Doctor of Psychology (PsyD) In Clinical Psychology Program

Policies & Procedures

Leaves of Absence

Students in good academic standing may request a leave of absence from the School for financial, medical, or other emergency personal reasons.  With the approval of the advisor, any full-time student in good standing will automatically be granted a leave of absence of up to one year provided the application is made prior to June 15 for a leave which begins in the fall semester and prior to December 1 for a leave which begins in the spring semester. The Director of Training and the Associate Director of Training must be notified prior to the student taking any action regarding the site. If the student wishes to extend the leave of absence beyond one year or if the student’s advisor does not approve of the leave, the student must petition the Academic Council. Part-time students and students on reduced load must petition the Academic Council for leaves of absence.

Probation

Probation at MSPP is defined as an official recognition of a student's failure to meet the standards of the School. It is a temporary condition, resulting either in a return to good standing through a student having remediated the noted difficulties by having met the terms of probation and/or the recommendations for remediation established by an intermediate or annual Assessment and Planning Conference and/or the Academic Council or in dismissal procedures being instituted.

Terms of Probation are set by the Academic Council. The Academic Council decides in all cases the terms and length of probation (with input from the Advisor and Field Education Liaison). The Academic Council determines how long any given student may remain on probation before dismissal procedures are initiated.

While a student is on probation, s/he is no longer eligible to participate in any Title IV Student Financial Assistance Programs, including the Federal Stafford Student Loan Program (see section V.G.9., “Satisfactory Progress Clause”).

There are at least seven ways a student may be placed on probation. They are listed below, along with the person responsible for announcing the probation to all necessary parties (the Advisor, the Academic Council, Registrar, Dean and other relevant parties, e.g. Financial Aid).

Remediation

Remedial intervention is considered for students who are given an opportunity to improve their performance in some domain of program expectation.

Failure to meet the standards of the program in academic or field experience and/or other problematic performance may result in remedial recommendations different from or in addition to probation.  Students may be required to repeat courses, engage in remedial clerkships, undertake a pr9scribed directed study, among other options.  Remediation is monitored by a student’s advisor and may be reviewed by the Academic Council and/or the Dean of the Clinical Program, as well.

Dismissal

Grounds for dismissal may include, but are not limited to the following: No Credit earned in three or more courses; a combination of five No Credits or Credit Problematic grades; failure to meet the terms of probation; failure to complete all program requirements within established time limit; failure to meet minimal criteria for the internship level of training and no prospect for remedial education or field experience; failure to comply with the APA or MPA codes of ethics; or gross violation of MSPP standard School policies.

Petitions and Grievances

A petition for review and/or reconsideration of any academic matter (except dismissal) is submitted to the student’s advisor.  If the student and advisor cannot reach a mutually satisfactory resolution, the petition can be forwarded to the Academic Council. If the student still is not satisfied with the decision of the Academic Council, s/he may file a petition with the Dean of The Doctoral Program, who will review the situation and take appropriate action. Grievance procedures have also been developed for complaints of discrimination and sexual harassment.  Petitions and Grievances regarding a recommendation of dismissal allows for a review of Adherence of Procedure through hierarchical Administrative Channels.

Advanced Standing

Advanced standing is a formal status granted to newly matriculated students in a PsyD program who enter MSPP with a previously completed, recognized 60-credit master’s degree in counseling, psychology, or other closely related field. Please note that this excludes master’s degrees in social work (MSW). Request for Advanced Standing status is made at the time of application.

Students with Advanced Standing status enter the School at the level of second-year doctoral students, with a concomitant reduction in the overall minimum number of credits required for the degree. The appropriate program dean/director will determine precisely how previously completed coursework will apply toward the PsyD curriculum requirements. Such courses will be entered on the MSPP transcript as Transfer of Credit. Students will then be responsible for satisfying all remaining components of the MSPP doctoral degree curriculum.

Students will be notified of the curriculum applicability of their advanced standing status as soon as possible following their admission to the School, at least no later than one week prior to the date of the first required enrollment deposit.

Considerations of Advanced Standing may be available to students whose Master’s Degree Program included required supervised field experience effectively equivalent to the MSPP first year practicum requirement. Such equivalence is determine on individual curricular review by the Dean, or the appropriate faculty designate.

Students admitted to Advanced Standing have the first year practicum waived (see institutional policy on Course Waivers, above) and are eligible for up to 24 transfer-of-credit hours. Eligibility will be determined by individual review of students’ records; an admissions post-acceptance interview with the Dean of the Doctoral Program and/or his designate; and direct contact with prior advisors and supervisors at the academic program and field sites identified in a student’s application.

Applicants to the Clinical Doctoral Program will be notified of their eligibility for Advanced Standing will be notified of their eligibility by the Admissions Department and invited for an admissions interview through the Office of the Dean Advanced Standing Candidates will meet with the Dean and/or his designate in order to review academic credentials and potential course equivalencies for transfer of credit consideration. Academic and applied achievements will be reviewed with a student’s prior advisors and supervisors. Only students with demonstrated excellence in their prior program(s) will be granted Advanced Standing. Maintaining Advanced Standing status will be contingent upon a establishing a record of academic achievement and good academic standing throughout the first year of the MSPP Clinical Doctoral Program.

Students admitted with Advanced Standing must matriculate as full-time students and complete at least three years in the Doctoral Program at MSPP. Program completion may extend beyond the three years of matriculation. And must be completed within 7 years (to include the one year Advanced Standing equivalence.) Students admitted with Advanced Standing Status are not eligible to receive the en route Master’s Degree in Professional Psychology offered in the Clinical Doctoral Program.

Transfer of Credit (Institutional Policy):

Credits earned in graduate-level courses completed at another accredited institution¹ no more than ten years prior to matriculation at MSPP², for which a grade of “B” or better³ was awarded, are eligible for transfer to MSPP. Said transfer credit may be applied to degree requirements subject to the following two provisions:

1. No more than 20 percent of the total credits comprising a student’s degree program may be satisfied through transfer credit; however, various degree programs may establish policies that further limit the acceptability and application of transfer credit⁴.
2. The determination of the actual acceptance and applicability of potentially eligible transfer credit is the responsibility of the appropriate program dean/director⁵.

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¹ “Accredited institution” refers to any college/university that holds accreditation from an association/unit that is recognized by the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA).

² Upon the recommendation of the appropriate program dean/director, exceptions to the ten year limitation may be approved by the Vice President for Academic Affairs.

³ The grade of “B-“ is less than “B” and not eligible for transfer. Credit for coursework in which a traditional letter grade is not recorded will not be considered for transfer unless the student can present compelling evidence that recorded grades are at least equivalent to “B” quality.

⁴ Program-based policies on transfer credit require approval by the Institutional Curriculum Committee.

⁵ Appeals of negative decisions will be heard by School Academic Policy and Standards Committee.

Transfer of Credit (Clinical Doctoral Program Policy):

A) Courses for which a student seeks transfer credit must:

1. have been taken at a regionally accredited institution
2. have been taken at the graduate level
3. have been taken within 5 years of the student’s date of matriculation at MSPP
4. have received a grade of B or better

B) Limitations

1. A maximum of 2 credits will be given for each course accepted for transfer (with the exception of the those courses designated as 3 credit course equivalents by the Registrar)
2. Transfer credit is limited to a maximum of 4 courses.This Policy is automatically waived for those students who are admitted to MSPP with Advanced Standing, or other special status.
3. Transfer credit is limited to a combination of elective and required courses.
4. The following MSPP program requirements cannot be met via transfer of credit:
• Clinical Seminars I and II
• A dvanced Clinical Seminar IV: Theory and Practice of Supervision
• Ethics, Standards and Professional Development
• Field Education
• Doctoral Project

C) Transfer of Credit Procedure

1. Students must submit an original plus two (2) copies (for a total of 3 copies) of a Transfer of Credit Petition(available through the Student Services Office), course descriptions, and syllabi for each course to be considered for Transfer of Credit.
2. An Official Transcript from the institution at which the course was taaken will be required if one is not on file in the student’s Academic folder.
3. Transfer of Credit requests must be submitted during the first year of matriculation and submitted to the Registrar no later than the date posted on the Academic Calendar. Requests will be evaluated by the Registrar in conjunction with appropriate Faculty and/or with Administrative consultation.

D) Courses previously taken at MSPP

For students who have successfully completed MSPP courses on a non-matriculated basis:

1. If taken within 5 years of matriculation, these courses will automatically be applied toward the PsyD degree (unless the student requests otherwise).
2. A grade of “Credit” must have been earned in the course.
3. Incomplete courses will not be transferred into the Clinical Doctoral Program and will not be considered if course completion occurs after program matriculation.
4. MSPP courses taken prior to matriculation are included in and subject to the 4 course Transfer of Credit maximum.

E) Courses taken elsewhere while the student is enrolled at MSPP

1. Courses taken at other accredited institutions while a student is enrolled at MSPP will be eligible for transfer credit subject to the same rules as courses taken prior to matriculation at MSPP.
2. Students must obtain prior approval of such courses for transfer of credit from their advisor and from the Registrar in accordance with the procedures outlined in c) above.
3. An official transcript must be submitted after completion of the course.
4. Such courses will fall into the 4 course maximum allowable for Transfer of Credit.

Course Waivers (Institutional Policy):

Based on prior academic experience (including, but not limited to recognition of knowledge/skill acquired in previously completed courses which may not be eligible for transfer credit), a program dean/director may waive one or more required courses, and will then designate a suitable curriculum replacement(s). However, in no case will said waivers constitute a reduction in the number of overall credits required for a degree program. The decision to grant waivers and apply substitute course credits is a matter for the program dean/director and is not subject to appeal.

Audit Policy

A student who wishes to audit a course at MSPP must obtain permission from his/her advisor and the course instructor before registering as an auditor. MSPP students who audit a course will be charged one-half the current per-credit tuition rate. Audited courses do not appear on transcripts.

Confidentiality

In compliance with the Family and Education Rights and Privacy Act of 1974 (The Buckley Amendment), MSPP requires a signed request from students before releasing academic transcripts and other personally identifiable information.

Updated 9/1/11