Doctor of Psychology: Clinical Psychology

Mission

The Doctor of Psychology (PsyD), Clinical Psychology is focused on training students to be practitioner-scholars who integrate faith into clinical work as clinical psychologists. The PsyD program is built on three pillars: clinical competence, academic rigor, and faith integration. Graduates of this program will be prepared for licensure in the practice of clinical psychology, which takes many forms including, but not limited to, psychotherapy/counseling, psychological and cognitive assessment, and program administration.

Program highlights include:

• Course delivery in late afternoons/evenings and some weekends for your convenience.
• Utilization of a cohort model to increase support and camaraderie among the students. 
• The PsyD program is designed to be a dual entry-point 4-year or 5-year program, accommodating those entering directly from a psychology BA program or those with an MA degree in a social science field.
• The full 5-year program, for those entering directly from a psychology BA program, consists of 118 credits - 4 years of coursework and a dissertation, with a final pre-doctoral internship year. Those entering with an MA degree bypass the first two semesters, allowing for a second entry-point into the PsyD program. This program consists of 101 credits - a little over 3 years of coursework and a dissertation, with a final pre-doctoral internship year.
• The program includes a 3 or 4-year full-time academic residency requirement depending on entry, followed by a full-time 1-year internship experience.
• New cohorts for the pre-PsyD track begin in August of each year. Cohorts for the Accelerated track begin in May of each year. The application deadline is January of the previous fall.

Accreditation

NNU is accredited by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities (NWCCU). The NNU PsyD program will be submitting an “Intent to Apply” application to the American Psychological Association (APA) Commission on Accreditation in the spring of 2023. 

PsyD Admissions Requirements

Application Requirements for NNU's PsyD in Clinical Psychology Program include the following:

• GPA: 3.0 Undergraduate; 3.5 MA/MS
• Prerequisites:
  • FOR BACHELOR'S STUDENTS ONLY: Bachelor’s degree in Psychology from an accredited college or university OR a minimum of 18 credits of Psychology that must include:
    • General Psychology or Introduction to Psychology
    • Developmental Psychology (covering the Lifespan)
    • A Research Methods or Psychological Statistics class
    • Abnormal Psychology
  • FOR MASTER'S STUDENTS APPLYING FOR ACCELERATED STANDING: Master's degree from a related field (Counseling, Psychology, Social Work).
• Necessary Application Documents for ALL Applicants:
  • Personal Statement
  • Submit a written essay (no more than 4 pages) that covers the following:
    • Why do you want to be a psychologist and what interests you about the field?
    • What experiences in your life have prepared you for being a good psychologist?
    • What unique qualities do you possess that will assist you in becoming a psychologist?
    • The reasons behind selecting this particular program and Northwest Nazarene University.
    • How do you anticipate this degree will impact your role in the community?
  • CV or Resume
  • Academic Writing Sample
    • A writing sample that is representative of your best academic writing (i.e., thesis, journal article, and/or academic paper). The sample should provide evidence of research-based writing and include citations from outside sources. The writing sample should follow APA formatting (double-spaced, 12-point Times New Roman font, margins, etc.).

There will be an interview evaluation and students will be subject to a background check in determining acceptance into this program.

Provisional Admission Acceptance

Any student who is admitted into the NNU PsyD programs through an exception process will begin with an academic standing of Provisional Admission. This standing will be in effect during the 1st semester of the student's enrollment at NNU. NNU reserves the right to conduct an evaluation of the student's progress after the first semester, and those students who do not meet the regular admission standards may be administratively withdrawn from the university.

Student Learning Outcomes

1. To prepare students to be culturally and ethically competent entry-level providers of mental health services with the necessary general knowledge in the discipline of Psychology (DSKs).
2. To prepare students to be culturally and ethically competent entry-level providers of mental health services with the necessary Profession-Wide Competencies in the discipline of Clinical Psychology (PWCs).
3. To equip students to ethically integrate psychological theory and application through the four pillars of NNU’s mission: Transformation, Truth, Community, and Service.

Graduation Requirements

Graduation requirements for the NNU PsyD program are:

• Candidates accepted into Pre-PsyD track must complete a total of 121 credits: 41 Pre-PsyD credits and 80 PsyD credits. 
• Candidates accepted into the Accelerated track must complete 104 credits total: 24 Pre-PsyD credits and 80 PsyD credits.
• Completion of the approved program within seven years of beginning coursework.
• Students must earn a B- (2.70) or higher in all courses and have a cumulative grade point average of 3.0 or higher
• Pass an oral comprehensive exam before the Internship Application Process
• Complete 500 supervised hours minimum per year of Practicum and 2000 Clinical hours in an approved internship
• Successfully defend a doctoral dissertation project