degree program faculty with respect to research, research skills, and the CRP is consistent throughout the program.

In our practitioner-scholar model, we expect our students to understand research and use research findings as a primary resource for their clinical work. We expect our students to read current research articles and understand the methods and statistics, draw appropriate conclusions from research, and critique research in terms of internal and external validity. All of these skills are important and necessary when integrating information in our field and, more generally, in being a qualified clinical psychologist. We do not expect that most students will be involved in publishing large-scale scientific studies. They may, however, be involved in case studies, evaluation research, and qualitative research.

Further information regarding the CRP may be found in the Department’s CRP Manual.

Types of Clinical Research Projects

There are several types of Clinical Research Projects that students may elect to accomplish. Following are some examples:

Comprehensive Case Study

The goal is to develop a clinical question linked to the case presented in the Clinical Comprehensive Exam (CCE). This should be a theoretical discussion of a novel or innovative approach in treatment and/or conceptualization of an individual case. It should integrate materials which both assist in understanding the case dynamics and may support treatment approaches and case conceptualizations.

Theoretical CRP

The theoretical CRP is a work “in which the author draws on existing research literature to advance theory in any area of psychology.” This project should include a new integration of theory based on a review of significant literature in the area addressed by the CRP. By organizing, integrating, and evaluating previously published material, the author of a theoretical CRP considers the progress of current research toward clarifying a problem. Thus, one first conducts a literature review that defines and clarifies the problem, summarizes previous investigations in order to inform the reader of the state of current research, identifies relations, contradictions, gaps and inconsistencies in the literature and suggests the next steps in solving the problem.

The author traces the development of theory in order to expand and refine theoretical constructs. The author may present a new theory, or may analyze existing theory, pointing out flaws or demonstrating the superiority of one theory over another. In this type of theoretical analysis, the author customarily examines a theory’s internal and external consistency, that is, whether a theory is self-contradictory and whether the theory and empirical observation contradict each other (paraphrased from Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, 5th ed.).

Empirical Studies

CRP studies that employ qualitative and/or quantitative approaches are an option to Illinois School of Professional Psychology at Argosy University | Schaumburg students, recognizing the limitations of time and resources in order to effect an acceptable study. Reports of empirical studies are reports of original research. They typically consist of distinct sections that reflect the stages in the research process and that appear in the sequence of these stages:

1. Introduction: Development of the problem under investigation and statement of the purpose of the investigation.
2. Review of literature: Description of previous research pertaining to the topic.
3. Method: Description of the method used to conduct the investigation.
4. Results: Report of the results that were found.
5. Discussion: Interpretation and discussion of the implications of the results.

Clinical Research Project Committee

The Clinical Research Project is expected to take no more than 12 months to complete with a steady commitment of time. During this period the student works closely with the chairperson in order to develop a proposal and then to complete an acceptable draft that is reviewed by the other member of the committee. The chair works on a regular basis with the student in order to develop an organized and individualized experience. The chair may require the student to come to campus for consultation even if the student is residing out of state. The chair of the committee functions as a guide and facilitator to the CRP process and should be expected to refine and suggest enhancement, rather than to develop or initiate hypotheses. The reader, as well, works with the chair in assisting the student-scholar to add dimension and clarity to the process.

The goals of this activity are to help the student develop a procedure for the production of scholarly work, to deepen their knowledge and thought about a particular clinical area, to learn both methodological issues and critical thought processes and to produce an original scholarly work.

The committee will consist of two faculty members, a chairperson and a reader. The chairperson must be a faculty member while the reader may be faculty or associate faculty. A second outside reader may be added with the permission of the chair.

Timeline for Completion of the Clinical Research Project

Students must register continuously for 1 credit hour of CRP per semester beginning no later than the fall semester of their fourth year. A maximum of 3 credit hours of CRP may count toward the degree. The time frame for completion of CRP tasks will be connected to the internship application time frame:

• Proposal accepted by committee by October 15, when applications are sent.
• First draft of completed project must be reviewed by chairperson by February 1 (internship notification day is the third week in February).
• Final draft must be accepted by committee by May 30 prior to internship.

Failure to comply with any of these three deadlines without written permission from the CRP chair and approval from the director of Clinical Training will result in the student’s removal from the internship process.

Internship Requirements

All students are required to complete a one-year (12 month) 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 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 probation)
• Successfully pass the Oral Qualifying Examination (for students admitted before Fall 2004).
• Resolved all grades of incomplete by October 1 of the year they apply.

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

Internship Application Procedure

The Clinical 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 arranges to have Illinois School of Professional Psychology at Argosy University | Schaumburg faculty members and practicum supervisors write letters of recommendation on his or her behalf.
3. 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.
4. The student researches a range of internship sites both in the Schaumburg area and nationally. Various resources are available to conduct this research, such as the directory of the internship-governing agency (i.e. APPIC), the Web sites of APPIC and internship sites, and files available in the Clinical Training Department.
5. The student submits a list of internship sites that he or she is requesting approval to apply to. The Clinical Training Department carefully reviews all applicants’ requests and decides which sites to approve based on compatibility, rank order, and site application limits.
6. The student sends application materials directly to his or her approved sites. The Clinical Training Department will coordinate the processing and sending of letters of recommendation as well as other necessary documents (e.g., APPIC verification of the applicant’s eligibility and readiness).
7. The student arranges to meet with internship personnel at those sites where they are offered interviews.
8. The Clinical Training Department assists the student in preparing for Match Day in February when students will receive their match results online through the National Matching Service Web site.
9. In the event a student does not receive an internship on Match Day, the Clinical Training Department provides guidance and assistance to him or her in continuing the search process, through Clearinghouse and other resources.
10. Students will be permitted to begin their internship 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 their CRP.

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 Clinical Training Department by the student within a month after the start of internship.

Evaluation and Remediation of the Internship

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 Clinical Training Department to make sure that the student is making satisfactory progress.

The Clinical Training Department actively works to address areas of significant difficulties, and, as necessary, coordinates with the internship site supervisor in implementing a remediation plan. If, at any point during the internship process, a student is in need of remediation, the Illinois School of Professional Psychology at Argosy University | Schaumburg procedures for practicum and internship remediation will be implemented. At the completion of the internship year, the Clinical 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 Clinical 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 Clinical Training Department and final approval and/or hearing of student appeal by the Clinical Training Committee applies to internship remediation.

Please refer to the Illinois School of Professional Psychology at Argosy University | Schaumburg 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

Students enrolled in the PsyD in Clinical Psychology degree program at the Illinois School of Professional Psychology at Argosy University | Schaumburg have the opportunity to select program concentrations focused on select populations or problem areas. These concentrations will include the selection of particular elective courses, choosing relevant practicum and training experiences and focusing their Clinical Research Project (CRP) topic on their chosen concentration. The election of a concentration is designed to allow students to focus their interests in a structured manner and build on the strong skill and competency-based education and training they are receiving in Clinical Psychology. The selection of a concentration is not required and many students will choose to focus electives, training and scholarship in a more generalist or eclectic fashion or emphasize other areas of interest not formally designated as concentrations.

Concentrations generally require up to 9 credit hours of elective courses. The student should consult with the concentration coordinator for details on specific concentration requirements.

New areas of formal concentration may be developed in the future dependent on student and programmatic needs and interests.

The concentrations to be offered in the 2015-2016 academic year include:

Course/Credit Transfer

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

Like other institutions which offer a doctoral degree, the 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. Transfers are not reviewed or granted until the student has been accepted and paid the initial deposit.

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 five years before the student’s entry into Argosy University, except when students present evidence of ongoing work experience or continuing education in that area, or when students pass a transfer exam for the course.
• The course must have been a graduate level course, taken for graduate-level credit regionally accredited college or university. In the case of institutions outside the U.S., 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 in any course submitted for a transfer.
• A maximum of twelve courses (36 credit hours) may be waived towards the doctoral  degree program in 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, or graduate credit hours from non-accredited schools.

A 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. Only requests made in writing are reviewed.

All transfer requests must be submitted during the first academic year of the student’s enrollment. Students petitioning for transfers are requested to provide course descriptions, syllabi, exams, diagnostic test protocols and write-ups. Transfers are granted by a faculty member 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 the Illinois School of Professional Psychology at Argosy University | Schaumburg. Students may obtain the procedures to be observed in submitting transfer requests from the Student Services Department.

Non-Transferable Courses

In each program at Argosy University,  the requirements to successfully complete certain courses may not be met by transfer of credit based on coursework from other institutions. The following are non-transferable courses in the PsyD in Clinical Psychology degree program at the Illinois School of Professional Psychology at Argosy University | Schaumburg:

Qualifying for the Master of Arts in Clinical Psychology Degree as a Doctor of Psychology in Clinical Psychology Degree Program Student

Conferral of the Master of Arts in Clinical Psychology degree is not automatic. PsyD in Clinical Psychology degree program students may petition for the master’s degree upon successful completion of the master’s degree program 50 credit hours and requirements, substituting the Diagnostic Practicum for the master’s practicum and taking the master’s Clinical Comprehensive Examination.