Doctor of Psychology in Clinical Psychology (PsyD) Requirements

Foundation Courses

Prior to students starting in the program, the Hawai‘i School of Professional Psychology at Chaminade University of Honolulu requires applicants to successfully complete five 3-credit undergraduate (with a C or better) or graduate (with a B or better) courses that serve as a basic foundation for coursework in clinical psychology. Several of these courses serve as direct prerequisites to the HSPP courses. The following undergraduate or graduate courses are required:

• Introduction to psychology or general psychology (this course may be waived if the applicant has completed a Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Psychology)

• Abnormal psychology, psychopathology, or maladaptive behavior

• Statistics or research methods

• Two additional courses in the field of psychology

Program Requirements

Students enrolled in the Hawai‘i School of Professional Psychology at Chaminade University of Honolulu are required to satisfactorily complete 103 credit hours (domain requirements below). Students can expect at least 15 hours of instructional engagement for every 1 semester credit hour of a course. Students can expect to complete at least 30 hours of outside work for every 1 semester credit hour of a course. At least an equivalent amount of work shall be applied for other academic activities including laboratory work, internship, practica, studio work, and other academic work leading to the award of credit hours.

Students are responsible to retain copies of all course, practica, and programmatic submissions. This is good practice not only for efficient program processes but also for future professional practice.

Practicum Requirements

Full-time students are typically placed in Practicum I, Practicum II, and Practicum II Extension (PP8201, PP8202, PP8202E) during their second year of study and in Practicum III, Practicum IV, and Practicum IV Extension (PP8203, PP8204, PP8204E) during their third year of study. The practicum carries 3 credit hours per semester and 1 for the summer extension (totaling 7 credit hours per academic year). Practicum commitments typically begin at the start of the fall term and conclude at the end of the Summer 1 term or up to 8 weeks later (depending on whether the student is at a 10-month or a 12-month practicum site). Similar to Internship, credit for the year is not awarded until all practicum requirements are met. That is, the Fall and Spring practica (i.e., Practicum I, II, III, IV) will not receive credit until the Summer practicum extensions are completed, all paperwork is accepted, and the corresponding Clinical Competency Evaluation is passed. A student who fails any of the practicum courses within a practicum year must retake all practicum classes for that year, even if they received a PR. Any student who is attending practicum must be registered for that respective practicum course. Throughout the year, the student will be required to spend about 18 – 24 hours per week or a minimum of 720 hours in the practicum training experience. Further information regarding the practicum is found in the Hawai‘i School of Professional Psychology at Chaminade University of Honolulu Clinical Training Manual.

Clinical Competency Evaluation (CCEs)

The Hawai‘i School of Professional Psychology Clinical Competency Evaluations (CCEs) are competency-based examinations that are designed to evaluate students’ mastery of major clinical assessment and therapeutic skills.

Students are expected to demonstrate clinical competence both conceptually and in application. It is also expected that students, having learned theoretical and applied bases in classroom courses, will have made use of out-of-class clinical contacts (e.g., practicum, seminar groups, supplementary supervision, visiting lecturers) to refine and extend the skills to be evaluated by the CCEs. Successful completion of the CCEs is a requirement for passing the Diagnostic Practicum (PP8201, PP8202, PP8202E) and Intervention Practicum (PP8203, PP8204, PP8204E) sequences. As a CCE is a demonstration of clinical competence, without successful completion of the CCE, students will be prohibited from continuing in their scheduled practicum sequence.

There are two CCEs:

·         The Diagnostic CCE: This CCE takes place in conjunction with the Practicum I, II, and II-E series The CCE is typically attempted in the latter half of the Spring session or during the Summer session of the year in which the student is enrolled in Practicum I, II, and II-E.

·         The Intervention CCE: This CCE typically takes place in conjunction with the Practicum III, IV, and IV-E series. The CCE is typically attempted in the latter half of the Spring session or during the Summer session of the year in which the student is enrolled in Practicum III, IV, and IV-E.

Comprehensive Examination Requirements

All Hawai‘i School of Professional Psychology students are required to successfully complete a comprehensive examination. The successful passage of this examination marks the official acceptance of the matriculated student as a doctoral degree candidate. The material covered in the Comprehensive Examination (Comps) includes required courses outlined in the Study Plan, excluding certain courses such as electives and Professionalization Group I and II (see the Comps Manual for details). The examination requires students to integrate the material, demonstrating both mastery of the material and the ability to organize and apply what they have learned in a coherent and logical manner.

Students are required to take the Comprehensive Examination no later than the end of the fifth year after matriculation in order to meet the seven-year maximum timeframe for completion of degree requirements. This examination is offered once each year in late August. Students interested in taking the Comprehensive Examination should consult the Comprehensive Examination Manual for the application, due dates, and other procedures. Further information about the Comprehensive Examination is found in the Hawai‘i School of Professional Psychology at Chaminade University of Honolulu Comprehensive Examination Manual.

Dissertation Requirements

The Hawai‘i School of Professional Psychology at Chaminade University of Honolulu requires each student to develop a dissertation as a requirement for graduation. The dissertation is a scholarly work that provides students with an opportunity to deepen their knowledge and thought about a particular clinical area, to demonstrate the ability to critically analyze methodological issues, and to produce an original and potentially publishable piece of research in clinical psychology.

 The dissertation requirement consists of a Dissertation Proposal (PP-8500) and a Dissertation – Final (PP-8501). Students must register for a dissertation course during any semester in which they either consult with or use their dissertation advisor or committee. Registering for dissertation credit is the same as registering for a course, as students will be graded PR or NC by the chairperson based on the work the student has completed that semester. CR is given for PP-8500 after successful defense and paperwork submission of the Dissertation Proposal. CR is given for PP-8501 after successful defense and paperwork submission of the Final Dissertation. Students must register for a minimum of 2 semesters of dissertation (at least PP-8500 and PP-8501) in order to graduate, and they must register for dissertation during the terms that they conduct their dissertation proposal and final defense. Students are required to successfully defend their dissertation proposal by the end of the Summer I session of their third year to be eligible for the Comprehensive Examination. Students who are unable to do so will be required to register for PP-8500 every term until the proposal defense is completed. Students are required to complete their dissertation final defense prior to starting internship. Students who fail to do so will be required to register for PP-8501 every term until the final defense is completed, and they will be referred to the Student Professional Development Committee to develop an intensive completion plan. Please refer to the Hawai‘i School of Professional Psychology at Chaminade University of Honolulu Dissertation Manual for detailed information.

Advanced Practicum Requirements

A number of students opt to complete a practicum (beyond the required 2 years of practicum) for further training and to accrue additional training hours. Advanced Practicum consists of a 1.5-credit Fall semester course (PP8310) and 1.5-credit Spring semester course (PP8311), which may be combined to satisfy a 3-credit elective requirement. In addition to on-site training approved by the HSPP Practicum Director, the courses include a weekly class seminar to provide further support to students. Students are expected to provide services consistent with those provided by professional psychologists in clinical settings, including assessment, interventions, consultations, research, program development and evaluation, and outreach/educational services. To be eligible for Advanced Practicum, students must be in good academic standing, have completed 2 years of the required practicum, and have successfully completed all CCEs.

Clinical Practice Policy

The participation of students in outside work activities should be secondary to training and should also uphold and be consistent with the ethical and legal standards of the profession. The Hawai‘i School of Professional Psychology program students are not prohibited from being involved in licensed private practice; however, students need to prioritize their academic responsibilities over their outside work. 

Internship Requirements  

The Hawai‘i School of Professional Psychology at Chaminade University of Honolulu requires each student to complete a one-year, 2,000 hour, full-time 12-month APA pre-doctoral internship. This intensive and supervised contact with clients is essential for providing breadth and depth to the student’s overall training experience. Typically, full-time students will begin internship during the fifth year of enrollment. To accommodate the varying start dates of internship sites, HSPP offers different internship course registration options so students meet the 3-credit internship requirement (refer to the HSPP Clinical Training Manual for details). PP8900 Internship in Fall, Spring, and Summer 3 total 3 credits (1 credit per term). The alternatives for longer PP8900 Summer 3 term are shorter PP8900 Internship Summer 1 and Summer 2 terms and are billed at 0.5 credits per term. An Internship Study Materials fee is also applied to internship costs.