Program Admission
Admission to the program is based on the following criteria:
1) Academic ability as measured by Verbal, Quantitative, and Analytical Writing scores on the GRE. In keeping with other Ph.D. programs in the State and with national criteria, admission typically includes a minimum score around the 50th percentile for each section. However, successful applicants may present much higher scores, given the highly competitive nature of clinical doctoral programs. Applicants are not required to take the GRE Advanced Psychology Test. The GRE is waived for the Fall 2023 Application Cycle.
2) Achievement in undergraduate or graduate work. Admission typically includes a minimum standard of 3.5 on a 4.0 scale undergraduate GPA. Again, successful applicants typically present with higher GPAs. Students may be admitted with either a bachelor’s or a master’s degree. Transfer credits will be determined on a case-by-case basis upon matriculation.
3) Academic background in psychology. Applicants must have completed a minimum of 20 undergraduate semester hours in psychology, including a course in statistics and a laboratory course in research methods/experimental psychology.
4) Personal qualities that predict success in graduate study and professional placement after graduation. To evaluate these, each applicant must submit three letters of recommendation. Personal qualities will also be evaluated in the context of an interview for those who pass the initial file review and are invited to the interview day(s).
5) Fit between applicant and faculty interests. A personal statement is required describing the applicant’s interests. We will be particularly interested in students with research and/or clinical experiences that are a good fit with faculty areas of expertise.
Steps for Admission
Interested applicants will submit a PSYCAS Application. All admission requirements must be met by the deadline for your application to be reviewed by the department.
Application materials submitted to PSYCAS include:
- Required Documents:
- Personal statement (instructions available within PSYCAS) – 500 words.
- Essay related to fit with the program (instructions available within PSYCAS) – 500 words.
- Diversity essay (instructions available within PSYCAS) – 500 words.
- Writing sample (typically a research paper).
- Curriculum vitae or resume.
- Official transcripts of all education beyond high school. Required for every institution granting credit. Transcripts must be submitted directly to PSYCAS. Transcripts sent to EMU will not be accepted as official, and the application will not be considered complete. (Applicants should allow 2-6 weeks for PSYCAS to process transcripts.). For additional information regarding transcript submission, please see the PSYCAS website.
- Official GRE results, including Verbal, Quantitative, and Writing scores and, if taken, the Advanced Psychology Exam score. GRE scores are not required for the Fall 2023 Admissions Cycle. However, if you have taken the GRE and want your scores to be considered part of your application, you may submit official GRE scores.
- Three letters of recommendation.
Questions and concerns should be directed to:
Doctoral Program Associate
Community Behavioral Health Clinic, 1075 N. Huron River Dr. Ypsilanti, MI 48197, psy_doc@emich.edu, 734.487.4987
Completed applications, including Graduate Record Exam (GRE) scores, letters of recommendation, and transcripts, must be received by December 1 for consideration. If the 1st falls on a weekend, materials will only be accepted the next business day. Applicants will be notified by February 15 if an interview is warranted. In accordance with APA guidelines, initial acceptance notices will be made by April 1.
Eastern Michigan University and the Psychology Department reserve the right to change any statement in this program concerning, but not limited to, rules, policies, tuition, fees, curricula, and courses.
Program Information
Objectives
The doctoral program aims to graduate fully licensable clinical psychologists with state-of-the-art knowledge relating to the psychological practice of assessment, therapy, and research within a scientist-practitioner model training. A primary program objective is the preparation of clinical psychologists who will effectively supervise and manage therapists in multidisciplinary mental health care delivery systems in a diverse society. To meet these objectives, the program emphasizes fundamental scientist-practitioner skills such as practical clinical skills in assessment and treatment and scholarly skills in designing, conducting, analyzing, and disseminating research that contributes to the field of psychology. Students can also focus their training on one or more of five areas of emphasis (adult, applied behavior analysis, assessment, developmental psychopathology, or health).
To meet these objectives, students will be provided with opportunities to:
- Practice assessment and treatment skills in a highly supervised environment.
- Work with and be supervised by faculty with expertise in various assessment and treatment modalities.
- Use state-of-the-art equipment and technology employed in the field today.
- Propose and conduct research.
- Participate in a collegial atmosphere that is open to diverse opinions and viewpoints and prepares students to analyze the current literature critically
Curriculum Design
The doctoral program is a full-time, full-residency program designed to be completed within five years, but typically students complete it within six years. No part-time students will be accepted. The curriculum is designed to meet or exceed state and national guidelines for licensing and accreditation.
APA Accreditation
The program is APA accredited, with the next site visit expected in 2027. Questions related to the program’s accredited status should be directed to the Commission on Accreditation:
Office of Program Consultation and Accreditation
American Psychological Association
750 1st Street NE
Washington, DC 20002
Phone: (202) 336-5979 / E-mail: apaaccred@apa.org
Web: www.apa.org/ed/accreditation
Integration of M.S. and Ph.D. Curricula
The doctoral program builds on our M.S. programs. The Clinical Behavioral (CB) M.S. program provides training in state-of-the-art behavioral assessment and empirically validated treatment techniques, encompassing applied behavior analysis, behavior therapy, cognitive-behavior therapy, and third-wave behavior therapy. The General Clinical (GC) M.S. program provides a multitheoretical view of psychological disorders, emphasizing assessment, diagnosis, and treatment from various perspectives, including neuroscience. A unique feature of our doctoral program is the opportunity for students to acquire specialization in applied behavior analysis and behavior therapy and/or assessment or to sample from a menu of courses from multitheoretical orientations.
Competent M.S. and Ph.D. clinicians must learn complex, specialized assessment and treatment strategies. Our two M.S. programs concentrate on training effective therapists. Well-prepared Ph.D. clinicians need this skill-based training and broad knowledge of the profession’s empirical, theoretical, and philosophical underpinnings. Therefore, our doctoral program includes a Ph.D. seminar that links concurrently taught M.S. level courses, the Ph.D. knowledge base, and practicum training. Initial practicum work will require three to five hours per week of client contact at the on-site clinic and 8 hours monthly in group and individual supervision. After mastering M.S. level skills, Ph.D. students learn to train and supervise masters-level clinicians and teach psychology.
Doctoral Fellowship
To help ensure the success of our students in the program, every student accepted will be eligible for a full-time doctoral fellowship for the first three to four years of the program. Students will be assigned to a faculty mentor in their area of research interest. Students spend 10 to 12 hours weekly with that faculty member, assisting with research and teaching activities. Fellows may be asked to help with class preparations and assist in data collection, preparation, and analysis. The faculty members will mentor their students, training and guiding them by doing collaborative research and developing and conducting their research plans for a master’s thesis, qualifying examination, and dissertation. Students request a specific faculty person as their mentor and may request a change in mentor as they matriculate through the program. Every effort will be made to accommodate student requests within reason.
Students also complete supervised training hours in the psychology clinic during their first year and for the remainder of their fellowship hours (not to exceed an average of 20 hours per week). Doctoral fellowships include a tuition fee waiver (up to 90 credits) and a stipend ($16,500 per year). Students are responsible for the registration fee (approximately $50 per semester). As part of the doctoral fellowship, students teach undergraduate courses and/or provide counseling services and/or grant-supported research.
Master of Science in Clinical Psychology (Pre-Doctorate)
Students in the Clinical Psychology Ph.D. program are allowed to apply for the pre-doctoral Master of Science in Clinical Psychology en route to the Ph.D.
The ability of doctoral students to apply for their pre-doctoral master’s is essential for Michigan licensure, which is required for many predoctoral practicum placements; specifically, once a student has received a master’s degree, they can apply for a Temporary Limited License as a Psychologist (TLLP) in Michigan. External practicum placements (two are required as part of the doctoral program) in hospital settings (i.e., UM, Henry Ford, Beaumont, etc.) and some other settings require students to have their TLLP before completing two to three years of external practicum training,
The Pre-Doctoral Master of Science in Clinical Psychology program of study includes courses required for the doctoral program (see below). In addition, students complete a pre-master’s practicum (in the Community Behavioral Health Clinic) and master’s thesis as part of this Program of Study. Students admitted to the doctoral program do not apply, become admitted, or graduate from the Psychology - Clinical Behavioral [M.S.] or Psychology - General Clinical [M.S.] programs since both class and thesis requirements differ from those in the doctoral program.
Only students admitted to the Doctor of Philosophy in Clinical Psychology program are eligible for the Pre-Doctoral MS degree. A student can apply for this MS degree or continue in the Ph.D. program without receiving the MS degree en route.
To earn the pre-doctorate Master of Science degree, students must complete 45 credit hours from the following:
Critical Graduation Information
Each graduate student is responsible for fulfilling the requirements or their equivalents of the Eastern Michigan University catalog in force at the time of their initial registration or a subsequent catalog, including the one in effect at the time of their graduation.
Students have seven (7) years to complete the requirements for the doctoral degree from the date of first enrollment in the doctoral program at EMU.
In the event a student does not complete the degree requirements within seven years of the date of their original registration, the student may be required to have their credits re-evaluated by the academic department(s) of their degree in keeping with catalog requirements in force during the year of their graduation.
The following are minimum requirements for all doctoral degrees awarded by Eastern Michigan University. Some programs require more than the minimum in one or more areas below.
- Minimum Credit Hour Requirements
- A Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) degree must require a minimum of 90 credit hours post-bachelor’s degree.
- A Ph.D. degree in a program that requires a master’s degree for admission must require a minimum of 60 credit hours post-master’s.
- A Ph.D. degree in a program that allows a specialist’s degree for admission must require a minimum of 36 credit hours post-specialist.
- Doctoral degrees in clinical or practitioner programs must require a minimum of 75 hours if admitting students post-bachelor’s degree. If admitting students post-master’s degree, a minimum of 41 new hours are required.
- Doctoral programs must require a minimum of 15 total credit hours of research and research support coursework.
- No more than six credits of independent study courses, and no more than 12 credit hours of special topics and independent study courses combined, may be applied to a graduate degree.
- Residency Requirement - See Academic Policies and Processes—Graduate School for residency requirements.
- Students must maintain a 3.0 cumulative GPA in all graduate-level courses taken at EMU and in their program of study to remain in good academic standing and be eligible for graduation. Students do not need to be registered for classes during the semester of graduation.
- The Graduate School does not permit the use of undergraduate courses (499 and below) to meet degree requirements on graduate programs of study.
- Some doctoral programs require a dissertation. See the Graduate School website for Thesis and Dissertation Manuals, all forms, and information about research and human subject approval. Every completed thesis or dissertation must be submitted to Digital Commons. Any form of graduate student work submitted to Digital Commons must first be approved by a faculty advisor and the Graduate School.
