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Psychology PhD

Admission Requirements

  • Master's degree in psychology or its equivalent in a closely related discipline.
  • Research and Clinical Training Option requires that applicants have completed specific Psychology undergraduate courses required by federal and provincial licensing bodies, including an empirically based undergraduate thesis or its equivalent, as well as master's-level courses in Psychology specified by the program.
  • Proficiency in English. Applicants whose primary language is not English must demonstrate that their knowledge of English is sufficient to pursue graduate studies in their chosen field. Please refer to the English language proficiency page for further information on requirements and exemptions.

Additional Admission Requirements

Enrolment in these programs is limited in part by the availability of research supervisors and, for the Research and Clinical Training Option, by space in that option.

Applicants are selected on the basis of past academic record, letters of recommendation, and the relevance of their proposed research to the research expertise of the faculty. Students successfully completing their master's program in psychology at Concordia University need submit only an application form and letters of recommendation when applying for the doctoral degree. Psychology graduate courses are not open to graduate- level independent students, except in specific circumstances as defined by the department.

Accelerated Admission. Upon recommendation of their thesis supervisor, students enrolled in the Master of Arts (Psychology) program at Concordia University who have completed a minimum of 12 credits of graduate level course work and who have shown high academic performance and potential through performance in research may apply for accelerated admission to doctoral studies without submitting a master's thesis. Approval for accelerated admission must be obtained from the student's thesis committee and the graduate admissions subcommittee by August 15 to allow entry into the PhD program in the Fall term. Students in the Psychology MA Research Option who obtain accelerated admission to the PhD program are not required to take the elective course (chosen from PSYC 716, PSYC 721, PSYC 724, PSYC 725, PSYC 726, PSYC 727 or PSYC 734) as part of their MA coursework. Students in the Psychology MA Research and Clinical Training option may not obtain accelerated admission to the PhD program from MA Year I, but may apply for accelerated admission, upon recommendation of their thesis supervisor, from MA Year II.

Language Requirements. Although no formal language courses or examinations are required, students intending to work in Quebec are strongly encouraged to develop a working knowledge of French. Students who plan to seek admission to the Ordre des Psychologues du Québec (OPQ) are advised that Article 46 of the professional code of the Province of Quebec states that a working knowledge of French is required for professional certification.

Degree Requirements

Fully-qualified candidates are required to complete a minimum of 90 credits.

Please see the Psychology Courses page for course descriptions.

Psychology PhD (90 credits)

Psychology PhD Research Option (90 credits)

66

credits of Required Courses:

PSYC 801 Research Seminar I (3.00)
PSYC 802 Research Seminar II (3.00)
PSYC 880 PhD Comprehensive Examination (0.00)
PSYC 890 Research and Thesis (60.00)

6

credits chosen from:

PSYC 721 Special Topics Seminar (3.00)
PSYC 722 Focused Topic Seminar (1.50)
PSYC 724 Special Topics in Clinical and Health Psychology (3.00)
PSYC 725 Special Topics in Cognitive Science (3.00)
PSYC 726 Special Topics in Human Development (3.00)
PSYC 727 Special Topics in Behavioural Neuroscience (3.00)

Note: Special Topics seminars may be taken multiple times provided that the course content has changed.

18

credits completed from Set A: Psychology PhD Research Option and Set B: Psychology PhD Research Option

Set A: Psychology PhD Research Option

Students must complete 3 to 12 credits from the following:

PSYC 844 Clinical and Health Research Area Seminar II (3.00)
PSYC 845 Cognitive Science Area Seminar II (3.00)
PSYC 846 Human Development Area Seminar II (3.00)
PSYC 847 Behavioural Neuroscience Area Seminar II (3.00)

Note: each 3-credit seminar may be taken up to 4 times as an
elective option provided the topic differs.

Set B: Psychology PhD Research Option

Students must complete 6 to 15 credits from the following:

PSYC 714 Central Topics in Psychology (6.00)
PSYC 716 Advanced Human Development (3.00)
PSYC 721 Special Topics Seminar (3.00)
PSYC 722 Focused Topic Seminar (1.50)
PSYC 724 Special Topics in Clinical and Health Psychology (3.00)
PSYC 725 Special Topics in Cognitive Science (3.00)
PSYC 726 Special Topics in Human Development (3.00)
PSYC 734 Multivariate Statistics (3.00)
PSYC 8503 Practicum in Research Techniques (3.00)
PSYC 8506 Practicum in Research Techniques (6.00)
PSYC 851 Teaching of Research Techniques (3.00)

Note: Special Topics seminars may be taken multiple times provided that the course content has changed.

Psychology PhD Research and Clinical Training Option (90 credits)

66

credits of Required Courses:

PSYC 801 Research Seminar I (3.00)
PSYC 802 Research Seminar II (3.00)
PSYC 880 PhD Comprehensive Examination (0.00)
PSYC 890 Research and Thesis (60.00)

3

credits chosen from:

PSYC 721 Special Topics Seminar (3.00)
PSYC 722 Focused Topic Seminar (1.50)
PSYC 724 Special Topics in Clinical and Health Psychology (3.00)
PSYC 725 Special Topics in Cognitive Science (3.00)
PSYC 726 Special Topics in Human Development (3.00)
PSYC 727 Special Topics in Behavioural Neuroscience (3.00)

Note: Special Topics seminars may be taken multiple times provided that the course content has changed.

21

credits chosen from the following sets:

3 credits chosen from:

PSYC 8103 Advanced Adult Psychopathology (3.00)
PSYC 8104 Advanced Child and Adolescent Psychopathology (3.00)

3 credits chosen from:

PSYC 8203 Advanced Adult Intervention (3.00)
PSYC 8204 Advanced Child and Adolescent Intervention (3.00)

3 credits chosen from Internal Practicum III courses:

PSYC 823 Internal Practicum III: General (3.00)
PSYC 824 Internal Practicum III: Adult (3.00)
PSYC 825 Internal Practicum III: Child and Adolescent (3.00)

3 credits:

PSYC 834 Science in Practice: Applied Research, Consultation, and Supervision (3.00)

3 credits chosen from External Practicum II courses:

PSYC 838 External Practicum II: General (3.00)
PSYC 839 External Practicum II: Adult (3.00)
PSYC 840 External Practicum II: Child and Adolescent (3.00)

3 credits chosen from External Practicum III courses:

PSYC 841 External Practicum III: General (3.00)
PSYC 842 External Practicum III: Adult (3.00)
PSYC 843 External Practicum III: Child and Adolescent (3.00)

3 credits:

PSYC 885 Predoctoral Clinical Internship (3.00)

0 credits:

PSYC 899 Progress in Clinical Doctorate (0.00)

Additional Degree Requirements

At least one adult and one child/adolescent client must be seen in the required practicum courses (Internal Practicum II or III, External Practicum I). All students following the Research and Clinical Training Option are expected to attend case conferences at the training clinic in the Department of Psychology.

Academic Regulations

  1. Academic Standing. Please refer to the Academic Standing section of the Calendar for a detailed review of the Academic Regulations.
  2. Residence. The minimum residence requirement is two years (6 terms) of full-time study beyond the MA degree, or the equivalent in part-time study.
  3. Time Limit. Please refer to the Academic Regulations page for further details regarding the Time Limits. In the case of the Diploma in Clinical Psychology, the time limit is 9 terms (3 years) for full-time students; for part-time students the time limit is 15 terms (5 years).
  4. Graduation Requirement. In order to graduate, students must have a cumulative GPA of at least 2.70.

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