Doctor of Clinical Psychology

Program Overview

The APA-accredited doctorate program in clinical psychology at Georgia Southern University (GS) is a full time, day program offering a course of study leading to the Doctor of Clinical Psychology degree. The program’s curriculum prepares graduates for the practice of psychology with a special focus on practice in rural areas. Coursework and training prepare students for licensure as a psychologist, with an emphasis on educating emerging psychologists for the underserved areas in the state of Georgia and adjacent regions in the Southeast.

The Psy.D. program originated from a longstanding and dire need for licensed psychologists in rural, underserved areas of the United States, most specifically in the rural south. This mission is consistent with Georgia Southern University’s commitment to serving the needs of the southeastern region of the country. The program trains students according to the practitioner-scholar model. Students are taught to become generalists who will be effective in the delivery of psychotherapy, psychological assessment, and psychological consultation services in rural areas. Consistent with the framework of a generalist approach, the curriculum, beginning with foundational courses, strives to create and maintain a dynamic and integrative program, emphasizing behavioral, cognitive, existential, family systems, humanistic, and psychodynamic orientations.

The program is designed to foster the intrapersonal and professional development of students. This process is aimed at helping the students cultivate balance within their personal and professional growth. In addition to academic requirements, students are encouraged to take initiative and responsibility for personal and professional growth through independent readings, interaction with fellow students and faculty, attendance at colloquia, and additional elective research and practica opportunities.

The PsyD is a professional degree and focuses on the development of applied practice skills. Because the program is an integral part of the College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences in a regional university, doctoral students engage in all aspects of scholarly inquiry, including substantive qualitative and quantitative research, and professional membership and discourse in state, regional, and national organizations.

Regular Admission Requirements

• Successful completion of a bachelor’s degree from a regionally accredited institution. Students’ academic records will be evaluated based on official transcripts from all previous enrollments in higher education.
  • Grade Point Average (GPA): A GPA of 3.30 (undergraduate or graduate). The average GPA of successful applicants is available on the departmental website.
  • A minimum grade of B in the following undergraduate or graduate courses: 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 Use.
• All applicants are required to submit current (last five years) scores from the Graduate Record Exam (GRE) General Test.
  • We have no minimum cutoff for scores on the verbal and quantitative sections of the GRE. However, the average GRE scores of successful applicants are available on the departmental website.
  • For Non-Psychology majors only: In addition to the GRE General test, applicants with degrees in other majors must submit scores (last five years) for the GRE subtest in Psychology.
• Three letters of recommendation from former professors or appropriate employers/advisors.
• A written statement of professional goals and a rationale for how the Psy.D. program will further the students’ career objectives. Please discuss the fit of previous experiences and/or career goals with the mission of the Psy.D. program to train psychologists to work with rural and underserved populations. Please include up to three clinical faculty with whom you would be most interest in speaking if invited for an interview.
• A curriculum vitae or resume.

Based on a review of the application materials, the Admissions Committee will select top candidates for an on-campus interview. Interviews are mandatory for admission into the program. The Admissions Committee will contact top candidates with details regarding on-campus interview dates and procedures.

*International transcripts must be evaluated by a NACES accredited evaluation service and must be a course by course evaluation and include a GPA.

StatesboroDegree Requirements: 114-124 Credit Hours

Tuition fees are available here.

Admission Deadlines

Outcomes

The Psy.D. program aspires to provide quality graduate training to students in the field of clinical psychology. The program espouses goals, objectives, and competencies related to the practice of psychology, especially in rural communities. The goals, objectives, and competencies were derived from the program’s faculty, university mission, and community needs of southeastern Georgia, but are influenced by the policies and guidelines put forth by the American Psychological Association (APA). Students are expected to achieve all goals, objectives, and competencies.