Clinical Dissertation (1-5)

Upon completion of the Master’s Thesis (or demonstration that the said requirements have been previously met), completion of the program’s Residency Requirement, and completion and submission of the Dissertation Agreement form to the registrar, PSYD candidates are required to enroll in a minimum of three hours of Dissertation over three consecutive semesters prior to enrollment in a full-time pre-doctoral internship. The Dissertation hour shall be used to support tasks associated with the dissertation, including the development and approval of the dissertation proposal, implementation of the proposed dissertation project, as well as any other specific goals, objectives, and tasks articulated by the Chairperson. The specific goals for a given academic term should be set early on in the term and should be documented in writing. (Specific requirements, policies and procedures related to the Clinical Dissertation may be found in the DESCRIPTION OF THE THESIS AND CLINICAL DISSERTATION document located in the appendices section of this Catalog) Completion of these criteria will determine satisfactory progress toward completion of the dissertation, and assignment of a Satisfactory or Unsatisfactory grade by the Chairperson at the end of the term.

Students must maintain continuous enrollment in dissertation hours until they have successfully completed and defended their dissertation. There is one exception to this rule. Students who have not completed and defended prior to enrollment in a full-time pre-doctoral internship are not required to continue enrollment in dissertation hours during their internship year. If a student does not complete the internship or does not defend the dissertation prior to end of their last semester of internship enrollment, then s/he must continue to enroll in dissertation hours until the project is completed. Enrollment in a dissertation hour is sufficient for maintaining a continuously enrolled status. Enrollment in a dissertation hour is considered a full-time status only during the three consecutive semesters (fall, spring, summer) that mark the initial year of eligibility for application for pre-doctoral internship.