Psy.D. Admissions

Overview

Given the ongoing demand for doctoral level training in professional psychology and the limited number of students that we will admit per year, admission to the Psy.D. program is expected to be quite competitive. The Psy.D. program enrolls eight students each year.

To earn a Psy.D. at Georgia Southern University, students must satisfactorily complete a minimum of 114 credits of coursework (a minimum of one year, 12 continuous months of full-time coursework must be done in residency at Georgia Southern), three years of practicum, pass the Clinical Qualifying Examination (written and oral components), complete a dissertation, and complete a 12-month (2000-hour) clinical internship. The dissertation proposal and CQE must be defended before the student may apply for internship. The standard timeline for completion of the Psy.D. is 5 years (including the 12-month internship).

Although academic background, intellectual potential, and professional experience and skills will be key selection criteria, we intend to recruit students who are committed to providing service with predominantly rural and underserved populations. Therefore, students should carefully consider their interest in rural and underserved populations before applying to the program. Applicants will only be considered for admission to the Psy.D. program (i.e., students will not be admitted for a terminal masters degree in clinical psychology).

Undergraduate Prerequisites. To be admitted to the Psy.D. program an applicant need not have an undergraduate degree in psychology. However, the student must have earned a minimum grade of B in the following courses: Psychological Statistics, Research Design, Abnormal Psychology. In addition, students must have 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, and/or Psychology of Substance Abuse. Additional coursework in psychology and in related disciplines is likely to strengthen a candidate’s application.

Transfer of graduate courses from other institutions. Students may receive credit for graduate courses taken at a regionally accredited institution during the last five years. A maximum of 18 hours of graduate level coursework is allowed. All decisions on exempted courses lie with the Clinical Training Committee, and require any student desiring course transfer to provide documentation (e.g., syllabi, tests, grades) from the previous course.

Credit will not be given for clinical courses, with the exception of Assessment I: Psychometric Theory (PSYC 7231) and Assessment II: Intellectual Assessment (PSYC 7234).

Students wishing to be exempted from these courses must demonstrate proficiency as determined by the clinical committee. Students wishing to transfer these courses must demonstrate proficiency as determined by the Clinical Training Committee. Course equivalencies will be determined on a case by case basis. Any course deficiencies will need to be completed with attention to course sequences and prerequisites before a degree can be awarded.

Part-time Admission. The Psy.D. program is designed to be a full-time program completed in five years. However, we realize some students may desire to do a portion of the program part-time. Students may be admitted to the program with part-time status. The following criteria must be met:

• Students must apply via the same admission procedures as full-time students;
• Students can only begin the program in the Fall semester; and
• Students must be admitted with a minimum of 18 hours of course credit in non-clinical courses (i.e., they must enter the program with the maximum amount of transfer credit).

Once admitted, part-time students must:

• Enroll in a minimum of 6 credit hours of coursework each semester;
• Be enrolled in the program every semester, unless a Leave of Absence is granted;
• Enroll in necessary co-requisite courses when they are required;
• Enroll in Foundations of Psychotherapy I, II, and Group Psychotherapy (PSYC 7232, 7433, and 7235) in consecutive semesters;
• Switch to full-time enrollment (minimum 9 credit hours per semester) for at least one full year to meet the residency requirement; and
• Complete the Psy.D. program within the 8-year time limit allowed for all students.

More information regarding admission to the Psy.D program.

Contact:

Thresa Yancey, Ph.D. (Director of Clinical Training)
psyd@georgiasouthern.edu
912-478-5704

Admissions Process

1. Applications will be evaluated once per year for Fall admissions. The deadline for applications is December 15.
2. Applicants will submit an application online.
3. An admissions committee, consisting of the clinical psychology faculty, will review and rank order applications based on the student selection/admissions criteria.

Student Selection/Admissions Criteria

1. A successful completion of a bachelor’s degree from a regionally accredited institution. Students’ academic record will be evaluated based on official transcripts from all previous enrollments in higher education.
   • Grade Point Average (GPA): A minimum undergraduate GPA of 3.30 is required for consideration. The average undergraduate GPA of successful applicants for the Fall 2022 class was 3.76 (on a 4.0 scale).
   • A minimum grade of B in the following undergraduate 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 Abuse.
2. Three letters of recommendation from former professors or appropriate employers/advisors.
3. A written statement of professional goals. Please describe why you want to pursue doctoral training in clinical psychology. Also, describe how Georgia Southern University’s program is a good fit. Finally, please list three (3) Statesboro campus psychology faculty whose research interests are a match to your own. Of these three, please include at least one clinical faculty member and one faculty member who is not clinical.  This statement should be 500 words or less in length.
4. A current Curriculum Vitae or Resume.
5. Optional: Submission of a writing sample of past work provides an opportunity to showcase your writing skills, tone, and style. The sample should be no longer than two double-spaced pages. Consider submitting an excerpt or passage from a research paper or writing assignment for class, a manuscript, or other relevant works.
6. An interview is required. Interview dates for Fall 2023 admission will be February 3 and 4, 2023. All interview activities will be via video conferencing or other remote means. Applicants selected for interview will be notified by the program in mid-January.

The PsyD program seeks a diverse applicant pool. We welcome applications from under-represented ethnic minorities, women, applicants with disabilities, first-generation college graduates, and non-traditional students.