Psy.D. in Clinical Psychology
The Doctorate of Psychology in Clinical Psychology program is constructed to take 5 years to completion. It includes 104 credits (34 credit hours for an M.A. degree in Clinical Psychology & 70 credits for the Psy.D. degree in Clinical Psychology). The M.A. degree is not offered separately from the Psy.D. degree and students will not be admitted separately just to earn the M.A. Beginning in their first semester, students in the Psy.D. program will take 56 credits of traditional classroom-based courses. Some of these courses will be taught via distance from Pocatello, while others will be taught in person in Meridian. These courses cover core topics within the broad field of psychology (i.e., behavioral, biological, cognitive, developmental, and social aspects of psychology), as well as research methods, ethics, and specialty topics within the clinical discipline (e.g., assessment, adult psychotherapy, diagnosis).
In addition to the classroom instruction, beginning in the summer semester of the first year, students will take 23 credits of clinical training (practicums and psychoeducational evaluations). Initially (in students’ first and second years in the program), the training experiences will be offered in the integrated care clinic at the ISU Meridian campus supervised by core faculty of the program. In students’ third and fourth years in the program, they will complete their training experiences in community mental health agencies located in the Meridian area, supervised by community psychologists external to the university. In the final year of training (typically the 5th year), students will need to complete a year-long clinical internship outside of the program. This internship training experience is part of American Psychological Association accreditation requirements. Although it is assumed that most students will complete an American Psychological Association-approved internship through the Association of Psychology Postdoctoral and Internship Centers matching system, students will have the option to self-create a program-approved internship experience that meets training requirements.
At the start of their third year, students will need to complete a clinical comprehensive exam. The comprehensive exam is designed to provide students with an opportunity to demonstrate clinical intervention knowledge and skills, clinical assessment knowledge and skills, and the ability to apply research and core psychology educational domains to clinical practice. To complete this exam, students will submit two written papers (one intervention and one assessment) and complete an oral defense. The papers and oral defense will be evaluated by two core clinical faculty members (chaired by an appointed Meridian faculty member each year). Passing the comprehensive exam will approve students for doctoral candidacy.
Students will also be asked to complete a doctoral project as a capstone to their graduate education. This project should represent a novel written contribution to the field. Example options include a scholarly review of a research area with a focus on clinical application, a case study, a quantitative/qualitative/mixed-methods research project, a systematic review or meta-analysis, and a program evaluation or consultation project. The doctoral project includes a proposal to an approved committee of three graduate faculty (of which the Chair is a Meridian-based core faculty member of the Psy.D. program), a final written product, and an oral exam to the same three committee members. Given the professional/practice nature of the degree and project requirements, the committee make-up differs from a traditional Ph.D. committee (five members, one of which is a Graduate Faculty Representative). Instead, the three-member committee is consistent with other professional doctoral programs at ISU (i.e., Doctor of Nursing Practice). The written product should be a manuscript-style paper consistent with publication in a professional peer-reviewed journal (25 to 35 double-spaced pages with title page, abstract, and references) or, in the case of a program evaluation, a briefing and a final report that is ready to submit to the agency for whom the evaluation or consultation was performed. Students will work on this project in their third and fourth years, including 10 credits. It will be recommended that they complete it prior to heading off on their doctoral internship
Curriculum Map
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| M.A. Classes | ||
| Biological Bases | 3 | |
| Basic Clinical Pharmacology | ||
(Meridian, taught by the M.S. in Clinical Psychopharmacology program) | ||
| Core Classes (two of the following) | 6 | |
| Advanced Topics in Learning | ||
| Cognitive Psychology | ||
| Advanced Social Psychology | ||
| Advanced Developmental Psychology | ||
| Research Methods | 6 | |
| Evaluating Psychotherapy Research | ||
| Statistics and Research Design I | ||
| Professional Ethics | 2 | |
| Ethical and Professional Issues in Psychology | ||
| Assessment | 6 | |
| Psychodiagnostics I | ||
| Psychodiagnostics II | ||
| Diagnosis and Intervention | 11 | |
| Diagnosis | ||
| Foundations in Adult Psychotherapy | ||
| Foundations in Child Psychotherapy | ||
| Clinical Psychology | ||
| Total Credits | 34 | |
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Psy.D. Classes | ||
| Core Classes (One of the following) | 3 | |
| Advanced Topics in Learning | ||
| Cognitive Psychology | ||
| Advanced Social Psychology | ||
| Advanced Developmental Psychology | ||
| Research Methods and Experience | 10 | |
| Doctoral Project | ||
| Professional Ethics | 1 | |
| Advanced Ethics and Professional Issues | ||
| Intervention | 6 | |
| Cultural Diversity and Individual Differences | ||
| Supervision and Consultation in Clinical Psychology | ||
| Clinical Didactic Electives (four of the following) | 12 | |
| Clinical Proseminar * | ||
*Specialty courses in Integrated Behavioral Health taught by faculty in Meridian. Examples include Addictions, Adult Psychotherapy II, Child Psychotherapy II, Integrated Behavioral Health, and Neuropsychology based on the specialty areas of the hired faculty. | ||
| Clinical Experience | 6 | |
| Psycho-Educational Evaluations | ||
| Clinical Internship | ||
| Clinical Practicum Electives | 20 | |
| Community Practicum | ||
| Psychology Clinic Practicum | ||
| Supervision Practicum | ||
| Classes transferred from MA degree (up to 12 credits) | 12 | |
| Total Credits | 70 | |
For some of these courses, they will be taught in a hybrid format, with students from the Psy.D. program taking the courses jointly with students from the Psychology Department’s two existing Ph.D. programs (clinical psychology & experimental psychology). For other existing courses, although the content will be the same, they will be taught in person by faculty located in Meridian just to Psy.D. students.
Capstone or New Project Requirements:
As described previously, in addition to the traditional classroom instruction, students will be required to complete clinical training, a comprehensive exam, and a doctoral project. Descriptions of these are as follows:
Clinical Training: Beginning in the summer semester of the first year, students will take 23 credits of clinical training (practicums and psychoeducational evaluations). Initially (in students’ first and second years in the program), the training experiences will be offered in the integrated care clinic at the ISU Meridian campus supervised by core faculty of the program. In students’ third and fourth years in the program, they will complete their training experiences in community mental health agencies located in the Meridian area, supervised by community psychologists external to the university. In the final year of training (typically the 5th year), students will need to complete a year-long clinical internship outside of the program. This internship training experience is part of American Psychological Association accreditation requirements. Although it is assumed that most students will complete an American Psychological Association approved internship through the Association of Psychology Postdoctoral and Internship Centers matching system, students will have the option to self-create a program approved internship experience that meets training requirements.
Comprehensive Exam: At the start of their third year, students will need to complete a clinical comprehensive exam. The comprehensive exam is designed to provide students with an opportunity to demonstrate clinical intervention knowledge and skills, clinical assessment knowledge and skills, and the ability to apply research and core psychology educational domains to clinical practice. To complete this exam, students will submit two written papers (one intervention and one assessment) and complete an oral defense. The papers and oral defense will be evaluated by two core clinical faculty members (chaired by an appointed Meridian faculty member each year). Passing the comprehensive exam will approve students for doctoral candidacy.
Doctoral Project: Students will also be asked to complete a doctoral project as a capstone to their graduate education. This project should represent a novel written contribution to the field. Example options include a scholarly review of a research area with a focus on clinical application, a case study, a quantitative/qualitative/mixed-methods research project, a systematic review or meta-analysis, and a program evaluation or consultation project. The doctoral project includes a proposal to an approved committee of three graduate faculty (of which the Chair is a Meridian-based core faculty member of the Psy.D. program), a final written product, and an oral exam to the same three committee members. Given the professional/practice nature of the degree and project requirements, the committee make-up differs from a traditional Ph.D. committee (five members, one of which is a Graduate Faculty Representative). Instead, the three-member committee is consistent with other professional doctoral programs at ISU (i.e., Doctor of Nursing Practice). The written product should be a manuscript style paper consistent with publication in a professional peer-reviewed journal (25 to 35 double-spaced pages with title page, abstract, and references) or, in the case of a program evaluation, a briefing and a final report that is ready to submit to the agency for whom the evaluation or consultation was performed. Students will work on this project in their third and fourth years, including 12 credits. It will be recommended that they complete it prior to heading off on their doctoral internship.
Student Learning Outcomes:
The overall aim of the proposed ISU Psy.D. Program in Clinical Psychology is to train students to become license-eligible Psychologists who can provide evidence-based and culturally-appropriate mental health care in an ethical and professional manner and who are capable of becoming supervisors and leaders in their area of practice. In order to achieve this aim, students will be trained to develop Discipline-Specific Knowledge and Profession-Wide Competencies, as outlined by the American Psychological Association.
Discipline-Specific Knowledge: According to the American Psychological Association Commission on Accreditation (2017), “discipline-specific knowledge serves as a cornerstone of identity as a psychologist and orientation to help-service psychology.” It “represents the requisite core knowledge of psychology an individual must have to attain the profession-wide competencies.” Based on this guideline:
Learning Objective 1: by the completion of the Psy.D. Program in Clinical Psychology, students will have obtained a foundational understanding of (a) history and systems of psychology, (b) affective aspects of behavior, (c) biological aspects of behavior, (d) cognitive aspects of behavior, (e) developmental aspects of behavior, (f) social aspects of behavior, (g) research methods, (h) statistical analysis, (i) psychometrics, and (j) their integration as it applies to clinical practice.
This learning objective will be met through a mixture of core courses (PSCI 6612, PSYC 6642, PSYC 6643, PSYC 6644, & PSYC 6647), assessment courses (PSYC 6620 & PSYC 6621), research and statistics courses (PSYC 6627 & PSYC 66XX [Evaluating Psychotherapy Research]), the comprehensive exam, and the doctoral project.
Profession-Wide Competencies: According to the American Psychological Association Commission on Accreditation (2022), all trainees who complete accredited training programs should “develop certain competences as part of their preparation for practice in health service psychology,” including research, ethical and legal standards, individual and cultural diversity, professional values and attitudes, communication and interpersonal skills, assessment, intervention, supervision, and consultation and interprofessional/interdisciplinary skills.
Learning Objective 2: by the completion of the Psy.D. Program in Clinical Psychology, students will be able to (a) produce new knowledge, (b) critically evaluate and use existing knowledge to solve problems, and (c) disseminate research as it applies to the field of clinical psychology.
This learning objective will be met through research and statistics courses (PSYC 6627 & PSYC 66XX [Evaluating Psychotherapy Research]) and the doctoral project.
Learning Objective 3: by the completion of the Psy.D. Program in Clinical Psychology, students will know and appreciate the current version of the American Psychological Association Ethical Principles of Psychologists and Code of Conduct; relevant laws, regulations, rules, and policies governing health service psychology; and relevant professional standards and guidelines and act in accordance with them in their roles as clinical psychologists.
This learning objective will be met through ethics courses (PSYC 5512 & PSYC 7703) and required (PSYC 7727 & PSYC 7749) and elective (PSYC 7724, PSYC 7725, &
PSYC 7726) clinical training experiences.
Learning Objective 4: by the completion of the Psy.D. Program in Clinical Psychology, students will be able to conduct all professional activities with sensitivity to human diversity, including the ability to deliver high quality evidence-based psychological services to a diverse population.
This learning objective will be met through an intervention course (PSYC 6634), required (PSYC 7727 & PSYC 7749) and elective (PSYC 7724, PSYC 7725, & PSYC 7726) clinical training experiences, and a diversity case presentation.
Learning Objective 5: by the completion of the Psy.D. Program in Clinical Psychology, students will be able to demonstrate a commitment to professional values and attitudes consistent with professional standards.
This learning objective will be met through ethics courses (PSYC 5512 & PSYC 7703), an intervention course (PSYC 7701), and required (PSYC 7727 & PSYC 7749) and elective (PSYC 7724, PSYC 7725, & PSYC 7726) clinical training experiences.
Learning Objective 6: by the completion of the Psy.D. Program in Clinical Psychology, students will be able to demonstrate effective communication and interpersonal skills.
This learning objective will be met through ethics courses (PSYC 5512 & PSYC 7703), intervention courses (PSYC 6634, PSYC 66XX [Adult Psychotherapy I], PSYC 66XX [Child Psychotherapy I], & PSYC 7701), required (PSYC 7727 & PSYC 7749) and elective (PSYC 7724, PSYC 7725, & PSYC 7726) clinical training experiences, the comprehensive exam, and the doctoral project.
Learning Objective 7: by the completion of the Psy.D. Program in Clinical Psychology, students will be able to conduct evidence-based assessment consistent with the scope of health service psychology, including a knowledge of and ability to apply diagnostic classification systems, an ability to select and apply appropriate assessment methods, an ability to interpret assessment results, and an ability to communicate (orally and written) findings and implications from assessments.
This learning objective will be met through assessment courses (PSYC 6620 & PSYC 6621), required (PSYC 7727 & PSYC 7749) and elective (PSYC 7724, PSYC 7725, & PSYC 7726) clinical training experiences, and the comprehensive exam.
Learning Objective 8: by the completion of the Psy.D. Program in Clinical Psychology, students will be able to provide evidence-based interventions consistent with the scope of health service psychology, including an ability to establish and maintain effective relationships with the recipients of psychological services, an ability to develop and implement evidence-based intervention plans based on the recipient’s individual goals and needs, and the ability to evaluate intervention effectiveness.
This learning objective will be met through a research course (PYSC 66XX [Evaluating Psychotherapy Research]), Diagnosis and Intervention courses (PSYC 66XX [Diagnosis], PSYC 6634, PSYC 66XX [Adult Psychotherapy I], PSYC 66XX [Child Psychotherapy], & Clinical Didactic Electives), required (PSYC 7727 & PSYC 7749) and elective (PSYC 7724, PSYC 7725, & PSYC 7726) clinical training experiences, and the comprehensive exam.
Learning Objective 9: by the completion of the Psy.D. Program in Clinical Psychology, students will understand evidence-based supervision models and practices and be able to effectively deliver evidence-based supervision.
This learning objective will be met through an intervention course (PSYC 7704). Students may also gain additional experience toward this objective through required (PSYC 7727 & PSYC 7749) and elective (PSYC 7724, PSYC 7725, & PSYC 7726) clinical training experiences.
Learning Objective 10: by the completion of the Psy.D. Program in Clinical Psychology, students will demonstrate respect for the roles and perspectives of other professions and understand evidence-based consultation models and practices.
This learning objective will be met through an intervention course (PSYC 7704). Students may also gain additional experience toward this objective through required (PSYC 7727 & PSYC 7749) and elective (PSYC 7724, PSYC 7725, & PSYC 7726) clinical training experiences, and the doctoral project.
Admission Requirements:
In addition to the general requirements of the Graduate School, the applicant must:
- Have a minimum 3.0 grade point average (preferred not required) during the last two years of undergraduate study.
- A Bachelor of Science or Bachelor of Arts with an undergraduate major in psychology or the equivalent.
- Passing grades in undergraduate courses in research methods and statistics.
- Sufficient exposure to fundamental core areas in psychology to be successful at the graduate level.
- Recommendation by the Clinical Admissions Committee of the Department of Psychology. The Clinical Admissions Committee only admits students into the combined Master of Arts and Doctor of Psychology course of study. There is no stand-alone Master of Arts in Psychology program.
Date of Implementation: The Fall 2026 semester. The first cohort will include a smaller number of students (6), which will build until full cohorts of 12 are admitted to begin from Fall 2029 on.