Clinical Psychology (Ph.D.)
The doctoral training program in clinical psychology is a single program that prepares students for and makes them eligible to take the New York State Licensing Examination in Psychology. Students can specialize in one of four areas through elective courses, selecting an appropriate externship, and conducting either their M.A. or doctoral research in that area.
Students are expected to be in residence for their first four years, typically taking three to four courses in addition to Clinical Topics Seminar and Research Colloquium per semester. Most students also take some courses over the summer, with up to two summer courses covered by their tuition scholarship. In total, students are required to complete 60 course credits. Externship, Research Practicum, Dissertation, and an APA-accredited internship bring the total to the 85 credits required for graduation. Courses taken over the summer or transferred from a prior institution may reduce the number of courses per semester or provide greater flexibility in selecting and scheduling electives.
Clinical Psychology Placement
Students are admitted to the clinical program within the psychology department rather than to a faculty member's lab. However, students interested in working with a particular faculty member are strongly encouraged to indicate this interest in their admission materials, as the vast majority of students enter the program with a clearly identified mentor.
The clinical program also admits students who do not declare which faculty member would be their academic and/or research adviser as part of the admissions process. These students are free to select the faculty members most able to direct the research interest they cultivate during their first year. Students are welcome to work with another faculty member on their doctoral dissertation should their research interests change during their time in the program.
| Course | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Biological Bases of Behavior: | 3 | |
| Introduction to Neuroscience | ||
| Social Bases: | 3 | |
| Issues in Social Psychology | ||
| History and Systems: | 3 | |
| History and Systems | ||
| Cognitive-Affective Bases: | 3 | |
| Cognition and Affect | ||
| Individual Bases: | 3 | |
| Personality Theories and Research | ||
| Developmental Bases (one of the following courses) | 3 | |
| Developmental Psychology: Foundations | ||
or PSYC 6330 | Cognitive Development | |
| Statistics Courses: | 9 | |
| Introduction to Psychology Statistics w/ Lab | ||
| Psychology Research Methodology | ||
| Regression with Lab | ||
| Psychological Assessment: | 9 | |
| Cognitive Assessment with Lab | ||
| Personality Assessment with Lab | ||
Elective Assessment Course (see below listing) | ||
| Diagnostic and Intervention Training: | 12 | |
| Psychotherapy Theories | ||
| Psychopathology | ||
| Clinical Diagnosis | ||
Elective Intervention Course (see below listing) | ||
| Diversity Training: | 3 | |
| Multicultural Seminar | ||
| Professional Ethics and Standards: | 3 | |
| Ethics in Psychology | ||
| Identification of Child Abuse | ||
| General Clinical Elective (see below listing) | 3 | |
| Teaching Skill Development: | 3 | |
| The Teaching of Psychology | ||
| Externship Training: | 14 | |
| Clinical Externship I | ||
| Clinical Externship II | ||
| Clinical Externship III | ||
| Clinical Externship IV | ||
| Clinical Externship V | ||
| Clinical Externship VI | ||
| Research Training | 9 | |
| Pre-Doctoral Thesis | ||
or PSYC 8040 | Independent Research | |
| Proposal Acceptance | ||
| Dissertation Mentoring-Psychology | ||
| Clinical Topics Seminar | ||
| Clinical Topics Seminar (6 Semesters) | ||
| Research Colloquium | ||
| Research Colloquium (6 Semesters) | ||
| Ph.D. Comprehensive Exam | 0 | |
| Psychology Doctoral Comprehensive Examination | ||
| Internship Training: Taken Twice | 2 | |
| Clinical Psychology Internship | ||
| Total Credits | 85 | |
- 1
For more information on the Comprehensive Examination, view the page on the Fordham website.
- 2
For more information on Clinical Externships, view the page on the Fordham website.
Assessment Electives
Courses in this group have the CPAE attribute.
| Course | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| PSYC 6137 | Personality Assessment II | 3 |
| PSYC 6184 | Behavioral Assessment with Lab | 3 |
| PSYC 6190 | Forensic Assessment | 3 |
| PSYC 6251 | Foundations of Neuropsychology | 3 |
| PSYC 6253 | Neuropsychological Assessment With Lab | 3 |
| PSYC 6257 | Child Neuropsychology | 3 |
Intervention Electives
Courses in this group have the CPIE attribute.
| Course | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| PSGE 6630 | Group Counseling | 3 |
| PSYC 6050 | Behavioral Medicine | 3 |
| PSYC 6205 | Clinical Geropsychology | 3 |
| PSYC 6245 | Cognitive Behavioral Therapy | 3 |
| PSYC 6250 | Dialectical Behavior Therapy | 3 |
| PSYC 6280 | Brief Psychotherapy | 3 |
| PSYC 6285 | Evidence-Based Psychodynamic Therapy | 3 |
| PSYC 6298 | Psychoanalytic Theory | 3 |
| PSYC 6380 | Anxiety Disorder Seminar | 3 |
| PSYC 6385 | Depression and Suicide | 3 |
| PSYC 6390 | Global Mental Health | 3 |
| PSYC 7250 | Treatment of Substance Abuse | 3 |
| PSYC 8271 | Child Psychotherapy | 3 |
Clinical Electives
Courses in this group have the CPCE attribute.
| Course | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| PSGE 6630 | Group Counseling | 3 |
| PSYC 6020 | Health Psychology | 3 |
| PSYC 6030 | Trauma and Family Violence | 3 |
| PSYC 6050 | Behavioral Medicine | 3 |
| PSYC 6137 | Personality Assessment II | 3 |
| PSYC 6184 | Behavioral Assessment with Lab | 3 |
| PSYC 6190 | Forensic Assessment | 3 |
| PSYC 6205 | Clinical Geropsychology | 3 |
| PSYC 6245 | Cognitive Behavioral Therapy | 3 |
| PSYC 6251 | Foundations of Neuropsychology | 3 |
| PSYC 6253 | Neuropsychological Assessment With Lab | 3 |
| PSYC 6257 | Child Neuropsychology | 3 |
| PSYC 6280 | Brief Psychotherapy | 3 |
| PSYC 6290 | Health Disparities and Social Justice in Research and Practice | 3 |
| PSYC 6298 | Psychoanalytic Theory | 3 |
| PSYC 6380 | Anxiety Disorder Seminar | 3 |
| PSYC 6385 | Depression and Suicide | 3 |
| PSYC 6390 | Global Mental Health | 3 |
| PSYC 6530 | Developmental Psychopathology | 3 |
| PSYC 6670 | Psychopharmacology I | 3 |
| PSYC 7010 | Psychology and Criminal Law | 3 |
| PSYC 7020 | Psychology and Civil Law | 3 |
| PSYC 7030 | Psychology and Juvenile Justice | 3 |
| PSYC 7250 | Treatment of Substance Abuse | 3 |
| PSYC 8271 | Child Psychotherapy | 3 |
Child and Adolescent area of study
Requirements of the area of study include completion of the clinical psychology core curriculum, along with a minimum of three courses within the child and family psychology area of study, one externship in a child or family therapy setting, and predoctoral or doctoral research in a topic related to child and family psychology.
| Course | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| PSYC 6530 | Developmental Psychopathology | 3 |
| PSYC 8271 | Child Psychotherapy | 3 |
| One elective course from below: | 3 | |
| Trauma and Family Violence | ||
| Behavioral Assessment with Lab | ||
| Psychology and Juvenile Justice | ||
| Child Neuropsychology | ||
For more information on the Child and Adolescent clinical major area of study, visit our page on the Fordham website.
Neuropsychology area of study
Requirements of the area of study include completion of the clinical psychology core curriculum, along with completion of a minimum of three courses within the neuropsychology area of study, one externship in Clinical Neuropsychology, and predoctoral or doctoral research in a topic related to neuropsychology.
| Course | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| PSYC 6251 | Foundations of Neuropsychology | 3 |
| PSYC 6253 | Neuropsychological Assessment With Lab | 3 |
| One elective course from below: | 3 | |
| Child Neuropsychology | ||
| Health Disparities and Social Justice in Research and Practice | ||
| Psychopharmacology I | ||
For more information on the Neuropsychology clinical major area of study, visit our page on the Fordham website.
Forensic area of study
Requirements of the area of study include completion of the clinical psychology core curriculum, along with a minimum of three courses within the forensic psychology area of study, one externship in a forensic setting, and predoctoral or doctoral research in a topic related to forensic psychology.
| Course | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Three of the following: | ||
| PSYC 6030 | Trauma and Family Violence | 3 |
| PSYC 6190 | Forensic Assessment | 3 |
| PSYC 7010 | Psychology and Criminal Law | 3 |
| PSYC 7020 | Psychology and Civil Law | 3 |
| PSYC 7030 | Psychology and Juvenile Justice | 3 |
For more information on the Forensic clinical major area of study, visit our page on the Fordham website.
Health area of study
Requirements of the area of study include completion of the clinical psychology core curriculum along with completion of a minimum of three courses within the Health Psychology area of study, one externship in health psychology and predoctoral or doctoral research in a topic related to health psychology.
| Course | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Three of the following: | ||
| PSYC 6020 | Health Psychology | 3 |
| PSYC 6050 | Behavioral Medicine | 3 |
| PSYC 6251 | Foundations of Neuropsychology | 3 |
| PSYC 6257 | Child Neuropsychology | 3 |
| PSYC 6290 | Health Disparities and Social Justice in Research and Practice | 3 |
For more information on the Health clinical major area of study, visit our page on the Fordham website.