Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Clinical Psychology
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In addition to Faculty of Graduate Studies requirements and Faculty of Arts requirements, the Department requires:
3 units in each of the four breadth areas. This requirement may be satisfied by completing course and other graduate Psychology courses selected with approval by the Graduate Program Director.
Biological bases of behaviour;
cognitive-affective bases of behaviour;
social bases of behaviour; and
individual behaviour.
Advanced Practicum I, Advanced Practicum II*
*See Practicum and Internship Requirements for further information.
Practicum Requirements
Advanced Practicum I and II are milestone requirements of the program. Advanced Practicum III is an optional practicum milestone.
Students must successfully complete all required practicum milestones.
Each practicum involves a supervised training experience in an approved clinical setting.
Practicums provide advanced in-depth exposure to specific clinical populations and to the application of various psychological assessment and intervention strategies and techniques.
Only students who are registered in the program may undertake any of the Practicums.
The specific requirements of the Practicums are established on a student-by-student basis.
Practicum milestones will not be included in GPA calculations and are considered Pass/Fail. Please see the Clinical Psychology Graduate Student Handbook for additional information.
Students may take an additional practicum called Advanced Practicum III if requested by the student, agreed to by the academic supervisor and placement sites are available.
Pre-Doctoral Internship Requirements
12-month Pre-Doctoral Internship is a milestone requirement of the program.
Students must successfully complete a 12-month, full-time supervised training experience in an approved clinical setting.
Only students who are registered in the program and in their final year of study may undertake the Doctoral Internship.
The Internship includes intensive exposure to various professional issues, the opportunity to work with a diverse range of clinical populations and problems, and advanced training in the use of specific psychological assessment and intervention strategies.
The specific requirements of the Doctoral Internship are established on a student-by-student basis.
The internship will not be included in GPA calculations.
Please see the Clinical Psychology Graduate Student Handbook for additional information.
Advanced Credit
Advanced Credit may be given for up to 12 units of graduate work, if this work is consistent with the program’s requirements.
Flexible Grade Option (CG Grade)
The Clinical Psychology program in the Psychology Department will not permit the Flexible Grade Option (CG Grade) for any course offered by the Clinical Psychology Program.
Students may not choose the CG grade for a course taken extra to load.
The use of the CG grade will affect students' eligibility for internal awards.
Credit for Undergraduate Courses
Students admitted to the program who completed undergraduate breadth courses or their equivalents (see Admissions) may be exempt from comparable breadth requirements in their graduate program.
Time Limit
It is expected that students will complete the MSc thesis within 2 years. Students in the MSc program must complete all requirements within 4 registration years. Students who have taken three years to complete all requirements for the master’s degree will normally not be admitted into the doctoral program. It is possible for students to complete the MSc and PhD program within 5 years. Maximum time to completion for the doctoral program is 6 years.
Supervisory Assignments
Program students must have a research supervisor at all times. Supervisors are arranged by mutual consent of student and faculty member, and are consistent with the focus of the student’s research work. Doctoral candidates must have a supervisory committee of at least three members.
Research Proposal
Students in the program must complete both a master’s thesis and doctoral thesis, according to the criteria set by the Faculty of Graduate Studies. These research projects typically involve the design of a research question and research project, the collection, analysis and interpretation of original data, and the preparation of a written document consistent with good scholarship. Students whose research involves human subjects must receive approval from the appropriate departmental or University Ethics Review Committee before beginning data collection.
Required Examinations
In addition to Faculty of Graduate Studies requirements, the program requires:
Candidacy
Doctoral students must complete a written thesis proposal and pass oral and a written Field of Study examinations. For complete details of the examination format and other candidacy requirements, see psyc.ucalgary.ca/graduate-program/program-clinical-psychology.
Thesis Examination
Final thesis oral examinations are open.
Scheduling of the Examination
All members of the Supervisory Committee must have reviewed the student’s research, including a relevant written sample of the materials related to the thesis, before an examination can be scheduled
Composition of the Committee
The Internal Examiner must be external to the home program.
Core faculty members in the Psychology and Clinical Psychology programs are not eligible to serve as Internal Examiner; however, adjunct faculty members are eligible to serve in this capacity.
Financial assistance may be available to qualified students. Applicants and program students are strongly encouraged to apply for internal and external awards. For information on Awards, see the Awards and Financial Assistance section of this Calendar.
Students applying for scholarships must submit their applications to the Department by January 15.