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4. CURRICULUM

Except for unusual circumstances, each class you take is worth 3-credit hours. Basically, the required courses are those identified by the Clinical Division and by the Department. These requirements involve 54 hours of the 72 hours of course work you must complete for the Ph.D., leaving 18 hours of electives. Some requirements for course work are not single courses but actually constitute generic requirements; that is, you must choose one course from a group of several possibilities. As a result, 15 of the total 54 hours of required course work are "flexible" requirements in that you can select from several options. All options for meeting this requirement are listed in this section.

4.1. Clinical Core. To acquire a solid foundation in the theory and method of clinical psychology, all clinical students are required to complete the following:

Psychopathology (Psych 446)
Intellectual and Personality Testing (Psych 432)
One Advanced Assessment Course (in Adult or Child area)
Introduction to the Profession of Clinical Psychology (Psych 412)
Theories of Psychotherapy and Behavior Change (Psych 469)
Practicum in Psychotherapy (Psych 464); 2 semesters
Ethics and Professional Practice (Psych 510)
Human Diversity
One advanced therapy course to be selected from the available electives

In the second year, all students participate in a year-long practicum and are supervised by one of our clinical faculty. This practicum occurs in the fall and spring semesters of the second year and operates within the Wellness Center. Students register for Practicum in Psychotherapy (464) in each semester of their second year. Each class is 3-credit hours.


During the first year in the program, students take Introduction to the Profession of Clinical Psychology (412) which is spread out over the entire academic year. Students in this class participate in professional issues seminars, receive an introduction to the operation and procedures of the Wellness Center, receive didactic and practical instruction on basic clinical, research, and professional issues, and observe clinical work.

4.2. Research and Methodology. To acquire a comprehensive background in the science and methodology of psychology, students are required to take the following:

History and Systems of Psychology (Psych 401)
Advanced Statistics I (Psych 480)
Advanced Statistics II (Psych 482)
Clinical Research Methods (Psych 418)


4.3. General Psychology Core. As part of the Ph.D. Qualifying Procedure, all Psychology Department students must take one course in each of the following 3-areas:
Area A
Sensory Processes (421)
Information Processing (435)
Physiological (426)
Learning and Memory (424)
Theory and Research in Psycholinguistics (440)
Thinking and Problem Solving (459)
Neuropsychology (518)

Area B
Social Psychological Theories (460)
Attitude Organization and Change (461)
Cognitive Social Psychology (462)
Research in Group Dynamics (474)
Community Psychology (465)

Area C
Personality Theory (405)
Psychopathology (446)
Developmental (455)
Cognitive Development (475)
Social Development (473)

In addition, APA requires that students in all accredited clinical programs acquire basic knowledge in each of four areas described as "general psychology core areas." Note that the Department and APA requirements overlap in several respects. One class can simultaneously satisfy both APA and Departmental requirements.

To acquire a broad background in the primary content areas designated by APA, clinical students are required to complete one course from each of the following areas:

Biological Bases of Behavior [APA - AREA 1]
Physiological Psychology (Psych 426)
Sensation and Perception (Psych 421)
Neuropsychology (518)

Cognitive-Affective Bases of Behavior [APA - AREA 2]
Learning (Psych 424)
Information Processing (Psych 435)
Cognitive Development (Psych 475)

Social Bases of Behavior [APA - AREA 3]
Cognitive Social Psychology (Psych 462)

Social Psychological Theory (Psych 460)
Organizational Psychology (Psych 472)
Attitude Organization and Change (Psych 461)
Community Psychology (Psych 465)
Social Development (Psych 473)

Individual Behavior [APA - AREA 4]
Developmental Psychology (Psych 455)
Psychology of Mature Years (Psych 450)
Personality Theory (Psych 405)
Psychopathology (Psych 446)

NOTE. What accounts for these requirements? The Boulder Model emphasis of our clinical program demands that we provide students with sound training in both research and clinical practice. Moreover, APA asserts (and we concur) that the very best Ph.D.'s are broadly trained. This same philosophy explains why the Department requires that all students advancing toward the Ph.D. receive sound generalist training in research methodology and exposure to several broad areas of psychology regardless of the student's individual program.

4.4. Electives

Within the structure of the clinical program, students have considerable freedom to pursue individualized interests through elective courses. Electives constitute one-fourth of the total program of studies. These electives are selected by the student, in consultation with his/her advisor, and should be chosen to provide greater depth in the student's specialized interest areas as well as a richer contextual framework for his/her clinical interests.

A fairly up-to-date listing and description of both required and elective courses can be found in the most recent Graduate School Catalog. In addition to those courses listed, the Program offers a Special Topics Seminar in Clinical Psychology (Psych 518). The seminar is used to give seminars on advanced clinical or research topics of special relevance or interest to students. For example, seminars offered under this title have included: Cognitive Behavior Therapy; Supervision and Consultation; Health Psychology; and Projective Assessment.

A word of advice: elective courses are usually offered once every two or three years. Since these courses tend to be more specialized, their scheduling also depends on the availability of a qualified instructor. It is wise to think about your electives well in advance and to consult with your advisor or the Director of Clinical Training concerning the scheduling of these courses.

If carefully planned, your elective schedule can allow you to develop expertise in special areas of interest within clinical psychology. For example, it is possible to pursue a sequence of electives relevant to community psychology, neuropsychology, or health psychology. It is also possible to combine electives with externship experience to pursue a clinical-child subspecialty (see Section 4.5).

4.5. Clinical-Child Subspecialty

Overview of the Program

The goal of the clinical-child subspecialty is to provide broad training for clinical-child psychologists that would enable them to work with children, adolescents, and families. Included in this training is coursework, externship and research experiences, and a pre-doctoral internship. Involvement in the subspecialty may begin upon matriculation into the clinical psychology program, but continued involvement is voluntary. An ongoing evaluation process, a “Brown Bag” colloquium series, and other activities are integrated into the program. The program is overseen by the DCT.


This training experience is a "track" within the existing clinical psychology program, rather than a separate subprogram (i.e., students who decide to enroll in this program are required to take the core courses required of all clinical psychology students). In other words, students in this track complete the clinical psychology program with a clinical-child subspecialty. Students and faculty in this subspecialty are encouraged to interact with the students and faculty of the Developmental Division (division meetings, social gatherings, brown bags, etc.).

All students in the Clinical Program may take clinical-child courses and acquire child-related experiences. However, students should only report that they have been trained as a clinical-child psychologist if they have completed all of the requirements listed below.


Requirements of the Subspecialty

1. Each student's dissertation must be directly related to child, adolescent, or family issues. Also, at least one faculty member from the child-track must serve on each student's Thesis and Dissertation Committees.

2. After the Second Year Practicum, students in the Child -Clinical Subspecialty must complete an advanced Child/Adolescent/Family Externship that is approved by the Subspecialty Coordinator.

3. Students are required to complete an internship where at least 33% of one's time is spent with child, adolescent, or family clients.

4. Student's in this track are required to take the following five courses:

Child Psychopathology (451)
Child Assessment (438)
Child Psychotherapy (452)
Cognitive Development (475)
Social Development (473)