Clinical Psychology Student Handbook 2007
The primary goal of the Clinical Psychology Program at the University of Pittsburgh is the training of clinical research scientists who can contribute to an understanding of psychological problems or to understanding the association between psychological factors and physical health. The Program's clinical research training focuses on three general inter-related areas: adult psychopathology; developmental psychopathology, and health psychology. The program adheres to a clinical scientist model of training. To this end, students work closely with their faculty advisor in line with a mentorship model of training and participate in ongoing, programmatic clinical research. For further general description of the Clinical Psychology Program see www.pitt.edu/~psych/.
Program regulations specify a minimum number of required courses, minimum requirements for clinical practica, and minimum research requirements. However, students are expected to be involved in integrated research, clinical activities, and course work throughout their stay on campus. The nature and extent of involvement in each of these activities is determined in consultation with the faculty advisor. Thus, within the constraints of program requirements, students are encouraged to individualize their research and clinical experiences and elective course work to meet their specific career goals.
In addition to these Clinical Psychology Program requirements, also be certain to consult with the Departmental Graduate Studies secretary for Departmental and University requirements.
CURRICULUM
A list of courses required for all Clinical Psychology Program students appears below:
I. Core Requirements
Psychology 2005 - Statistical Analysis I (3 credits) or equivalent course with the permission of the Program.
Psychology 2010 - Statistical Analysis II (3 credits) or equivalent course with the permission of the Program.
Psychology 2200 - Research Methods in Clinical Psychology (3 credits)
Psychology 2205 - Psychopathology (3 credits)
Psychology 2245 - Developmental Psychopathology or equivalent developmental psychology course with permission of Program (3 credits)
Psychology 2575 - Psychology & Neuroscience or equivalent neuroscience course with permission of the Program (3 credits)
Psychology 2230 - Clinical Cognitive Assessment (3 credits)
Psychology 2235 - Clinical Psychopathology Assessment (3 credits)
Psychology 2250 - Psychological Treatments: Systems and Principles (2 credits)
Psychology 2251 - Psychological Treatments: Cognitive and Behavioral Methods (2 credits)
Either:
Psychology 2252 - Psychological Treatments: Behavioral Medicine Interventions (2 credits)
Or
Psychology 2253 - Psychological Treatments: Family and Children (2 credits)
Psychology 2210 - Clinical Program Research Seminar, 4 credits (Fall & Spring terms of first & second years; 1 credit each)
Psychology 2280, 2281, 2282 - Professional & Ethical Issues, 3 credits (Spring & Summer terms of first year, and Fall term of second year; 1 credit each)
Psychology 2000 - Masters Thesis Research
Psychology 2220 - Clinic Practicum (10 credits required for core course requirement; see below for additional practica requirements)
II. Breadth Requirements
A. Learning and Cognition
This requirement may be fulfilled by one of the following:
Psychology 2455 - Human Cognition: Language
Psychology 2460 - Human Cognition: Learning & Memory
Psychology 2465 - Perception and Attention
Psychology 2450 - Problem Solving and Reasoning
Psychology 2570 - Principles of Behavior
Psychology 2510 - Foundations of Perception
Psychology 2532 - Health Judgment & Decision-Making
Psychology 2315 - Infancy
Psychology 2320 - Language Development
Psychology 2330 - Cognitive Development
Another course in this general area may be substituted with the approval of the Program.
B. Social Psychology
This requirement may be fulfilled by one of the following:
Psychology 2110 - Topics in Social Psychology
Psychology 2125 - Social Psychology: Attitudes
Psychology 2130 - Interpersonal Relations
Psychology 2155 - Psychology of Small Groups
Psychology 2135 - Social Perception and Cognition
Psychology 2325 - Social Development
Psychology 2335 - Social Cognitive Development
Psychology 2530 - Social Psychology & Health
Psychology 3225 - Seminar in Emotion
Another course in this general area may be substituted with the approval of the Program.
C. Breadth requirements in Developmental Psychology and Biopsychology
The breadth requirement in developmental psychology is usually fulfilled by Developmental Psychopathology (see above). Students may substitute another developmental course subject to Program approval.
The breadth requirement in biopsychology is usually fulfilled by Psychology & Neuroscience. Students may substitute another biopsychology course subject to Program approval.
III. Elective Courses
Four additional elective courses are required. They must be approved by the advisor on the basis of their relevance to the student's educational plan.
IV. Clinical Practica
Students are required to complete a minimum of 6 terms (16 credits) of Clinic Practica (Psychology 2220, in the Clinical Psychology Center), registering for 1 credit during the summer of first year, 3 credits during each of Fall, Spring, and Summer terms of second year, and 3 credits during Fall and Spring terms of the third year. The first 4 terms (10 credits) of PSY 2220 (during the first and second years) are considered part of the core course requirements for the Master=s degree.
Students are required to complete at least one term of Clinical Externship Practicum (Psychology 2225), although two different externships (each of 1 or 2 terms duration) are recommended. Externships may not be taken until after completion of the clinic practica (PSY2220) in the Spring term of the third year.
The Directory of Specialty Clinical Externships lists those externships that are currently approved. Arrangements with other specialty clinics may also be made, subject to Program approval.
In addition to the minimum number of terms noted above (6 in the clinic and 1 on externship), students may, with their advisor=s approval, register for any combination of clinic and externship practica up to a maximum of 13 terms total (required plus optional) of clinic and externship practica. Students demonstrating satisfactory academic progress may request an exception to this limit from the Program. Because Clinic Assistants are expected to register for clinic practicum during their assistantship, these credits do not count toward their 13 term total.
Exceptions to any of the above require Program approval.
Special note: Consistent with Pennsylvania law, all students in the Clinical Psychology Program must satisfactorily pass required background checks that are intended to protect children from contact with individuals who have abused children or have been convicted of certain felonies (including drug felonies), as is further explained here: http://www.dpw.state.pa.us/ServicesPrograms/ChildWelfare/ChildAbuseAnnualRpts/2007ChildAbuseRpt/003677559.htm. FBI, Pennsylvania State Police, and Pennsylvania Child Abuse clearances must be completed during the fall term of the student’s first year. Students may not continue in the Clinical Psychology Program if they fail any of these background checks or decline to submit applications to obtain them. Cost of the clearances is to be covered by the student.
V. Course Exemptions
Required courses may be exempted on the basis of prior experience or course work at other institutions. The student should first discuss the request with the faculty advisor. If he or she agrees, the student should present documentation (e.g., syllabus, reading list) to the Program Director who will make the final determination in consultation with the relevant course instructor.
Students with advanced standing may request exemptions from one of the four required elective seminars based upon prior coursework. Such a request should be addressed to the Program, accompanied by some documentation (e.g., syllabus, reading list).
In special circumstances, students may be permitted to take a Directed Study in lieu of one of the electives. Such a request to the Program Director should be accompanied by a rationale, a plan of study, and a letter from the faculty member with whom the student will be working. Generally, permission is given only when the proposed work is equivalent to a 3 credit seminar and when there is some special circumstance to support the request.
VI. Definition of Core Courses
A subset of the required courses are defined as core course requirements for purposes of the graduate school. Completing these courses is equivalent to the preliminary examination referred to in the Graduate School Catalogue. Students are certified as having met the core course requirements when they have taken all of the basic clinical courses and all of the required statistics and research methods courses (see Section I above). Ordinarily these courses are completed during the first two years. To document completion of this milestone, get a AReport on Examinations for Masters Degree@ card from the graduate secretary and submit it to the Program Director for signature.
VII. Grades
A. B- is accepted as a passing grade in the required statistics courses.
B. B- is accepted for other required courses taught outside of the Clinical Program (i.e., breadth courses).
C. B- is accepted as passing for all elective courses.
D. B (not a B-) is required as a passing grade for clinical core courses, including practicum.
E. Students must maintain an overall GPA of at least 3.0.
VIII. Advisors
Incoming students are selected on the basis of academic qualifications and research interests. Whenever possible, students are therefore, assigned to a faculty advisor on the basis of compatible research interests. Advisors provide guidance on educational and career plans, as well as approve registration forms each term.
As a function of divergent interests or stylistic differences, students may not wish to pursue a thesis project with the initial, assigned advisor. Students are free to change advisors, with the approval of the clinical faculty, in order to establish more productive relationships. While it is generally not advisable, students can also select a new advisor to supervise the dissertation.
If the research advisor is not a core member of the program, the student will be assigned a core program faculty member to serve as academic advisor.
IX. Full-time Study
Students are admitted to the Clinical Psychology Program with the understanding that they will engage continuously in full-time study toward the Ph.D. The assumption is that such training requires a full-time commitment. For these purposes, full-time study implies (except during internship): 1) being in residence on campus, 2) registration for appropriate course credits, and 3) employment for a maximum of 20 hrs per week only as a teaching assistant (TA) or teaching fellow (TF) for the Department of Psychology, as a graduate student researcher (GSR), or as a fellow with a University or external scholarship. Any other arrangement requires the written approval of the Program. In addition, leaves of absence may be requested initially for one year and, if requested, renewed on approval of the Program for one additional year for a maximum of two years. Employment overloads, in which additional teaching (TA or TF) or research employment exceeds the 20 hrs per week maximum likewise require the approval of the advisor, Program, and Department and in any case cannot exceed a maximum overload of 10 hrs per week.
X. First Year Directed Research Requirement
During the first year in residence students are expected to become involved in their advisor's research program and to spend from 4 to 6 hours a week contributing to some aspect of an ongoing project. This preliminary involvement should lead to a thesis proposal (by the beginning of the second year).
XI. Clinical Program Research Seminar
Students are expected to attend the monthly Clinical Psychology Research Seminar series (PSY2210) during both their first and second years. Attendance during later years is encouraged, but not required. This seminar series includes research presentations during the Fall and Spring terms by students and faculty from the Clinical Psychology Program, Department of Psychology, and other departments. This exposure to a range of ongoing clinical research projects is meant to introduce students to faculty and student research projects and to a variety of methodologies. Evaluation in Psychology 2210 (Clinical Program Research Seminar) will depend upon regular attendance and active participation at these program-wide presentations.
XII. Professional, & Ethical Issues
Students should register for a total of 3 credits of Professional, and Ethical Issues (PSY 2280, 2281, 2282), 1 credit during the Spring and Summer terms of first year and Fall term of second year. Professional, & Ethical Issues incorporates speakers on selected clinical and professional topics, including Ethics and Diversity training. In addition, counseling techniques are introduced and clinic cases are presented.
XIII. Teaching Requirement
To obtain a PhD in the Department of Psychology all students are required to demonstrate proficiency in teaching. This requirement is fulfilled only by an actual teaching experience in which the student is the sole instructor. The requirement may be fulfilled by individually teaching an undergraduate course as a Teaching Fellow (1.00 TF appointment), or by instructing Research Methods or Cognitive Psychology laboratories (.75 TF appointment). It is recommended that students planning to pursue an academic career teach a full course, however lab sections of either of these two courses are sufficient to fulfill the requirement.
No other laboratory or recitation section instruction experience will satisfy the department teaching requirement, nor will co-teaching or guest lectures in regular courses, presentations that are part of course or practicum assignments, presentations at meetings, or assignments such as clinical assistantships and teaching assistantships that involve writing, monitoring or grading exams and papers.
Timing & cognate requirements. Students are required to enroll for Teaching of Psychology (PSY 2970) or Practicum on University Teaching (FACDEV 2200) during or immediately prior to the term in which they teach for the first time. It is very strongly recommended that students fulfill the teaching requirement prior to proposing the dissertation. Having another source of funding (e.g., training grant; fellowship) does not exclude students from the teaching requirement. Since some sources of funding, including many fellowships, do not permit teaching during the period of funding, the responsibility lies with the student to time the fulfillment of the teaching requirement accordingly. Students are especially discouraged from waiting until their final year in the program to fulfill the requirement, in part because course availability cannot be guaranteed. It is also recommended (but not required) that students acquire pre-teaching experience as a Teaching Assistant &/or Teaching Fellow for a laboratory section prior to teaching their first full course.
Evaluation & records. The student=s teaching experience must be supervised by a full-time faculty member in the Department of Psychology who will be assigned by the Assistant Chair. During their initial teaching experience students must arrange for their faculty supervisor to attend at least one lecture or lab. The faculty supervisor must provide oral and written feedback to the student with a copy for the student=s permanent file in the Psychology Graduate Studies office. Students should check with their faculty supervisor to be sure this occurs. For lecture courses (not labs), the student must also provide a copy of the course syllabus, exams, and handouts for the permanent file. Finally, students must arrange for their course to be formally evaluated by OMET and must provide a copy of the evaluation to the Assistant Chair for the permanent file. The Teaching Requirement Form (see attached) should also be completed after fulfillment of the requirement and given to the Clinical Psychology Program Secretary.
Exceptions. Exceptions to this requirement will be granted only rarely, and typically only for an equivalent college-level teaching experience. Requests for exceptions must be submitted in writing with appropriate supporting materials to the Assistant Chair of the department and to the Program Chair no less than two terms prior to the expected dissertation defense date or physical departure from the university (e.g., clinical internship), whichever comes first. Exceptions will be considered on a case by case basis by the Assistant Chair in consultation with the Graduation Education Council.
XIV. Master's Thesis
Students are required to complete a Master's Thesis or an equivalent research project.
Scope: The master's thesis should be an empirical study of potentially publishable quality. The scope of the thesis should take into consideration that it may be a student's first such project and that it should be able to be completed and defended within approximately one year after the proposal has been approved by the committee, barring unforseen circumstances. The thesis may employ either archival or newly collected data but in either case the student should demonstrate the degree of independence in formulation of questions and conduct of the study that is appropriate to the student's stage of training and that would justify a first-authorship publication.
Committee: The thesis committee is composed of at least three faculty members and is chaired by the student's advisor, who must be a core or affiliated member of the Clinical Psychology Program. At least one member (or the chair) of the thesis committee must a core faculty member of the Clinical Psychology Program faculty. For the purposes of the master's thesis committee, the following are considered as faculty: tenure stream faculty in psychology, any faculty appointment in a department outside of psychology, or a research associate or research full professor in psychology. Exceptions require permission of the Program. Committee members are selected by the student in consultation with their advisor based on their expertise in the topic area. The thesis committee membership must be approved by the Clinical Psychology Program.
Procedure: After identifying potential committee members in consultation with their advisor, the proposed committee membership should be sent to the director of the Clinical Psychology Program for official program approval. After program approval, the student should then contact the potential committee members to determine their willingness to serve. Upon receiving approval of the program, a proposal meeting should be scheduled as soon as possible. The written proposal, after it has been approved by the student's advisor, should be circulated to the committee members at least one week prior to the proposal meeting. Masters thesis proposal and defense meetings should be held in Sennott Square and are typically scheduled for 2 hours. It is customary for the student to present a brief overview (approximately15 minutes) of their proposal or defense prior to responding to questions. The Masters Proposal Form (see attached) should be signed by the committee at the proposal meeting and turned in to the Clinical Psychology Program secretary. An approved proposal is required before beginning the thesis research.
When the project is completed and the thesis written, the student presents it to the committee at an oral defense meeting. Again, after being approved by the advisor, the thesis should be circulated to committee members at least one week in advance of the defense meeting. Following a successful defense or after successful completion of required revisions, the Report on Examinations for Masters Defense card should be completed by the committee and submitted to the Graduate Studies secretary, with a copy to the Clinical Psychology Program secretary. Following any needed revisions, a copy of the final thesis (both a hard copy and a pdf computer file) should be provided to the Clinical Psychology Program secretary for archiving.
Format: The master's thesis should be in journal article format (APA guidelines). Proposals should be no longer than 25 pages and the final document no more than 35 pages (excluding references and tables, 1" margins, 12 pt font). Students are encouraged to submit the thesis for publication and presentation at national scientific meetings. The aim is that the final thesis should be able to be submitted for publication with minimal revisions.
Time line: Students should propose the masters thesis as early as possible (preferably the beginning of the second year) and by the end of their second year in the program at the latest. Any student who has not completed their masters proposal meeting before the end of September of their third year must submit a written petition to the Program explaining their delay and requesting an extension.
Students should defend their thesis as early as possible (preferably by end of their second year) and by the end of their third year at the latest. Any student who has not successfully defended the thesis by the end of September of their fourth year must submit a written petition to the program explaining their delay and requesting an extension.
Students who fail to defend successfully the thesis by the end of the fourth year will not be permitted to continue on to doctoral study. They will be given one additional year to complete requirements for the M.S. (a thesis plus the core curriculum) and then be terminated from the program.
Students who have completed a thesis at another institution may request exemption from the thesis requirement. Exemptions are granted by the clinical faculty upon determination that the completed thesis is equivalent to our requirements (i.e., a formally prepared document describing an empirical study). In some instances a thesis committee is constituted and the student is asked to defend the thesis prior to its acceptance as meeting our Program requirements.
XV. Preliminary Evaluation
While the Psychology Department does not admit students into a distinct Master's Degree program, students are not automatically eligible to pursue the Ph.D. degree. Rather, the Clinical Program conducts a formal Preliminary Evaluation of each student after completion of the Master's Thesis in order to determine whether or not the student should be allowed to continue his/her studies toward the Ph.D. Successful completion of earlier requirements does not guarantee that the student will be allowed to continue. Rather, the faculty will also consider subjective factors (such as overall quality of performance, and professional ethics and competence) in making a determination.
The Preliminary Evaluation will be conducted after the successful defense of the Master's Thesis but before the student is permitted to take the Specialty Examination. If the faculty concludes that the student is not eligible for further study, he/she will be terminated from the program at that point. If the decision is positive, the student will be permitted to take the Specialty Examination.
XVI. Specialty Examination
Prerequisites and Sequence: As one of the requirements for the Ph.D., all students are required to pass a Specialty Examination. The Specialty Examination consists of a review paper and an oral defense. To be eligible to write the Specialty Paper, students must have completed the clinical program core courses and the Masters thesis. Students cannot form a dissertation committee or apply for internship until the Specialty Paper is successfully defended. Exceptions to this sequence must be approved by the Program based on a written petition.
Scope: The general aim of the Specialty Paper is to have students consider a focused question in light of a broader literature than is typically reviewed for the dissertation. There should be a central question that is especially illuminated by review of different or basic literatures that are not typically considered in reference to the question. Thus, secondary literatures should be brought to bear on some primary literature. The Specialty Paper should not be only a collection of different literatures without a central focus. The final paper should be of publishable quality and students are encouraged to submit it for publication.
Proposal: The proposal for the Specialty Paper should be developed in consultation with and approved by a student=s faculty advisor. The proposal can be no longer than 8 double-spaced pages including references and should include the central question of the paper, a description of the literatures that will be brought to bear on it, and the rationale for their inclusion. The typical proposal would include some text, an outline, and a brief, selected reference list. The proposal should be viewed as a work in progress that may be revised based on committee comments, not necessarily a final product. Proposals over the page limit will be returned to the student.
Committee: The specialty paper committee is composed of at least four faculty members and is chaired by the student=s advisor, who must be a core or affiliated member of the Clinical Psychology Program. At least two members of the specialty paper committee must be core faculty members of the Clinical Psychology Program. For the purposes of the specialty paper committee, the following are considered as faculty: tenure stream faculty in psychology, any faculty appointment in a department outside of psychology, or a research associate or research full professor in psychology. Exceptions require permission of the Program. Committee membership must be approved by the Clinical Psychology Program.
Procedure: After identifying potential committee members in consultation with their advisor, the proposed committee membership should be sent to the director of the Clinical Psychology Program for official program approval. After approval, the student should contact the potential committee members to determine their willingness to serve. Upon receiving approval of the program, a proposal meeting should be scheduled as soon as possible. The written proposal should be circulated to the committee members at least one week prior to the proposal meeting. Specialty paper proposal and defense meetings should be held in Sennott Square and are typically scheduled for 2 hours. It is customary for the student to present a brief overview (approximately15 minutes) of their proposal or defense prior to responding to questions. The Specialty Paper Proposal Form (see attached) should be completed by the committee after approval of the proposal (including any revisions) and turned in to the Clinical Psychology Program secretary.
Following approval by the committee of the proposal, students should work independently on the paper. Discussion with faculty advisors about the Specialty Paper is encouraged, but written drafts should not be exchanged. Deviations from the original approved outline based on a more complete literature review are fine and may be discussed with the faculty advisor. Discussion with other students is also encouraged, but written drafts should not be circulated. The page limit for the Specialty Paper is 45 pages of text (double-spaced, 1 in. margins, 12 pt font), excluding references and tables. The completed Specialty Paper must be distributed to all members of the specialty paper committee at least one week prior to the oral defense.
The oral defense meeting should be attended by all committee members. Based on both the written paper and the oral defense, the specialty paper committee will decide among three grade options: fail, pass, or pass with honors. Students will have two chances to pass the requirement. If the defense is not passed initially, the committee may recommend changes and schedule a second meeting within one month. After successful completion of the requirement (including any revisions), the specialty paper committee will sign the "Report of Examinations for the Doctoral Degree" card and forward it to the Departmental graduate office, with a copy to the Clinical Program secretary. Following any needed revisions, a copy of the final specialty paper (both a hard copy and a pdf computer file) should be provided to the Clinical Psychology Program secretary for archiving. If the specialty paper committee does not approve the second defense, the clinical program faculty will make the final decision, based on the Specialty Examination and other performance, concerning the student's status in the program. Even if the specialty examination is passed, the Clinical Program faculty may terminate the student from the Program based on other performance.
Timeline: The specialty paper proposal must be submitted to the program no more than six months after the defense of the Masters thesis. At the time of the proposal meeting, a date six months later should be set for a final oral defense of the specialty paper. The specialty paper defense is due 6 months after the specialty paper proposal meeting. Exceptions to these deadlines must be approved by the program based on a written petition.
XVII. Admission to Doctoral Candidacy and Dissertation
Prerequisites: Upon passing the Specialty Examination and with the approval of the Clinical Psychology Program, the student may begin their doctoral dissertation. Exceptions to this sequence must be approved by the Program based on a written petition.
Scope: The doctoral dissertation is meant to be a scholarly document reporting on an empirical contribution to the knowledge base in a student's area of expertise. It should be of publishable quality. For the dissertation, students are expected a) to play a significant role in the development of an important question or set of questions in their selected area of research; b) to be actively involved in the process of designing a study, collecting data, and/or developing measurement/analytic procedures to address the question(s). Under most circumstances, data collection will be designed specifically for the dissertation project, but it is understood that time and monetary constraints frequently do not permit students to plan dissertations of a scope that could meaningfully address questions that are at the cutting edge of the student's field of interest. In such cases, use of pre-existing data from large scale or longitudinal studies may be appropriate. When students use data from a pre-existing data set, they are still expected to play an independent role in formulating the questions (e.g., the hypotheses drawn from the advisor's grant application do not constitute an appropriate dissertation topic), and in designing or facilitating new measurement or analytic procedures appropriate to the topic (e.g., the project must involve more than a simple data analysis involving existing variables).
Because candidates for research positions will be evaluated in terms of their projected ability to develop a laboratory and to design new projects, it behooves them to move beyond involvement with pre-existing data sets at some point in their graduate career. Faculty mentors are encouraged to create opportunities for trainees to design and carry out new studies during their graduate training (if not during the dissertation) as well as working with existing data sets. Toward this end, all students are encouraged to develop experience in a) writing grant and IRB proposals, b) collecting data or conducting relevant measurements or assays that reflect the current state of the art, c) developing new measures, and d) involvement in all stages of a project from start to finish if feasible. As part of all research experiences during graduate training, of course, students are also strongly encouraged to present and to publish their work.
Committee: The dissertation committee is composed of at least five faculty members and is chaired by the student=s advisor, who must be a core or affiliated member of the Clinical Psychology Program. At least two members of the dissertation committee must be core faculty members of the Clinical Psychology Program faculty. At least three members must have primary appointments in the Department of Psychology. At least one member must be a faculty member with a primary appointment outside the Department of Psychology who is a member of the Graduate Faculty. The Departmental Graduate secretary can determine who is a member of the graduate faculty. For the purposes of the dissertation committee, the following are considered as primary faculty in psychology: tenure stream faculty in psychology or a research associate or research full professor in psychology. Exceptions require permission of the Program. Committee membership must be approved by the Clinical Psychology Program.
Procedure: After identifying potential committee members in consultation with their advisor, the proposed committee membership should be sent to the director of the Clinical Psychology Program for official program approval. After approval, the student should contact the potential committee members to determine their willingness to serve. Upon receiving approval of the program, a proposal meeting should be scheduled as soon as possible. The written proposal should be circulated to the committee members at least one week prior to the proposal meeting. The dissertation proposal meeting should be held in Sennott Square and is typically scheduled for 2 hours. It is customary for the student to present a brief overview (approximately15 minutes) of their proposal prior to responding to questions. After final approval of the proposal (including any revisions) the committee will sign the Application for Admission to Candidacy for Doctoral Degree form, which should be turned in to the Departmental Graduate secretary, with a copy to the Clinical Program secretary. This form must be signed and processed a minimum of eight months prior to the final oral defense. Formal admission to Doctoral candidacy does not actually occur until the student has a successful dissertation proposal meeting and this form is signed and processed. An approved dissertation proposal is required before beginning the dissertation research.
After completion of the data collection, analysis, and write-up, the dissertation must be defended before the committee at an oral examination. Again, after being approved by the advisor, the dissertation should be circulated to committee members at least one week in advance of the defense meeting. The Departmental Graduate secretary should be notified when a dissertation defense is scheduled so that they may be publicized to the Department and University community. All dissertation defenses should take place in the Martin Colloquium in Sennott Square and all departmental faculty and students are invited and encouraged to attend. First, students will make a formal presentation (about 30 minutes) of their dissertation aimed at those who have not read the written document followed by a general question period (about 15 minutes). Following this, non-committee members will be excused and questions from committee members will be taken. Minor or major revisions may be requested by the committee, the dissertation may be approved or disapproved. After successful completion of the defense (including any revisions), the committee will sign the "Report of Examinations for the Doctoral Degree" card and forward it to the Departmental graduate office, with a copy to the Clinical Program secretary.
Timeline: The dissertation proposal must be successfully defended by June 1 of the year the student wishes to apply for internship. Exception to this deadline must be approved by the Clinical Program based on a written request. The dissertation should be defended if at all possible prior to departing on internship.
XVIII. Internship
Students are required to complete a one-year clinical internship in an APA-accredited clinical psychology internship program. Formal faculty approval must be secured prior to applying for internship. In order to apply for internship, the student must have a successful dissertation proposal meeting before June 1 of the year when they are going to apply. In addition, the student and the faculty advisor must certify to the faculty that the dissertation is feasible and should be defended before the start of the internship to the best of their judgement. In the absence of this certification from the advisor, the student would not be granted permission from the program to apply for an internship. All APA-approved internship settings require that students have a letter from the Director of Training certifying that they are eligible to apply for an internship. The goal is that the student defend their dissertation prior to leaving for internship.
Students are encouraged to discuss possible internship sites with the Director of Training, with their advisor, and with other faculty.
XIX. Graduation Procedures
It is by far the best to complete successfully the dissertation defense prior to beginning the clinical internship. In this situation, students should register for the term in which the defense occurs. Students who have successfully defended the dissertation along with all other requirements except the clinical internship prior to the Departmental and University graduation ceremonies in April or May can, with the permission of the Program Director, take part in these ceremonies, although they will not graduate at this time. If the dissertation defense occurs after these graduation ceremonies, then the student may walk in the ceremonies the following year with the permission of the Program Director. In either case after receiving permission, students should contact the Departmental Graduate Secretary regarding the Departmental ceremony and should register for graduation with the Dean's office in order to walk in the University ceremony. Students then should register for the term in which they will complete their clinical internship (usually Summer term), as well as register for graduation (contact the Departmental Graduate Studies secretary). Students may apply for a Dean's Fellowship to cover the tuition expenses for this final registration at the time of graduation.
If the dissertation defense occurs during the clinical internship year, students should turn in the signed AReport of Examinations for the Doctoral Degree@ card to the Departmental Assistant Chair after the defense, who will hold it until graduation. In this case, students need not register for the term in which the defense occurs. Students who have successfully defended the dissertation along with all other requirements except the clinical internship prior to the Departmental and University graduation ceremonies in April or May can, with the permission of the Program Director, take part in these ceremonies (contact the Departmental Graduate Secretary), although they will not graduate at this time. The student should then register for the term in which the internship will be completed (usually Summer term), as well as register for graduation. Students may apply for a Dean's Fellowship to cover the tuition expenses for this final registration at the time of graduation.
If the dissertation defense does not occur until after the clinical internship is completed, then the student should register for the term in which the defense occurs, as well as register for graduation. Students may apply for a Dean's Fellowship to cover the tuition expenses for this final registration. Students who have successfully defended the dissertation along with all other requirements prior to the Departmental and University graduation ceremonies in April or May can take part in these ceremonies.
Students may not walk in the Departmental or University graduation ceremonies unless they have successfully completed the dissertation defense.
Some clinical internships finish after the August deadline for summer graduation. In such cases, the Program Director may send a memo to the Departmental Graduate Studies secretary indicating that all Program requirements have been met, if a letter from the student's internship director has been received stating that the student is in good standing and is on track to finish the internship successfully. In which case, the student may graduate in Summer rather than Fall term.
XX. Statute of Limitations
Students have a maximum of 10 years from date of entry to complete all requirements for the Ph.D. degree.
XXI. Ethical Standards
All graduate students in the Department of Psychology are expected to uphold the standards of ethical behavior, academic and research integrity, and professional conduct as instantiated in the published policies of the University of Pittsburgh (www.pitt.edu/~provost/ai1.html; www.pitt.edu/~provost/ethresearch.html; www.pitt.edu/HOME/PP/policies/11/11-01-01.html; www.studentaffairs.pitt.edu/usjs/pdf/code.pdf; www.pitt.edu/HOME/PP/policies/07/07-06-04.html; http://www.facas.pitt.edu/academicintegrity.html) and the current Ethical Principles of Psychologists, the Code of Conduct and related policies of the American Psychological Association (www.apa.org/ethics/code2002.html), and the official policies of the federal Office for Human Research Protection (www.hhs.gov/ohrp) .
In cases of suspected infraction of these policies, established university procedures will be followed. Students who are suspected of infractions will be notified in writing by the chair of the Clinical Psychology Program. Once notified, students may (but are not required to) respond to the chair of the Program in writing with relevant supporting materials as appropriate and available. At the student=s request and/or the program chair's discretion, the matter may be brought to the program faculty as a group.
The student may be required to institute corrective actions or may face sanctions, or both. The latter may include termination from the PhD program. Details will be communicated in writing and will become part of the student's permanent file in the Psychology Department Graduate Studies office.
Students may appeal decisions reached by the program regarding suspected infractions of ethics policies to the Graduate Education Council who will institute review procedures as appropriate.
XXII. Policies Regarding Satisfactory Progress toward the PhD,
Loss of Funding, and Termination from the Program
As the highest degree conferred in recognition of academic achievement, a PhD implies specialized expertise, broad related knowledge, and the commitment and ability to carry out independent scholarly inquiry of significant scientific merit. Students who meet expectations for progress toward the degree and growth in achieving these qualities are considered in good standing. Students who are not in good standing may lose funding or be terminated from the graduate program prior to completing PhD requirements at the recommendation of the Clinical Program faculty. A student recommended for termination from the program may appeal the decision of the program faculty to the Graduate Education Council in writing, with supporting materials.
Expectations for Satisfactory Progress and Growth in PhD Level Scholarship
Students are expected to:
1. Complete course requirements in a timely manner and maintain a minimum 3.0 grade point average, with no more than 1 course grade below B-.
2. Complete program, department, and FAS milestones in a timely manner as specified in this Student Handbook
3. Demonstrate the motivation, commitment, and ability to design and carry out research of publishable quality. Intellectual contributions and scholarly abilities of students are expected to increase over time in the program.
4. Demonstrate the motivation, commitment, and ability to identify and articulate significant substantive issues in the field and to think and write integratively, critically, and creatively about them. The level of scholarship is expected to increase over time in the program.
5. Demonstrate the motivation, commitment, and ability to sustain elective, problem-oriented, theoretically-grounded scientific inquiry and to disseminate scholarship effectively in written and oral forms. The quality of the scholarly products, both written and oral, is expected to increase over time in the program.
6. Demonstrate consistently effective assessment and intervention skills with clients, including the knowledge and ability to apply empirically supported techniques to clinical interactions. These skills are expected to improve over time in the program.
Ethical Violations and/or Professional Misconduct.
Violation of the standards for ethical and professional conduct may also result in early termination from the PhD program, even for students otherwise in good standing. See above for details.
Annual written evaluations by the student=s program faculty will identify inadequate progress and/or significant weaknesses in meeting these expectations. At the discretion of the program faculty a student may be placed on provisional or probationary status &/or may be denied department funding. Clear guidelines for remedying identified problems will be provided in writing and in a timely manner by the program chair. Guidelines will include both concrete goals or expectations for student performance and a timeline for achieving them. Failure to comply with these guidelines constitutes grounds for termination from the PhD program. Student progress will also be evaluated upon completing each major milestone toward the degree. Note that successful completion of a milestone does not in itself denote satisfactory progress toward the PhD.
XXIII. Outside Agency Clearances
The Clinical Psychology Program requires that students complete an APA accredited clinical psychology internship and at least one local clinical externship approved by the Clinical Psychology Program at facilities that may require a criminal background check, an act 33/34 clearance, and perhaps a drug screen to determine whether you are qualified to participate in the internship or externship. Additionally, in order to become licensed as a Psychologist, many states may inquire as to whether the applicant has been convicted of a misdemeanor, a felony, or a felonious or illegal act associated with alcohol and/or substance abuse.
Failure to pass such external clearances may interfere with meeting Program requirements, state licensure, and later employment opportunities.
XXIV. Guidelines Regarding Research Advising
1. Advisors should limit the number of their advisees so that each can be given sufficient and appropriate attention. While the limit will vary according to the circumstances and the habits and responsibilities of the faculty member, it has been general experience that an advisor with more than 4 or 5 advisees does a disservice to all of them.
2. An advisor should arrange for regular, individual and uninterrupted meetings with each advisee. The frequency and length of such meetings will vary with the stage of the student=s research, but as a general rule, the student should expect to spend at least 30 minutes per week in individual consultation with her or his advisor, with longer or more frequent meetings early on and during periods of proposal development and data gathering.
3. Advisors should provide prompt and thorough written feedback on drafts of proposals, thesis-chapters, or papers. Students should be able to expect a turn-around time of one to two weeks on submitted material. With faxes and e-mail available throughout the world, advisors who are out of town for extended periods can still be expected to provide prompt feedback.
4. An advisor should provide active guidance for his or her students, steering them toward feasible projects and away from such pitfalls as overambitious proposals, excessively time-consuming studies or untested and risky research methodology. At the same time, the advisor should refrain from an attempt to clone him- or herself and permit the student to develop her or his own style and direction.
5. Research advisors who also provide financial support for their advisees within their own projects have special concerns. They must spell out the conditions and length of support (as far as they can within the limits of their grants) and need to be very careful that the concerns of their own projects do not unduly interfere with the timely progress of their students. If the advisor leaves the University, he or she should make arrangements for the future of their advisees.
6. Research advisors should be sufficiently familiar with program and FAS degree requirements that they can remind their students when courses should be taken and milestones achieved.
7. Advisors should evaluate student progress and performance in a regular (i.e., no less than annual) and informative way. In these evaluations advisors should inform students about their performance in relation to expectations of normal progress and to norms associated with successful degree completion and placement after graduation. Advisors should place student's timely completion of degree requirements among their highest priorities.
8. Advisors should educate students about research integrity and make them aware of the University's policies on Research Integrity and on Conflict of Interest.
9. Advisors should encourage students to present their research at professional meetings and publish it in journals as a first author.
10. Advisors should help students gain an appreciation of teaching and assist them in improving their teaching skills as appropriate.
11. Advisors should supply students with information about career opportunities and encourage them to plan toward a career goal as early in their course of study as possible.
Not every student may be a good fit with even the most conscientious and effective advisor. A student may develop interests that do not match the advisor's particular area of expertise or there are occasional personality differences that may be impossible to resolve. Advisors should be prepared to recognize these problems sufficiently early to deter the student from wasting excessive time in an incompatible endeavor.
Students must also be made aware that they have responsibilities to their advisors; to initiate meetings when necessary, to complete assignments in a timely manner, to heed advice and warnings, and to respect the expertise of their mentor. However, if a student believes that he or she has been unfairly treated by their advisor, they have several avenues for mediation. First, issues should be attempted to be resolved informally with the student's advisor. If that is not satisfactory, then contact should be made with the Program Chair, followed by the Department Chair if needed. Additional guidance can also be obtained from the Assistant or Associate Dean of Graduate Studies in FAS at the recommendation of the Departmental Chair.
XXV. Student Awards
A. Departmental Student Travel Fund
An award of approximately $200 is available to help support Department of Psychology student professional travel. Students should apply to the Assistant Chair of the Department of Psychology for travel support.
B. E.B. Huey Student Research Award
Awards of up to $1,000 are given annually to help support Clinical Psychology Program student, masters and dissertation research. This award is supported by a donation from alumnus, Donald Routh, Ph.D., in honor of the first chair of the Department of Psychology, E.B. Huey.
C. A. David Lazovik Student Research Award
Several awards of up to $1,000 are given annually to help support Clinical Psychology Program masters thesis and dissertation research. This award was endowed in memory of A. David Lazovik, former member of the Clinical Program faculty and chair of the Department of Psychology, by his family.
D. Max and Jennie Bassell Student Award
An award of $750 is given annually to the most outstanding student in the class leaving on internship. This award is to recognize excellence in all phases of the Program - research,clinical work, and overall scholarship. The award was made to the University by the late Dr. Jack Bassell in memory of his parents.
E. Max & Jennie Bassell Student Publication Award
An award of $100 is given annually to any student who has an approved first author journal publication accepted in that academic year.
XXVI. Student Funding
Traditionally students receive financial support, including tuition remission, during their time in the program. Usually funding carries with it a work requirement (maximum of 20 hours per week), although a few students are supported on training grant funds with no work requirement. Funded positions include teaching assistantships, teaching fellowships, graduate research assistantships, and clinic assistantships.. Competitive scholarships, such as University Fellowships for first year students and the Mellon and Sloan Fellowships for more senior students are also available through the University for students of exceptional merit.
It is department policy that students past their fourth year in the program receive lower priority in awarding TA/TF positions and that students past their sixth year receive lowest priority in awarding TF positions. Although students past the sixth year who are in good standing typically receive TF funding if requested, access to TF funding will be at risk in any term during which teaching requests are unusually high.
Master's Thesis Proposal Form
Clinical Psychology Program
Department of Psychology
University of Pittsburgh
Student Name: _______________________________________________________________
Thesis Title: __________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
Date Proposal Approved: _________________
Committee Members:(printed name/signature)
Advisor/Chair:_______________________________________________________________
Member:____________________________________________________________________
Member: ____________________________________________________________________
Member: ____________________________________________________________________
Complete following successful defense of master=s thesis proposal and give to the secretary of the Clinical Psychology Program.
Specialty Paper Proposal Form
Clinical Psychology Program
Department of Psychology
University of Pittsburgh
Student Name: _______________________________________________________________
Specialty Paper Title: __________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
Date Proposal Approved: _________________
Committee Members:(printed name/signature)
Advisor/Chair:_______________________________________________________________
Member:____________________________________________________________________
Member: ____________________________________________________________________
Member: ____________________________________________________________________
Complete following successful defense of specialty paper proposal and give to the secretary of the Clinical Psychology Program.
Teaching Requirement Form
Clinical Psychology Program
Department of Psychology
University of Pittsburgh
Student Name: _______________________________________________________________
Course and Term Taught: _____________________________________________________
Term Teaching of Psychology (PSY 2970) or Practicum on University Teaching (FACDEV 2200) Completed: _____________________________________________________________
Faculty Supervisor Name: _____________________________________________________
Faculty Supervisor Signature/Date: _____________________________________________
Complete following successful fulfillment of the teaching requirement and give to the secretary of the Clinical Psychology Program.