Clinical Psychology

Mission Statement

The mission of the program is to develop diverse-minded health service psychologists who are creative and redemptive agents of change, willing to work to transform themselves and others, and serve the broader community.

Academic Standing and Dismissal

Doctoral Students

In order to continue in good standing in the program, students must meet the following criteria:

• Maintain a 3.0 or higher cumulative GPA.
• All courses must be completed with a B- or higher.

Students failing to maintain these standards will be notified and may be subject to probation.  If on probations for a total of more than 2 terms through his/her doctorate study, the student may be dismissed from the program.

Student Success Fee

All PsyD students will be charged a student success fee of $300 per year or $100 per term.

Attendance and Grading Standards

The PsyD program is dedicated to providing an environment in which students demonstrate the profession-wide competency of communication and interpersonal skills. Much of this is provided by way of lectures, presentations, and in-class activities where instructors have the ability to determine if students can demonstrate effective interpersonal skills and the ability to manage difficult communication.  Therefore, the PsyD program has the following expectations:

• Students are expected to attend all classes for the full duration of the class period.
• Students are expected to arrive to class in a timely manner, attend class regularly, and participate in integrated learning tasks.  Integrated learning tasks will include (but are not limited to) small group exercises, discussion, in-class activities, quizzes, and other participation activities.
• Students are expected to read all assigned material prior to attending class.
• In order to successfully complete courses, a student must complete all required assignments, exams, and exercises assigned.  

If a student misses a class*, will be late or must leave early, it is their responsibility to: 

• Inform the instructor prior to the class (each instructor will note in their syllabus the best way to contact them).
• Acquire the lecture notes and/or handouts from their classmates or Canvas (the instructor is not responsible for getting this information to the student).
• Write a summary of the course content of the missed class, per the instructor’s direction, and have the paper to the instructor of the course the following week. 

*Repeated absences or tardiness may warrant referral to the PsyD Student Progress Committee (SPC).

Late Work

Late written assignments may be evaluated for a grade; however, late assignments will receive an initial deduction of 20% off of the total earned points and an additional 10% deduction off of the total earned points for each subsequent day the paper is late.  Presentations must be given on the scheduled day.

Course Failure

The minimum passing course grade for PsyD Courses is B- (80%).  A course grade below 80% is considered a course failure and will appear as an F on academic transcripts. The student who earns a failing course average (< 80%) at the end of the semester may petition for re-examination.   See the Doctorate in Clinical Psychology Handbook for more information.

Transfer of Credit

The NNU PsyD program is based on skills and competency.  There are two tracks available, one for students with existing Bachelor's degrees, the second for those students with Master's degrees.  For more information regarding these requirements, please see NNU PsyD Admissions Requirements and Applications Process.  This approach means transfer of credits will be kept to a minimum.  These will be handled on an exception only basis.  For those that are allowed, they must be from an accredited institution, must have received at least a "B" letter grade, and be approved by the program chair.

Master's of Psychology

For those students entering the Pre-PsyD track, there is an option to receive their Master's in Psychology Degree after completing two years or 41 credits (Pre-PsyD courses). This degree is only an option for those students who have applied for and been accepted into the entire Pre-PsyD Program. It is not an option for students who enter the PsyD Accelerated track.