Health Service Psychology (Psy.D.)

Program Admission Requirements

At the time of enrollment in the program, applicants must have completed the following: (a) a Master’s or Specialist degree in psychology or (b) a Master’s degree in a related area that includes at least 18 hours of coursework in psychology.  At the time of application, candidates will indicate one concentration area: Clinical or School Psychology.

Candidates who are graduates of the M.A. Clinical Psychology program or S.S.P. School Psychology program at Western Carolina University will have satisfied all prerequisites prior to admission to the PsyD program. Candidates graduating from other Master’s programs will need to submit transcripts, syllabi, and evidence of prior research conducted (e.g., thesis; published paper) for faculty review to determine if prior coursework satisfies program prerequisites; however, these materials are not needed as part of the initial application.

Admission into the PsyD program is selective and satisfying the preferred admission criteria described below does not guarantee admission to the program.  The PsyD admission committee (PAC) will review all completed applications and invite top candidates for in-person interviews.  Interviewee selection will be based on review of graduate coursework and GPA, GRE scores (if required), quality of recommendations, and personal statement.  The application review process involves holistic evaluation, including fit with mission of the program as well as academic preparation and promise.

Application Requirements and Preferred Admissions Criteria:

• Official Transcripts from all Universities Attended documenting the following criteria
  • Cumulative undergraduate GPA of 3.30 (on a 4.0 scale) for the last 60 hours (preferred criteria)
  • Cumulative graduate GPA of 3.5 (on a 4.0 scale) or higher (preferred criteria)
• An official GRE General Test score report from within the past five years must be provided by applicants with a cumulative graduate GPA less than 3.7. Submission of GRE General Test scores are optional for applicants with a cumulative undergraduate GPA of 3.7 or above.
  • GRE scores at the 50^th percentile or higher on both Verbal Reasoning and Quantitative Reasoning sections (preferred criteria)
• Three letters of recommendation solicited from professionals (ideally professional supervisors and psychology faculty) who can provide information about candidate’s:
  • Capacity for success in a doctoral psychology program
  • Interpersonal characteristics
  • Academic preparation
  • Clinical skills
• A Curriculum Vita documenting the following criteria
  • Prior research experience (preferred criteria)
  • Educational history and Other Experiences
• Personal statement written in three (3) double-spaced pages or less describing the candidate’s:
  • background and experiences in psychology,
  • interest in the PsyD program and specific concentration identified
  • academic interests that align with departmental faculty
  • career goals
  • commitment to providing psychological services to underserved and rural populations. 

Program Description

The Doctor of Psychology (PsyD) in Health Service Psychology (Combined Clinical/School) program is a three-year post-Masters professional preparation program.  The PsyD program ascribes to the practitioner-scholar model of clinical training, which places greater emphasis on clinical preparation as opposed to research training.  The Program requires the completion of 57 semester hours (plus any prerequisite hours not met through the candidate’s earned Masters/Specialist degree relevant to the concentration). The curriculum consists of required and elective courses (33 hours), practicum (12 hours), dissertation (6 hours), and internship (6 hours).  The curriculum is designed to meet requirements for accreditation by the American Psychological Association.

When combined with pre-requisite coursework and experiences, students who complete the program and pass the Examination for Professional Practice in Psychology (EPPP) should be eligible for licensure as a psychologist and students in the School Psychology Concentration who pass the Praxis exam should also be license eligible by state departments of instruction and eligible for National Certification as a School Psychologist (NCSP). State standards for licensure vary and it is the responsibility of candidates to be aware of state licensure laws to ensure training meets licensure standards for the state.