What is the Psy.D. degree?
The Psy.D. is short for "Doctorate in Psychology". Psy.D. programs seek to train students to be practicing clinicians. The Psy.D. program includes both foundation courses in psychology and applied training. Students pursuing a Psy.D. degree are more likely to be interested in developing strong clinical skills, with the goal of becoming direct psychological service providers. The use of empirically-supported assessments and intervention techniques is emphasized, as well as a focus on outcome assessment. Although not designed to produce researchers, students in the Psy.D. program are taught to be educated consumers of research. To reach this goal, students receive both academic training and personal experience in research and statistics.

How long has the program been offered at Marywood?
While the Psy.D. program began in 2001, psychological training and services have a long history here. Marywood began offering courses in Psychology 60 years ago, and has offered a Master's degree in Psychology for over 40 years. Additionally, Marywood has been certifying public school psychologists since 1945. Currently, the Department also offers the Educational Specialist and degree and several terminal Master's degree programs. These include: a Master's degree in Psychology with two tracks (General Theoretical and Clinical Services); a Master's of Science degree in Counselor Education (with either a secondary or elementary school counselor focus); and a Master's of Arts degree in Mental Health Counseling.

How long do students take to complete their degree?
There are 41 students in the program (10 men and 31 women). Ten students have completed degree requirements through 2008, three of whom were admitted post-master’s degree. Average time to degree completion is 5.7 years for post-bachelor’s admission (57% in 5 years, 14% in 6 years, 29% in 7 years) and 3.7 years for post-master’s admission (33% in 3 years, 67% in 4 years).

What is the attrition rate?
The overall attrition rate since the program’s inception in 2001 is 4.9%. The table below includes more detailed data:

What opportunities are there for financial aid?
Tuition is $695 per credit for courses leading to the master's degree and $785 per credit for doctoral-level courses. Deferred payment plans are offered. All students receive some scholarship aid during their first four years in the program; the scholarship for 2008-2009 is $3800, in the form of a tuition waiver. The first-year cost for each student entering in the 2008-2009 academic year is $990 in fees plus $20,850 in tuition for post-bachelor's admission or $19,625 for post-master's admission, not reflecting (if applicable) the scholarship or graduate assistantship reduction.

Will the Psy.D. program prepare students for licensure?
Prerequisite requirements and the Psy.D. curriculum have been designed to assure that course and supervised training requirements are met for Pennsylvania licensure. Additionally, the program has designation by the Association of State and Provincial Psychology Boards and National Register. This means that upon completing the program students will have met educational requirements of licensure in the United States and Canada (students will also have to fulfill the post-doctoral requirement of the state in which they seek licensure).

This table contains the data about the licensure status of our graduates:

What is the theoretical orientation of the program?
Students in the Psy.D. program will be exposed to a variety of theoretical orientations. Our faculty have special expertise in cognitive-behavioral, psychodynamic, and family systems approaches. Through exposure to a variety of intevention and assessment techniques, students will be well-prepared to address a host of clinical issues.

Is a thesis or dissertation required?
Although the Psy.D. is not a research degree, students are expected to complete an empirical Master's thesis and may choose to conduct a research study as their dissertation project. The McGowan Center offers various spaces to conduct research, as well as individual cubicles which may be reserved on a semester-by-semester basis for use by graduate student researchers. There also is access to the department's human research pool, comprised of undergraduates in Introduction to Psychology courses. Potential faculty mentors represent a diversity of research areas, including neuropsychology, child behavioral disorders, psychotherapist burnout, aggression, assessment, program evaluation, self-esteem, stress and coping, and attachment.

What special training is available through Marywood's Psy.D.?
The curriculum of the program emphasizes training in the assessment and treatment of both adults and children. Specialized coursework and practica experiences are also available in the areas of neuropsychology, group therapy, couple/family counseling, multicultural assessment and treatment, and substance abuse treatment. Students can expect personalized advisement, have access to unique on-site practicum experiences, and will have the opportunity to attend case conferences and colloquia on a variety of topics.

How large are the class sizes?
In general, class size in very small, largely due to the fact that our cohort size is 6-8 students. Because students first take courses at the Master's level, they will encounter slightly larger class sizes during their first two years. Even at the Master's level, there are small class sizes; most psychology graduate lecture courses have less than 20 students, with practicum groups typically of 8 students. Doctoral level courses typically are offered by cohort (8 students), with some classes combining the two advanced cohorts for a typical class size of 16.

Have Marywood's Psy.D. students been successful in getting internships?
Yes. Beginning in the spring of the first year, students receive advisement about how to procure a good internship; this advisement becomes progressively more involved as students approach the fourth year in the program. As of 2009, 100% (29) of our students who applied for internship were accepted at funded sites. Fifty-nine percent (17) were accepted at APPIC-member sites and 41%(12) were accepted at APA-accredited sites. One student chose to complete a two-year half-time internship due to family obligations. Our APPIC match rate was 100% in 2008 and 2009.

What are the application requirements?
The Psy.D. at Marywood is a post-bachelor's program. Students who have earned a Master's Degree in Psychology within the last 5 years may also be eligible to apply. Applicants should have majored in psychology or similar field from an accredited institution of higher education. For more specific information about the application requirement and process, go to our "Applying to the Program" page, or select from one of the sources listed below.