Welcome to the Department of Psychology at Georgia Southern University

Psy.D. Program

"I chose the Psy.D. program for a couple of different reasons. One, I really wanted to stay close to home, and GSU offered me that luxury. But what really sold me on this program were the interactions I had via e-mail with the department chair and the director of clinical training. Even in the non-emotive vacuum of an email message, I could really tell how much the program meant to them and that made me want the program more. When I finally got to meet them in person, it was like they had known me forever and were truly glad to see me! I think this is something unique to GSU, as several of my friends who are working on doctorates elsewhere are jealous of me when I talk about my program." - Jennifer Wright, Psy.D. class of 2012

Why a Georgia Southern Psy.D.?

Georgia Southern psychology faculty are dedicated to preparing students for clinical psychology work, focusing especially on clinical practice in rural settings. We work closely with students, give feedback regularly, and pride ourselves on giving students a "small school" experience in a 17,000 student university.

Accreditation

Most students applying to a doctoral program in psychology look for an accredited program. Newly developed programs in psychology doctoral education cannot be accredited immediately and, for this reason, you are applying to a "non-accredited program." As a new program, the earliest we are able to apply for accreditation is when the first class of doctoral students enters their final year in the program. We estimate that this year will be 2011. This allows the accrediting agency, the American Psychological Association (APA), to review the full curriculum following a full cycle of implementation. This process will also allow the first graduating class of doctoral students the opportunity to graduate from an accredited program.

The Department of Psychology has the full support of Georgia Southern University in this endeavor and is fully engaged in the preparation and evaluation process needed to secure APA accreditation. Georgia Southern Psychology department faculty members are actively engaged in maintaining ongoing memberships in organizations that sponsor cross-collaboration relating to building, modifying, and maintaining program fidelity. Our curriculum has been carefully designed to meet the goals and objectives set forth by accrediting bodies so that appropriate competencies are established. Faculty members are engaged in processes that strengthen our involvement in the accreditation process, including attending workshops and conferences focused on accreditation preparation, serving as an accreditation program reviewer, and studying and visiting other programs that have been successfully accredited. While there are no guarantees regarding our status, we are vigorously pursuing the types of activities that lead to accreditation-granting status.

Evidence of our progress toward accreditation is found in The Association of State and Provincial Psychology Boards / National Register Designation Committee (ASPPB) listing our program in the National Register of Doctoral Psychology Programs Meeting Designation Criteria.
 

  • This program meets the Association of State & Provincial Psychology Boards/National Register of Health Service Providers in Psychology "Guidelines for Defining 'Doctoral Degree in Psychology.'" Therefore, graduates of this designated program who decide to apply for licensing as a psychologist typically will meet the educational requirements for licensing. However, in each jurisdiction there are additional requirements that must be satisfied. For exact information, please contact the state or provincial licensing board in the jurisdiction in which you plan to apply.
  • Once licensed, graduates are eligible to apply for credentialing as a Health Service Provider in Psychology. Graduation from a designated program means that the program you completed typically meets the educational requirements for credentialing by the National Register. However, there are additional requirements that must be satisfied prior to being credentialed by the National Register of Health Service Providers in Psychology. For further information, consult the National Register's web site: www.nationalregister.org.

Admissions

Given the ongoing demand for doctoral level training in professional psychology and the limited number of students that we will admit per year, admission to the Psy.D. program is expected to be quite competitive.

Although academic background, intellectual potential and professional experience and skills will be key selection criteria, we intend to recruit students who are committed to providing service to our predominantly rural region. Therefore, students should carefully consider their interest in rural and underserved populations before applying to the program. Applicants will only be considered for admission to the Psy.D. program (i.e., students will not be admitted for a terminal masters degree in clinical psychology).

Application for Advanced Standing. Students may receive credit for graduate courses taken at a regionally accredited institution during the last five years. A maximum of 18 hours of graduate level coursework is allowed. All decisions on exempted courses lie with the faculty clinical committee, and require any student desiring course exemption to provide documentation (e.g., syllabi, tests, grades) from the previous course. Credit will not be given for clinical courses, with the exception of Assessment I (PSYC 7231). Students wishing to be exempted from this course must demonstrate proficiency as determined by the clinical committee. Course equivalencies will be determined on a case by case basis. Any course deficiencies will need to be completed with attention to course sequences and prerequisites before a degree can be awarded.

Undergraduate Prerequisites. To be admitted to the Psy.D. program an applicant need not have an undergraduate degree in psychology. However, the student must have earned a minimum grade of B in the following courses: Introductory Psychology, Psychological Statistics, Research Design, Abnormal Psychology. In addition, students must have taken at least two of the following courses: Personality, Social Psychology, Developmental Psychology, Learning and/or Cognition, Health Psychology, Tests and Measurement, Theories of Psychotherapy, Psychology of Substance Abuse. Additional coursework in psychology and in related discipline is likely to strengthen a candidate's application.

Part-time Admission. The PsyD program is designed to be a full-time program that can be completed in five years. However, we realize some students may desire to do a portion of the program part-time. To this end, students may be admitted to the program with part-time status. If they wish to do this, the following criteria must be met:

  • Students must apply via the same admission procedures as full-time students
  • Students can only begin the program in the Fall semester
  • Students must be admitted with a minimum of 18 hours of course credit in non-clinical courses (i.e., they must come into the program with the maximum amount of transfer credit)
    • Once admitted, part-time students must
  • Enroll in a minimum of 6 credit hours of coursework each semester
  • Be enrolled in the program every semester, unless a Leave of Absence is granted (see below)
  • Enroll in necessary co-requisite courses when they are required
  • Enroll in Foundations of Psychotherapy I, II, and Group Psychotherapy (PSYC 7232, 7433, and 7235) in consecutive semesters
  • Switch to full-time enrollment (minimum 9 credit hours per semester) for at least one full year to meet the residency requirement (see ‘Residency Requirement’ section)
  • Complete the Psy.D. program within the 8-year time limit allowed for all students

The specific admissions procedures are as follows
  1. Applications will be evaluated once per year for Fall admissions. The deadline for applications is January 15.
  2. Applicants will submit an application on-line. The application packet is available at the following web sitehttp://cogs.georgiasouthern.edu/future_students/grad_application.html
  3. An admissions committee, consisting of 5 program faculty elected by the entire program faculty, will review and rank order applications based on the criteria described below.
Admission decisions will be based upon
  1. A successful completion of a bachelor's degree from a regionally accredited institution. Students' academic record will be evaluated based on official transcripts from all previous enrollments in higher education.
    • Grade Point Average (GPA): We have no minimum GPA for admission. However, the average GPA of successful applicants for the Fall 2009 class was 3.65 (on a 4.0 scale).
    • A minimum grade of B in the following undergraduate courses: Introductory Psychology, Psychological Statistics, Research Design, Abnormal Psychology
    • Record of having taken at least two of the following courses: Personality, Social Psychology, Developmental Psychology, Learning and/or Cognition, Health Psychology, Tests and Measurement, Theories of Psychotherapy, Psychology of Substance Abuse.
  2. Current (last 5 years) scores from the Graduate Record Exam (GRE).
    • We have no minimum cut-off for scores on the verbal and quantitative sections of GRE. However, the average GRE scores on the verbal and quantitative sections for the Fall 2008 class were 518 and 630, respectively.
    • Applicants to the Psy.D. program who do not have a Bachelor's or Master's degree in Psychology are required to take the GRE subtest in Psychology. Any prospective student who has already earned a degree in psychology is exempt from taking this test.
  3. Three letters of recommendation from former professors or appropriate employers/advisors.
  4. A written statement of professional goals and a rationale for how the Psy.D. program will further the students' career objectives. This statement will help the committee evaluate applicants' commitment to providing professional service to the rural areas of this region, as well as their understanding of the time commitments involved in undertaking doctoral study.
  5. Based upon the recommendation of the Admissions Committee, a personal interview with applicants may be scheduled as part of the admissions process.

APA Disclosure Information is available by clicking here.

 

Graduate Assistantships and Graduate Tuition Costs

For students holding GAs:
Fall 2009 and Spring 2010 tuition and fees for full-time study are $747 per semester.
Summer 2009 tuition and fees were $501.
For students not holding GAs:
Fall 2009 and Spring 2010 tuition and fees for full-time study are $3242 (in-state) and $10,790 (out-of-state) per semester.
Summer 2009 tuition and fees were $2396 (in-state) and $8144 (out-of-state) per semester.
Annual USG insurance fees are $864 for 2009-10. Graduate tuition & fees can be viewed in detail at the Bursar's web site.

 

Details about the Psy.D. Program:
  • To obtain specific information for potential students, please click HERE (pdf file).
  • To view the Psy.D. Student Handbook please click HERE (pdf file).
  • To view the details associated with the Clinical Qualifying Examination, please click HERE (pdf file).
  • To view the details associated with scoring the Clinical Qualifying Exam, please click HERE (pdf file).
Typical Course Sequence

The typical course sequence for an individual entering the program with a Bachelor's degree may be viewed here. (pdf file)

Clinical Psychology in Rural Areas

If you are interested in some of the unique challenges facing clinical psychologists in rural settings, take a moment to view Dr. Pamela Feldt's slides from her lecture on the subject. She delivered the lecture, Practicing Psychology in a Rural Setting, to Georgia Southern faculty and graduate students October 4, 2007.

Individual questions may be e-mailed to

Dr. Jackson Rainer (Psy.D. program director) JRainer@georgiasouthern.edu

Dr. John Murray (Department Chair) JMurray@georgiasouthern.edu

Contact us about the Psy.D. program.