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2017-2018 Argosy University Academic Catalog—Graduate Programs | Volume 8, Issue 1 
    
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2017-2018 Argosy University Academic Catalog—Graduate Programs | Volume 8, Issue 1

Doctor of Psychology in Clinical Psychology Degree Program—American School of Professional Psychology at Argosy University | Southern California

Program Overview

The Doctor of Psychology (PsyD) in Clinical Psychology degree program has been designed to educate and train students so that they may eventually be able to function effectively as clinical psychologists. To ensure that students are prepared adequately, the curriculum is designed to provide for the meaningful integration of theory, training and practice. The clinical psychology program at the American School of Professional Psychology at Argosy University | Southern California is designed to emphasize the development of attitudes, knowledge and skills essential in the formation of professional psychologists who are committed to the ethical provision of quality services. Students enrolled in the PsyD in Clinical Psychology degree program may choose to complete an optional concentration to fulfill the program elective requirements. American School of Professional Psychology at Argosy University | Southern California offers two optional concentrations: Child & Adolescent Psychology and Forensic Psychology.

Program Aims and Competencies

Program Aims

The American School of Professional Psychology at Argosy University, Southern California clinical psychology doctoral program’s aim is to educate and train students employing a practitioner-scholar model so that they will be able to function effectively as clinical psychologists. This model provides an integration of psychological theory, scientific inquiry, and evidence-based practice into the core clinical practice domains of assessment, diagnostics, intervention, supervision, and consultation; with awareness of multicultural and diversity factors. The program emphasizes the acquisition of knowledge, skills, and attitudes essential in the development of independently functioning professional health service psychologists. Considerable focus is also given to the ethical and legal parameters of practice.

Program Competencies

The program competencies are consistent with the APA Standards of Accreditation, the American School of Professional Psychology at Argosy University, Southern California clinical psychology doctoral program prepares students to acquire the necessary discipline-specific knowledge and profession-wide competencies as follows:

1. Students will demonstrate competency in (i) the application of research and statistical methods in psychology to generate knowledge and to evaluate the effectiveness of research methods, and (ii) in psychometric science.

a. Students will demonstrate knowledge and application of research methods.

b. Students will demonstrate knowledge and application of quantitative/qualitative methods.

c. Students will demonstrate knowledge and application of psychometrics.

d. Students will demonstrate the ability to independently formulate, conduct, and disseminate scholarship.

2. Students will understand and apply ethical principles and professional legal standards that guide the practice of clinical psychology.

a. Students will demonstrate knowledge and application of the current APA Code of Ethics and the general ethical principles that serve as the foundation for this code. 

b. Students will demonstrate knowledge and application of a model of ethical decision-making to resolve ethical issues or dilemmas.

c. Students will demonstrate knowledge and application of the general legal parameters that govern professional practice.

3. Students will demonstrate competency in individual and cultural diversity by demonstrating knowledge of the major theoretical models and empirical findings, and will apply knowledge about human diversity to clinical practice.

a. Students will demonstrate knowledge of the major theoretical models and empirical findings, including an awareness of social, political, economic, and cultural factors that impact individuals, institutions, systems, and communities.

b. Students will demonstrate an awareness of their own personal values, biases, and cultural identities that inform perceptions of self, others, and engagement with others.

c. Students will utilize cross-cultural skills and appropriate APA multicultural guidelines to provide services to persons with diverse cultural values and lifestyles. 

4. Students will demonstrate knowledge of the requisite values, attitudes, and behaviors that exemplify their identities as professional psychologists. 

a. Students will demonstrate self-reflection, and openness to supervision and feedback.

b. Students are encouraged to engage in life-long learning by attending educational and professional meetings, life-long learning events, subscribing to professional journals, or presenting scholarly work. 

5. Students will demonstrate effective communication competencies and interpersonal skills.

a. Students will demonstrate clear, articulate, and integrative written communication skills.

b. Students will demonstrate clear, articulate, and integrative oral communication skills.

c. Students will demonstrate effective interpersonal skills in professional interactions.

6. Students will demonstrate competency in using assessment instruments and incorporating knowledge of psychopathology in the assessment process.

a. Students will demonstrate competency in selecting, administering, scoring, interpreting, and reporting psychological tests and measures.

b. Students will demonstrate competency in integrating interview data, psychological testing results, behavioral observations, and information from other sources to formulate an understanding of presenting concerns and to make recommendations.

c. Students will demonstrate competency in identifying relevant DSM criteria and utilizing other clinical information to generate diagnostic formulations.

d. Students will demonstrate competency in applying knowledge of psychopathology to case formulation and treatment planning.

7. Students will demonstrate competency in clinical interventions that are grounded in conceptual models of treatment and evidence-based practices. 

a. Students will demonstrate knowledge of and apply evidence based clinical practices.

b. Students will demonstrate an ability to establish and maintain an effective working relationship and/or treatment alliance.

c. Students will demonstrate knowledge and competency in evaluating the effectiveness of interventions.

8. Students will demonstrate knowledge of the models and processes of supervision.

a. Students will evidence knowledge of supervision models and practices.

9. Students will demonstrate knowledge of consultation models and practices, and demonstrate interprofessional/interdisciplinary skills.

a. Students will evidence knowledge of consultation models and the role of a consultant. 

b. Students will demonstrate competency in applying consultation practices―assessment and intervention―to specific referral questions from other professionals.

10. Students will demonstrate foundational knowledge underlying the science of psychology in the following areas: biological, cognitive-affective, and social bases of human behavior; and lifespan development and history and systems of psychology.

11. Students will demonstrate advanced skills in integrating knowledge in scientific psychology.

 Clinical Training Overview

Clinical training is the supervised out-of-class contact of students with a clinical population. Through this contact, students have the opportunity to apply their theoretical knowledge, implement clinical techniques based on this knowledge, and develop the professional and personal attitudes important to the identity of a professional psychologist. By the end of clinical training,  American School of Professional Psychology at Argosy University | Southern California students should possess effective assessment and intervention skills, and practice in an ethical manner.

During clinical training, students advance through progressively more challenging levels of training. At each level, multiple faculty members and field supervisors assess a student’s progress in multiple ways. In order to advance to the next level of clinical training, the student must complete practicum and internship, and demonstrate competency in specific clinical tasks.

Foundation Courses

The American School of Professional Psychology at Argosy University | Southern California requires applicants to successfully complete, with a “C” or better, five undergraduate courses that serve as a basic foundation for course work in clinical psychology. Several of these courses serve as direct prerequisites to the American School of Professional Psychology | Southern California courses. The following three courses are required:

  • *Introduction to psychology or general psychology 
  • Abnormal, psychopathology, or maladaptive behavior
  • Statistics or research methods

Two additional courses in field of psychology must also be completed.

Students must complete foundation courses before they matriculate in the PsyD in Clinical Psychology degree program

* This course may be waived if the applicant has completed a Bachelors or Masters degree in Psychology.

Enrollment Requirements

In order to complete the training segment of the program in a timely fashion, fall-entering students are expected to maintain a full-time course load (13 credit hours for fall and spring semesters, and 6 credit hours for summer session I) during the first full academic year. Students unable to do so must petition the program dean for a reduced course load in either semester. Subsequent academic years in the five-year program require no more than 25 credit hours.

Additional Requirements for Academic Progress

Students must make satisfactory progress toward a degree by maintaining a grade point average (GPA) of 3.0 on a scale of 4.0, and completing the program within seven years after matriculation. All coursework and practicum (for clinical psychology programs) must be completed by the end of the fifth year after matriculation. Comprehensive Examinations must be completed successfully no later than the end of the fifth year after matriculation. Students who have temporarily withdrawn from Argosy University will have seven years plus the length of time that they were not enrolled, not to exceed one year, to complete the program.

Graduation Requirements

Students who are admitted into the program will be responsible for completing the program requirements that are in effect at the time of their admission. The school retains the right to modify these requirements in accordance with the demands of the profession of psychology. The courses will be completed in the order recommended by the American School of Professional Psychology at Argosy University | Southern California.

To be eligible for graduation in the PsyD in Clinical Psychology degree program, students must meet the following requirements:

  • 98 credit hours, all of which must be completed by the end of the seventh year of matriculation. The total credit hours must include:
    • 69 credit hours of core course requirements*
    • 9 credit hours of elective course requirements
    • 2 credit hours of professionalization group requirements
    • 15 credit hours of practicum and practicum seminar requirements
    • 3 credit hours of clinical research project requirements
  • Successful completion of the Clinical and Research Comprehensive Examination and Basic Science Comprehensive Examination
  • Successful completion of all sections of the Clinical Competency Evaluation (CCE)
  • Successful completion of a one year, full-time internship or its equivalent
  • Successful completion of the Clinical Research Project (CRP), including final signatures of the program dean, CRP chair and committee member
  • Grade Point Average (GPA) of at least “B” (3.0 on a 4.0 scale), with no grades lower than “B-” or better in all courses
  • Completion of Professionalization Group I and Professionalization Group II
  • Completion of these requirements within seven years of matriculation into the program
  • A completed Petition to Graduate submitted to campus administration

Petition to Graduate

The American School of Professional Psychology at Argosy University | Southern California holds a commencement ceremony annually. All students who desire to graduate, even those who do not intend to participate in the annual commencement ceremony, must submit the appropriate forms and fees to the Student Services Department.

Although commencement is held annually, students who complete graduation requirements at other times during the year will be recognized as a graduated student and receive a letter of completion, provided the Petition for Program Completion is submitted. Students may not refer to themselves as “Doctor” or use the title of PsyD until internship and all program requirements have been completed. The date upon which the bound copy is received is recorded on the student transcript as the date upon which all program requirements were met.

Writing Program

Faculty can recommend or require a writing course or workshop to students based on their writing performance in their course. In the latter instance, the student must enroll in this course the following semester. The course does not count towards the credit hours required for graduation. Student failure to enroll in the required writing course or writing workshop, without prior approval from the program dean or designee, will result in an automatic referral to the Student Professional Development Committee.

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.

Scientific Foundations Requirements—Students Are Required to Take the Following

 

Scientific Foundations Requirements—21 Credit Hours

 

Statistics and Research Methodology Requirements—Students Are Required to Take the Following

 

Statistics and Research Methodology Requirements—6 Credit Hours

 

Ethics Requirements—Students Are Required to Take the Following

 

Ethics Requirements—3 Credit Hours

 

Psychopathology Requirements—Students Are Required to Take the Following

 

Psychopathology Requirements—9 Credit Hours

 

Diversity Requirements—Students Are Required to Take the Following

 

Diversity Requirements—3 Credit Hours

 

Consultation and Supervision Requirements—Students Are Required to Take the Following

 

Consultation and Supervision Requirements—3 Credit Hours

 

Assessment Requirements—Students Are Required to Take the Following

 

Assessment Requirements—9 Credit Hours

 

Interventions Requirements—Students Are Required to Take the Following

 

Interventions Requirements—15 Credit Hours

 

Professionalization Group Requirements—Students Are Required to Take the Following

 

Professionalization Group Requirements—2 Credit Hours

 

Practicum Requirements—Students Are Required to Take the Following

 

Practicum Requirements—15 Credit Hours

Elective Requirements—Students Are Required to Take the Following

  • Elective I (3)
  • Elective II (3)
  • Elective III (3)

Elective Requirements—9 Credit Hours

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

 

Clinical Research Project Requirements—3 Credit Hours

 

Internship Requirements—Students Are Required to Take the Following

 

Internship Requirements—0 Credit Hours

 

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 (PP7110  and PP7111 ).

The objectives for these two courses 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 (PP8310  and PP8311 ) carries 1.5 credit hours per semester over two semesters for 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 Practicum, a student must have successfully completed or transferred the following courses:

Diagnostic Practicum Prerequisites
PP7110 - Professionalization Group I  (1)
PP7111 - Professionalization Group II  (1)
PP7230 - Psychometric Theory  (3)
PP7300 - Psychopathology I  (3)
PP7301 - Psychopathology II  (3)
PP7330 - Child and Adolescent Psychopathology  (3)
PP7365 - Clinical Interviewing  (3)
PP7370 - Cognitive Assessment  (3)
PP7373 - Integrative Assessment  (2)
PP7520 - Personality Assessment  (4)
PP8039 - Interventions II  (3)

 

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:

 

Therapy Practicum Prerequisites
PP7100 - Professional Issues: Ethics, Conduct, and Law  (3)
PP7340 - Issues in the Assessment and Treatment of Diverse Populations  (3)
PP8010 - Cognitive Behavioral Theory and Therapy  (3)
PP8040 - Psychoanalytic Theory and Therapy  (3)
PP8050 - Family and Couples Therapy  (3)
PP8201 - Practicum I  (3)
PP8202 - Practicum II  (3)

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.

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.

Comprehensive Examinations 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. 

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 first, second, and third-year courses. Courses that are transferred are considered successfully completed.

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 quantitative and qualitative methods of inquiry is permitted in the CRP.

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 (see course listing above) 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.

Concentrations in the Doctor of Psychology in Clinical Psychology Degree Program

 

Child & Adolescent Psychology Concentration Requirements

The Child & Adolescent Psychology concentration is designed to acquaint doctoral program students with basic intervention and assessment approaches to a range of child and adolescent populations.

Students graduating with the PsyD in Clinical Psychology and with the Child & Adolescent Psychology concentration will be eligible for licensure as clinical psychologists. For this reason, the American School of Professional Psychology at Argosy University | Southern California PsyD in Clinical Psychology degree  program has retained the elements of the curriculum that are essential to educating and training future psychologists.

Graduates who choose this concentration will have the opportunity to understand basic principles of assessment and intervention as they are applied to clinically and culturally diverse child and adolescent populations.

Child & Adolescent Psychology Practicum Requirements

Students selecting the Child & Adolescent Psychology concentration are recommended to enroll in the Advanced Practicum (see course listing above) year in an agency, school, hospital, clinic, or selected and approved practice group which are primarily engaged in work with children and adolescents.

Child & Adolescent Psychology Internship Requirements

Students who choose this concentration are encouraged to intern at a site with a primary focus on intervention and assessment with child and adolescent populations.

Child & Adolescent Psychology Clinical Research Project Requirements

Students who choose this concentration are encouraged to investigate a topic related to child and adolescent psychology.

Course Requirements

Students must satisfy all electives options with the following courses required for the concentration:

Child & Adolescent Psychology Course Requirements — Students Are Required to Take the Following

 

Child & Adolescent Psychology Course Requirements — 9 Credit Hours

Forensic Psychology Concentration Requirements

The Forensic Psychology concentration is designed to acquaint students with major areas in which law and psychology interact. The goal of the concentration is to familiarize students with the application of child and adult assessment techniques to both criminal and civil cases, as well as to the emerging area of testing for the hiring of police and governmental law enforcement personnel.

Students graduating with the PsyD in Clinical Psychology degree program and with the Forensic Psychology concentration will be eligible for licensure as clinical psychologists. For this reason, the American School of Professional Psychology at Argosy University | Southern California PsyD in Clinical Psychology degree program has retained the elements of the curriculum that are essential to educating and training future psychologists.

Students who choose this concentration should understand selected fundamental principles in assessment of individuals involved in both criminal justice and civil legal proceedings.

Students will be familiar with topics of emerging significance in the areas of suitability assessments of police and governmental personnel.

Graduates will be conversant with the role of diverse background factors in the assessment of forensic related populations.

Practicum Requirements

Students who select the Forensic Psychology concentration will be encouraged to enroll in practica that are in forensic settings such as jails, juvenile detention centers, and selected practice groups which are primarily engaged in forensic work.

Internship Requirements

Students who select the Forensic Psychology concentration are encouraged to intern at a site with a primary forensic focus in terms of population served, and intervention and assessment techniques.

Clinical Research Project Requirements

Students who select the Forensic Psychology concentration are encouraged to investigate a topic related to forensic psychology.

Course Requirements

Qualified students who elect to take the Forensic Psychology concentration must complete specified courses currently in the curriculum for the clinical psychology doctoral degree program.

Students must satisfy all electives options with the following courses required for the concentration:

Forensic Psychology Course Requirements — Students Are Required to Take the Following

 

Forensic Psychology Course Requirements — 9 Credit Hours

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.

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 Doctor of Psychology in Clinical Psychology degree program.

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.

Non-Transferable Courses