2020-2021 Academic Catalog 
    
    Mar 28, 2024  
2020-2021 Academic Catalog [ARCHIVED CATALOG]

Psychology, PhD


Overview of the PhD in Psychology


General Requirements


Course Work

Students typically take four courses each semester for the first two years, including one semester of History, Theory and Method: Research Design (PSYC 301), and two consecutive semesters of Statistical Methods (PSYC 302). In subsequent semesters in residence, students take two or three content courses and research or reading courses. A minimum of 16 one-semester courses is required for the Ph.D., depending on the program of study.

Independent Research Project

Each student must be actively involved in research from the beginning of their graduate training. At the end of their first year, students will present their work-in-progress in poster format at an annual Graduate Research Conference. At the end of their second year, they will present this work at the Conference as an oral presentation. The project will be deemed complete when it is written up in the format of a journal article. Students wishing to obtain a formal M.A. should consult the university website for M.A. requirements.

Portfolio

Students demonstrate qualification to begin dissertation work by completing a portfolio of elements totaling 6 points during the first three years. Examples of elements include conference posters, papers, journal submissions, and grant proposals.

Ph.D. Dissertation

The student demonstrates the ability to conduct research by the presentation of an acceptable dissertation. A dissertation committee of three faculty members is formed to supervise all phases of the research. A dissertation proposal is first written and defended at a meeting with the committee and other faculty who have read the proposal. Once the dissertation is completed and approved by the committee, it is presented publicly to the psychology faculty, graduate students, and appropriate guests, and is open to questions from the faculty. The format of this oral examination is that of a professional presentation. The candidate is expected to demonstrate the ability to address questions on their work and on related matters. This oral includes at least the committee and two additional faculty member readers.

Additional information on the Psychology Department doctoral programs can be found on the department website: https://www.clarku.edu/departments/psychology/phd-programs/.

Graduate Studies in Clinical Psychology


The mission of the Clark University Clinical Psychology Program is to train scientist-practitioners as socially engaged clinical scholars. In keeping with the motto of Clark University to “Challenge Convention and Change Our World,” the Clinical Program aims to train scholars who will be actively engaged in the world and use their work to improve the quality of the world in which we live and the lives of the people in our communities. Thus, the Clark University Clinical Psychology Program adheres to the Scientist-Practitioner model in which our students are trained to be skilled scientists and clinicians who can integrate the science of psychology with its professional practice.

To achieve our goals, we provide training in research methods, clinical practice, and their integration. This training is sequential, cumulative, and graded in complexity, and occurs through a variety of integrated and coherent educational experiences in the classroom, laboratory, and practicum settings. In order to produce competent clinicians, the Clinical Program provides training in the basic principles and processes of psychological assessment, evidence-based psychotherapy, and an array of general professional skills. This training occurs in coursework and clinical practica, and is provided by both core clinical faculty and affiliated faculty.

Our program involves four years of coursework and practicum experiences. During their first three years in the program, students receive close supervision and broad-based training from core clinical faculty in adult and child assessment (Years 01 and 02), individual therapy (Year 02), and couples therapy (Year 03). In addition, during their third and fourth years, students participate in off-site clinical practica and externships where they receive more focused training in particular areas of interest. Most often, students apply for internship during the fall of the fifth year. The fifth year is also typically used to work on and potentially defend the dissertation before going on internship. The final stage of the student’s clinical training is the completion of an APA-approved clinical internship, which usually takes place in the 6th year.

While our training model is relatively simple, there are a number of rules and requirements developed to ensure that (1) students receive top-quality training; (2) training conforms to the guidelines of the department, university, and American Psychological Association (APA); and (3) students satisfactorily complete coursework and required experiences in a timely fashion.

The clinical psychology program is accredited by the American Psychological Association (APA). For more information, contact the APA Committee on Accreditation at 750 First St., NE, Washington, DC 2002-4242 or 202.336.5979. For further information, contact the Director of Clinical Training, Dr. Michael Addis.

Graduate Studies in Developmental Psychology


A pioneer in the study of human development, Clark’s Ph.D program in Developmental Psychology focuses on the development of psychological processes in societal and cultural contexts. With faculty expertise across the lifespan, faculty unite in studying the links between intra-individual and inter-individual change over time. How do interactions between individuals, ecological contexts, and cultural patterning result in new ways of being in the world? Currently faculty examine areas such as bilingualism, pretend play, racial experiences, narrative, and malleable factors influencing learning and subsequent academic achievement in schooling and college populations. For additional information about study in developmental psychology, please contact the Developmental program head, Nancy Budwig.

Graduate Studies in Social Psychology


This program focuses on basic social psychological processes that underlie pressing social and political issues–locally, nationally, and globally. At Clark, this includes primarily the study of intergroup relations, societal conflict and reconciliation, violence, health disparities, and commitment to social change, including political action and intervention. More generally, we examine the interaction of individual differences and social structures in producing and reflecting political attitudes, behavior, and health. We pay particular attention to how human experience–thought, behavior, feelings–is shaped by history and intersectionality of group memberships, and how social structure reinforces power relations. Students and faculty in the program use a wide variety of quantitative and qualitative methods, including lab and field experiments, surveys, interviews, focus groups, and archival research. The program encourages contextualized and interdisciplinary research, novel theoretical work, the use of multiple methods, and work with diverse community samples in different parts of the world.

For further information, contact Dr. Johanna Ray Vollhardt, head of the Social Psychology program.

Psychology Faculty


Program Faculty


Esteban Cardemil, Ph.D. - Department Chair
Michael Addis, Ph.D.
Michael Bamberg, Ph.D.
Nancy Budwig, Ph.D.
James Córdova, Ph.D.
Alena Esposito, Ph.D.
Abbie Goldberg, Ph.D.
Wendy S. Grolnick, Ph.D.
Amy Heberle, Ph.D.
Ana K. Marcelo, Ph.D.
Nicole Overstreet, Ph.D.
Kathleen Palm Reed, Ph.D.
Andrew Stewart, Ph.D.
Johanna Ray Vollhardt, Ph.D.

Research Faculty


Jeffrey Jensen Arnett, Ph.D.
Rachel Joffe Falmagne, Ph.D.
Joseph de Rivera, Ph.D.

Clinical Faculty


Michael Addis, Ph.D.- Director of Clinical Training
Amy Heberle, Ph.D.- Associate Director of Clinical Training
Esteban Cardemil, Ph.D.
James Cordova, Ph.D.
Abbie Goldberg, Ph.D.
Wendy Grolnick, Ph.D.
Kathleen Palm Reed, Ph.D.

Developmental Faculty


Nancy Budwig, Ph.D. - Head of Developmental Program
Michael Bamberg, Ph.D.
Alena Esposito, Ph.D.
Ana K. Marcelo, Ph.D.

Social Faculty


Johanna Ray Vollhardt, Ph.D. - Head of Social Program
Nicole Overstreet, Ph.D.
Andrew Stewart, Ph.D.

Professors Emeriti


Roger Bibace, Ph.D.
Joseph de Rivera, Ph.D.
Rachel Joffe Falmagne, Ph.D.
James Laird, Ph.D.
David Stevens, Ph.D.
Nicholas Thompson, Ph.D.
Jaan Valsiner, Ph.D.
Marianne Wiser, Ph.D.

Affiliate Faculty


Cathleen Crider, Ph.D.
Ashley Hart, Ph.D
Christina Hatgis, Ph.D.
Phoebe Moore, Ph.D.
Johanna Sagarin, Ph.D.

Psychology Graduate Courses


Courses offered within the last 2 Academic Years