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, Statistics (2 terms), Research Methods (2), History and systems of Psychology (1), Biological bases of behaviour (2), Cognitive-Affective bases of behaviour (2), Personality (1), Psychopathology (1), and Psychometrics (1). Students who are lacking up to three of these courses may obtain the equivalency for the missing credits by taking appropriate undergraduate and/or graduate courses during their degree, 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
Bachelor's to PhD direct entry. The PhD Research Option accepts direct entry of students with an undergraduate degree in Psychology or a closely related discipline. Applications are evaluated to assess whether they are sufficiently prepared for graduate studies in Psychology.
Students accepted through the direct entry to the PhD Research Option are required to take PSYC 601 (Statistical Analysis and Experimental Design) and PSYC 714(Central Topics in Psychology) in the first year of the program. PSYC 801 (Research Seminar I) and PSYC 880 (Comprehensive Examination) are normally taken in the second year.
Master's to PhD fast-tracked students. Upon recommendation of their thesis supervisor students enrolled in the Psychology MA 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. 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 course work. Students in the Psychology MA research and Clinical Training Option may apply for accelerated admission from MA Year II.
Enrollment of students outside the program in Psychology graduate courses requires permission of the Department.
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)
| 90 | credits chosen from one of the following options: |
Psychology PhD Research Option (90 credits)
| 66 | credits of Required Courses:
|
| 6 | credits chosen from:
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:
| |
| 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: 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:
|
| 3 | credits chosen from:
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:
3 credits chosen from:
3 credits chosen from Internal Practicum III courses:
3 credits:
3 credits chosen from External Practicum II courses:
3 credits chosen from External Practicum III courses:
3 credits:
0 credits:
|
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
- Academic Standing. Please refer to the Academic Standing section of the Calendar for a detailed review of the Academic Regulations.
- 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.
- 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).
- Graduation Requirement. In order to graduate, students must have a cumulative GPA of at least 2.70.