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Clinically oriented | --- | Equal emphasis | --- | Research oriented |
In addition to the general admission requirements of the VCU Graduate School, there are minimum acceptable standards for admission into the doctoral clinical program.
It is recommended that applicants complete 18 hours of psychology which should include courses in:
100 percent of our students receive tuition waiver and assistantship or fellowship for at least the first four years of training.
B.A. or B.S. = 80 percent
Master’s = 20 percent
Women = 85 percent
Ethnic minorities = 29 percent
96.2 percent
Ordinarily students take their internship during their fifth year in the program. Students may apply for internship at any time after (a) having completed all requirements for the master’s degree, (b) having been approved for continuation in the doctoral program, (c) having passed the doctoral prelim examination, (d) having successfully completed all practicum training and (e) having successfully defended their dissertation proposal.
All students are expected to complete an APA-approved internship. Students may apply to a non-APA-approved internship only under highly unusual circumstances. Official approval must be obtained, in writing, from the clinical director before accepting a non-APA-approved internship.
Virtually all VCU clinical students have been successful in eventually obtaining their high-choice APA-approved internships. Some students in recent years needed to apply a second year to get these preferred internships. It is the rule for our students on internship to receive outstanding performance evaluations, and this has contributed to our program's excellent reputation. Internship sites where some of our clinical students have been trained in recent years include:
6.33 years for students graduating in the last five years
Yes. We recommend that you review this fact sheet [PDF*] and review books available to help guide you in the process including:
1. Getting In: A Step-by-Step Plan for Gaining Admission to Graduate School in Psychology, The American Psychological Association - 800-374-2721, www.apa.org
2. Insider's Guide to Graduate Programs in Clinical and Counseling Psychology, Tracy Mayne, John Norcross, and Michael Sayette, Guilford Press - 800-365-7006, www.guilford.com
As a member of the Council of University Directors of Clinical Training (CUDCP), the Clinical Psychology program at VCU adheres to CUDCP’s policies and guidelines for graduate school admissions, offers and acceptance. For additional information about these policies, please visit this page.
More information about clinical psychology and application tips also can be found at clinicalpsychgradschool.org, offered by CUDCP.
* Please contact the program assistant at clin-psy@vcu.edu if you have difficulty accessing this PDF.