Core Course Requirements — Students Are Required to Take the Following

• PP6150 - Introduction to Diverse Populations †§ (3)
• PP7100 - Professional Issues: Ethics, Conduct, and Law †§ (3)
• PP7000 - History and Systems ‡§ (3)
• PP7010 - Lifespan Development †§ (3)
• PP7040 - Cognition and Affective Processes § (3)
• PP7050 - Physiological Psychology § (3)
• PP7060 - Social Psychology (3)
• PP7164 - Capstone Integrative Seminar (3)
• PP7200 - Statistics and Research I § (3)
• PP7201 - Statistics and Research II § (3)
• PP7300 - Psychopathology I †§ (3)
• PP7301 - Psychopathology II †§ (3)
• PP7340 - Issues in the Assessment and Treatment of Diverse Populations ‡§ **(3)
• PP7350 - Consultation and Supervision (3)
• PP7370 - Cognitive Assessment †§ (3)
• PP7371 - Objective Personality Assessment †§ (3)
• PP7372 - Projective Personality Assessment †§* (3)
• PP8010 - Cognitive Behavioral Theory and Therapy ‡§ (3)
• PP8020 - Person-Centered and Experiential Theory and Therapy ‡§ (3)
• PP8030 - Psychodynamic Theory and Therapy ‡§ (3)
• PP8035 - Basic Intervention Skills †§ (3)
• PP8051 - Systems Theory and Therapy ‡§ (3)
• PP8100 - Assessment and Treatment of Children and Families ‡§ (3)

Core Course Requirements —69 Credit Hours

Professionalization Group Requirements—Students Are Required to Take the Following

• PP7110 - Professionalization Group I †§ (1)
• PP7111 - Professionalization Group II †§ (1)

Professionalization Group Requirements—2 Credit Hours

Practicum and Practicum Seminar Requirements — Students Are Required to Take the Following¹

• PP8201 - Practicum I ‡§ (3)
• PP8202 - Practicum II ‡§ (3)
• PP8203 - Practicum III (3)
• PP8204 - Practicum IV (3)

Practicum and Practicum Seminar Requirements—12 Credit Hours

Clinical Research Project Requirements—Students Are Required to Take the Following

• PP8500 - Clinical Research Project Seminar (1)
• PP8502 - Clinical Research Project II (1)
• PP8503 - Clinical Research Project III (1)

Clinical Research Project Requirements—3 Credit Hours

Internship Requirements— Students Are Required to Take the Following

• PP8900 - Internship (0)

Internship Requirements—0 Credit Hour

Elective Requirements

Students are required to take 12 credit hours of electives chosen in consultation with their advisor. Alternatively, students may choose to complete an optional concentration that will be applied to their elective requirements. All elective courses are to be selected from the Clinical Psychology offerings in the catalog (courses beginning with PP). Electives need to be chosen from courses numbered PP7000 and higher.

Professionalization Group Requirements

The Professionalization Group is a required experience for first-year students. The Professionalization Group meets once a week for an hour during the first two semesters the student is in the program. The Professionalization Group is designed to provide:

• An orientation to the PsyD in Clinical Psychology degree program at the Minnesota School of Professional Psychology at Argosy University
• An orientation to the profession of psychology
• The opportunity to get to know other first-year students

Professionalization Groups are led by a core faculty, who will provide a syllabus for the class. The Professionalization Group leader is automatically assigned as the academic advisor for entering students. For a more complete description of the advising process, see “Advisor Assignment” previously described in this program description.

Practicum and Practicum Seminar Requirements

Completion of two practica, the first focusing on assessment and the second focusing on interventions, must be completed for the doctoral degree program. Each of the two practica must meet each of the following requirements:

• The practicum is a 600 hour (minimum) experience.
• Students are expected to remain at one practicum site for the nine-month academic year or more, and must be at the practicum site a minimum of 20 hours per week.
• The practicum must extend over a minimum period of nine months. Practicum must begin at the beginning of the Fall semester and may extend into the following summer if negotiated in advance with the student.
• Students must attend a practicum seminar during the fall and spring semesters. Practicum seminars meet weekly while classes are in session.
• Students must enroll for the 3-credit hour courses Practicum I (PP8201 ) and II (PP8202 ) while in the Assessment Practicum, and the courses Practicum III (PP8203 ) and IV (PP8204 ) while in the Therapy Practicum.

The Minnesota School of Professional Psychology at Argosy University maintains a wide variety of clinical field sites. Most practica begin in September and end in May, although some sites may require work during the summer. Students may not begin a practicum during the Summer term. Each practicum takes place in a single agency, and the student must change agencies from the Assessment Practicum to the Therapy Practicum. A practicum may not be done in a student’s place of employment. The Training Department attempts to place students with extensive clinical backgrounds in practicum sites where they have not had previous clinical experience. All students on practicum are covered by professional liability insurance purchased through the school. This coverage is mandatory, even if the student is otherwise insured.

All practicum sites must be approved by the Training Department. Students may not apply to any practicum site without prior approval from the Training Department. Students may not set up sites independently, but are encouraged to provide names of potential sites to the Training Department for follow up. The Training Department will provide students with a list of potential practicum sites to which they may apply. However, students must be accepted by the site for training at that site. The Minnesota School of Professional Psychology at Argosy University does not guarantee practicum placement. Most practicum sites are located in the Twin Cities metropolitan area, however in some cases the student may need to travel outside of the Twin Cities metropolitan area to obtain practicum training.

Eligibility for Practica

All students entering the practicum application process must be in good standing. Students should carefully plan to complete all required courses before the beginning of practicum. Exceptions to prerequisites for the practica are rarely considered, and must be approved by Training Department. With the exception of an optional First-Year Practicum, students must have been enrolled as a matriculated student at the Minnesota School of Professional Psychology at Argosy University for a minimum of two semesters before beginning a practicum. Course prerequisites for practicum are indicated on the list of course requirements elsewhere in this catalog.

Students will not be allowed to apply for practicum placement if there is concern about their ability to function competently and professionally at the training site. Students who are on academic probation are not permitted to apply for practicum. Exceptions to this policy may be granted by the Training Department. Students who have received a grade below a “B-” in prerequisite core clinical courses may not begin practicum until the course(s) have been retaken and a satisfactory grade has been earned. The program Student Professional Development Committee may stipulate that a student delay application for practicum as part of an overall remediation plan for the student.

Practicum Training Sites

The Minnesota School of Professional Psychology at Argosy University list of approved practicum sites includes a wide variety of training locations: mental health centers, psychiatric hospitals, schools, college counseling centers, outpatient clinics, treatment centers for the developmentally disabled, and chemical dependency treatment programs, plus a variety of specialized programs, such as eating disorder programs, pain programs, and rehabilitation centers.

Students need a minimum of two hours of supervision per week; one hour of which is individual, face-to-face with a doctoral-level licensed psychologist. Supervision by the licensed psychologist should occur at a regularly scheduled time each week and MUST be a one hour block of time. The second hour may be a one hour block of time in individual or group supervision with any appropriate licensed mental health professional. These supervisory hours should be regularly scheduled and continue throughout the training year. The Minnesota School of Professional Psychology at Argosy University has no financial obligation with its training sites. The student, the Minnesota School of Professional Psychology at Argosy University, and the training site enter into a relationship in which the student delivers service in exchange for clinical supervision.

Once a student has accepted a practicum site, the site supervisor, student, and the Training Department will complete the Practicum Agreement Form. Students may not withdraw from a site they have accepted. By accepting a practicum site, a student makes a professional and ethical commitment to a site; students must conduct themselves accordingly.

Optional Practicum Experience

In addition to the practicum experiences required to fulfill the degree requirement, students may choose to complete an Advanced Practicum.

Optional Advanced Practicum Requirements

Students may opt to do a practicum beyond the required Assessment and Therapy Practica to seek additional assessment or therapy training to strengthen certain areas or to increase the breadth of their training. The faculty encourage students to seek advanced clinical training. Advanced practicum is an optional experience with flexible parameters, typically conducted in the student’s fourth year of the program. The minimum commitment is 10 hours a week for 9 months, and the maximum commitment is 40 hours a week for 12 months (approx. 2000 total hours).

Advanced Practicum is intended to supplement a student’s clinical training, provide opportunities to deepen training in areas of interest, strengthen skills in basic areas, or broaden into previously unexplored clinical areas or populations.

All Advanced Practicum students receive a minimum of one hour of individual supervision each week with a doctoral level licensed psychologist and at least one additional hour of supervision each week, which may be in a group or individual format supervised by a licensed mental health professional (e.g., MA LP, LMFT, LICSW, LPCC).

Students attend biweekly Advanced Practicum seminars facilitated by Clinical Psychology faculty. The Advanced Practicum seminar provides support and education, but not supervision. Advanced Practicum seminar is intended to allow practice in peer consultation and expose students to the role of a psychologist in diverse settings. The site supervisor and seminar leader are encouraged to coordinate their training efforts. Credits accumulated for this experience do not count towards the 98 credit hours required to fulfill degree requirements.

In addition to the requirements listed above:

• The student must be in good standing.
• The student is required to register for Advanced Practicum seminar each semester.
• The student is required to have a completed Advanced Practicum Agreement on file at the Minnesota School of Professional Psychology at Argosy University.
• Progress will be evaluated each semester. The student will also evaluate his/her practicum experience each semester.
• The student is required to register for and attend an Advanced Practicum seminar.

Detailed policies and procedures regarding all levels of practicum training are provided in the Training Manual.  This document is distributed to students as they begin the practicum application process and updates are provided on an ongoing basis.

Clinical Competency Evaluation (CCE) Requirements

The CCE constitutes a series of competency based checkpoints designed to evaluate the student’s mastery of primary clinical assessment and intervention skills. These evaluations take place at designated times prior to the student becoming eligible for internship. The CCE requirements monitor the growth of the student’s acquisition of clinical skills.

Demonstration of competency at each CCE task is a prerequisite for advancing to the next level of training.

Specific CCE checkpoints are built into the curriculum as requirements for the two practicum seminars and in the Comprehensive Examination.

Grading of the Clinical Competency Evaluation

Practicum seminar leaders will provide guidance regarding CCE tasks and the grading criteria. A student who does not pass the CCE will be given one chance to repeat it. At the seminar leader’s discretion, a different case may be required.   Seminar leaders refer students who are unable to achieve mastery to an Assistant Director of Training for remediation. Each CCE task must be completed before the student may advance to the next level of training.

Assessment Practicum Competencies

Assessment integration and report writing, oral case presentation, diagnostic interviewing, application of ethical principles and issues in assessment, critical self self-evaluation.

Therapy Practicum Competencies

Basic relationship and counseling skills, oral and written therapy case presentation, application of ethical principles and issues in interventions, critical self evaluation.

Comprehensive Examination Requirements

Students in the PsyD in Clinical Psychology degree program are required to successfully complete a Comprehensive Examination.

The Comprehensive Examination covers material from required courses and training activities during the first three years of study at the Minnesota School of Professional Psychology at Argosy University.

Procedures for Comprehensive Examination

Students are required to take the Comprehensive Examination no later than the beginning of the fifth year after matriculation. This exam must be completed one year prior to the student’s internship year (i.e., not in the summer immediately prior to their internship in the Fall). The Comprehensive Examination is offered at least once a year. Students interested in taking the Comprehensive Examination should apply to do so during the semester prior to taking the exam. Students are allowed two opportunities to take and pass the Comprehensive Examination. After the second failure, a student is automatically dismissed from the program. Detailed guidelines for completing the Comprehensive Examination, as well as grading procedures, are contained in the Comprehensive Examination Manual.

Clinical Research Project Requirements

The Minnesota School of Professional Psychology at Argosy University requires each doctoral degree program student 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. Assisting the student in this process is a committee of faculty members who will review the material and make recommendations and suggestions. Detailed requirements for completing the Clinical Research Project are found in the Minnesota School of Professional Psychology at Argosy University CRP Manual.

Internship Requirements

The internship is typically completed during the fifth year of graduate studies, after all coursework is finished. The internship must be completed within the overall seven-year time limit for completing the doctoral degree program. Internships normally require a full-time commitment for 12 months, although half-time internships extending for 24 months are possible. A student may not apply for an internship without the approval of the Director of Training. All internship applications must be approved by the Director of Training.

The following requirements must be met before a student may submit internship applications:

• The student must be in good standing in the program, and have a minimum grade point average (GPA) of at least 3.0 (on a scale of 4.0).
• All coursework must either be completed or scheduled to be completed prior to the anticipated start of the internship.
• Successful completion of all parts of the Clinical Competency Evaluation (CCE), including the Comprehensive Examination.
• The Clinical Research Project proposal must have received approval from the Departmental Review Committee.
• Approval to apply for internship(s) must be granted by the Director of Training.

In addition to the above requirements, the following requirements must be met before the student begins the internship. If these requirements are not met, the student may be withdrawn from  the internship:

• Satisfactory completion of all required courses, with no grades of “Incomplete” or “In Progress” on the student’s record. (Clinical Research Project II (PP8502 ) and III (PP8503 ) are an exception to this requirement)
• The Clinical Research Project proposal must be approved by the Institutional Review Board (IRB).

Qualifying for the Master of Arts (MA) in Clinical Psychology Degree as a Student in the Doctor of Psychology (PsyD) in Clinical Psychology Degree Program

Students in the PsyD in Clinical Psychology degree program who wish to earn a MA in Clinical Psychology degree while working toward the doctorate must petition for the degree and complete the approved PsyD in Clinical Psychology degree program courses and clinical training consistent with the requirements of the Master of Arts in Clinical Psychology degree, including the completion of one year of practicum training. The PsyD in Clinical Psychology degree program at the Minnesota School of Professional Psychology at Argosy University does not award a terminal MA in Clinical Psychology degree.

Course/Credit Transfer

Transfer of Courses/Credit in the PsyD in Clinical Psychology Degree Program from other Graduate Programs

Students who have completed graduate coursework at another institution, including another Argosy University campus, may petition for transfer of courses in the PsyD in Clinical Psychology degree program up to a maximum of 30 credit hours (10 courses). For a course to be considered eligible for transfer, the following conditions must be met:

• Courses used to waive a required course must be equivalent in content to the course being waived. It is the responsibility of the student to document course equivalency.
• The course must have been taken no more than five years prior to enrollment at Argosy University, Twin Cities, unless the student can present evidence of ongoing work experience or continuing education in that area.
• The course must have been a graduate-level course, taught by a doctoral-level instructor, and taken for graduate-level credit at a regionally accredited institution. In the case of an institution outside of the United States, the appropriate state or national accreditation is required.
• The course(s) submitted for credit transfer of a 3-credit hour course must be at least 3 credit hours.
• The student must have earned a grade of “B” or above in the course.
• Practicum, practicum seminars and the first-year Professionalization Group are not eligible for transfer.
• All transfer/waiver requests must by submitted within one year of matriculating into the PsyD in Clinical Psychology degree program.
• In special circumstances, a maximum of two courses can be submitted to transfer one 3 credit hour course. The total number of credit hours of the two courses must be equal to, or greater than 3 credit hours.

All course transfer requests must be submitted to the Clinical Psychology administrative assistant. Students are strongly encouraged to submit transfer/waiver requests before or during the first semester of enrollment in the program. The transfer request must be accompanied by a transcript reflecting completion of the course and the grade received, along with other supporting documentation, such as course description, syllabus, and work samples. No transfer credit will be given for courses taken elsewhere after matriculation into a degree program at Argosy University, Twin Cities.

Transfer of Courses/Credit from another Argosy University Campus or Argosy University, Twin Cities Program

Students who transfer courses/credit from another Argosy University campus to the Minnesota School of Professional Psychology at Argosy University may receive credit for a course taken at the original campus, including professionalization group and practicum, if the course is identical to the one offered at this campus. In cases where the course is similar but not identical, the campus has the option to review for approval or denial. Students are required to submit course transfer/waiver requests for all courses successfully completed at another Argosy University campus or Argosy University, Twin Cities program in the College of Behavioral Sciences.