Psychology — Ph.D.

Director of clinical training
Colleen Brenner

The APA-accredited Ph.D. in clinical psychology has been informed by the traditional scientist-practitioner model, which emphasizes training in research and clinical practice. The Ph.D. degree program is designed to be completed in six years (approximately 24 quarters of full-time enrollment).  

Program learning outcomes:

By the end of the program, the graduate should be able to:

1. Show an advanced understanding of the science of psychology.
2. Demonstrate skills for conducting independent and original research.
3. Function as a highly competent clinician for whom research and practice constantly inform each other.
4. Integrate whole-person care into clinical work.
5. Consistently engage in activities that promote lifelong learning.

Curriculum

The Ph.D. clinical degree program requires completion of coursework in the following areas: psychological science foundations, quantitative/research foundations, wholeness, general and elective courses, psychological assessment and treatment, clinical practice, and research. The specific course requirements are predicated on the training model (i.e., scientist-practitioner). The specific curriculum requirements associated with the Ph.D. degree program are indicated below.

All students must complete the same set of core courses. In addition to these core courses, students must also select and complete coursework in one of four specialization areas according to their interests and career goals: generalist, clinical child, health psychology, or neuropsychology. Students will also complete a specified number of elective units, depending on their area of specialization.

The Doctor of Philosophy degree in clinical psychology is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of the American Psychological Association. Questions related to the program’s accreditation status should be directed to the Commission on Accreditation:

Office of Program Consultation and Accreditation
American Psychological Association
750 First Street, NE, Washington, DC 20002
telephone: 202/336-5979; email:  apaaccred@apa.org; website: https://www.accreditation.apa.org/.

In addition to Loma Linda University and School of Behavioral Health and the Faculty of Graduate Studies admissions requirements, the following minimum criteria are preferable to be considered for a pre-admission interview:

• A bachelor's degree in psychology or a related discipline.
• An undergraduate G.P.A. of 3.0 or higher on a 4.0 scale or a master’s degree G.P.A. of 3.3 or higher from an accredited college or university.
• Verbal and quantitative scores, Graduate Record Examination (GRE) general test: The sum of the GRE verbal and quantitative percentile rankings must equal or exceed 100, and neither percentile ranks can be below the 35^th percentile.  Only the most current GRE scores are admissible (exam must have been taken within the last five years and the most recent dated exam will be considered).  The GRE psychology subject examination is not required. Due to issues associated with the COVID-19 pandemic, the GRE General Test is waived for all 2023-2024 applicants to doctoral programs in the School of Behavioral Health. Please do not submit GRE scores through ETS or report your scores in any application materials as they will not be taken into consideration.
• Writing assessment, GRE general test: The GRE analytical writing section score must equal 4.0 or higher. 
• Structured pre-admission interview by invitation:  The psychology department requires a structured pre-admissions interview.
• Recommendation letters:  Three letters of recommendation from professionals unrelated to the applicant and qualified to assess the applicant’s potential for graduate education.  A minimum of two letters are preferred from current or previous professors.

Any exceptions to the established G.P.A. and GRE minimum criteria, or any other admissions criteria, are made at faculty discretion and grounded on faculty’s overall assessment of the applicant and their credentials (e.g., demonstrated record of scholarship and/or specialized research training, strength of the applicant’s prior academic training /institution, strength of applicant’s letters of recommendation, and previous clinical experience).

¹

Required for M.A. degree

²

Required total combined units for area of specialization and electives is 33. Students may meet their elective-unit requirement through any of the following:  1) any elective course chosen from this list, 2) any other elective course offered by the Department of Psychology that is not being used to meet another requirement, 3) any graduate-level course offered in any other department in the School of Behavioral Health, or 4) any graduate-level course offered in any other school other than the School of Behavioral Health with department approval.

³

Fulfills service learning requirement

⁴

 700-numbered courses are in addition to didactic units required for the degree

⁵

Strongly recommended for neuropsychology specialization students.

Areas of specialization

¹

If an additional course is taken, it will be applied to electives.

²

Units above 3 will reduce elective units.

³

Requires repeated registrations.

Minimum required grade point average

Students must maintain a minimum grade point average of B (3.0) in all courses taken for the degree. Furthermore, two failed grades (B- or below, or U) is grounds for dismissal from the program.

Comprehensive examination

Students in the Ph.D. program must successfully pass the comprehensive examination. The comprehensive examination is taken after completing the core curriculum.  Though the specific format of the comprehensive examination is subject to change, the department currently utilizes the Examination for Professional Practice in Psychology as the comprehensive examination.  This examination covers the following domains:

• biological bases of behavior
• cognitive—affective bases of behavior
• social and multicultural bases of behavior
• growth and life span development
• assessment and diagnosis
• treatment/intervention
• research methods
• ethical/legal/professional issues

Doctoral research

Students in the Clinical Ph.D. program are expected to meet specified research requirements, among which is the doctoral dissertation.  The requirements for the  dissertation are delineated by the Department in accordance with standards established by the School of Behavioral Health and the Faculty of Graduate Studies   For the doctoral dissertation, a formal proposal must be submitted to and approved by a faculty supervisory committee.  Furthermore, upon completion of the doctoral dissertation, a public defense before the supervisory committee is required.

Advancement to candidacy

Students may apply for doctoral candidacy upon successful completion of:

• the core curriculum and the required number of units
• required practicum experiences
• the comprehensive examination
• the doctoral dissertation proposal

Normal time to complete the program

Six (6) years — full-time enrollment required