The Clinical Psychology Ph.D. Program’s curriculum is designed to provide students with comprehensive education and training in the scientific foundations of psychology, evidence-based clinical assessment and intervention, ethical and professional practice, and rigorous research methodology. Thus, all students within the program are required to complete core clinical competency courses (21 credits) and statistics and research methods courses (6 credits). Per APA requirements, students also develop training across foundational areas of psychology through breadth courses covering history and ethics, multiculturalism, and biological, cognitive, and affective bases of behavior. Training in social bases of behavior and development throughout the lifespan is integrated within two core clinical competency courses.
Course Descriptions
Students complete a sequence of graduate-level courses covering core clinical psychology topics in areas such as psychopathology, psychological assessment, psychological intervention, statistics, and research design. They also participate in supervised clinical practica at BCM and within the community, gaining hands-on experience providing evidence-based psychological services to diverse populations. In the second year, students focus on developing their research skills by conducting an empirical master's thesis project, as well as completing additional coursework in their second and third years. In the fifth year, students devote their time to a full-time, year-long clinical internship at an external site while also making significant progress on their doctoral dissertation research that is initiated after completion of their qualifying exams. Throughout the program, students have the opportunity to collaborate with Baylor College of Medicine faculty advisors on research projects, clinical case studies, and community engagement initiatives.
Throughout the duration of the program, students are expected to fulfill the following learning outcomes:
- Demonstrate broad and general knowledge of scientific psychology and its foundations, including biological, cognitive/affective, social aspects of behavior, history and systems of psychology, psychological measurement, statistics, research methodology, and data analysis.
- Attain profession-wide competencies required for entry-level practice in health service psychology, including research, ethical and legal standards, individual and cultural diversity, professional values and attitudes, communication and interpersonal skills, assessment, intervention, supervision, and consultation/interprofessional skills.
- Develop advanced clinical competencies through experiential training in evidence-based assessment, diagnosis, and intervention for psychological disorders, as well as clinical supervision and consultation.
- Demonstrate substantial understanding of psychological research by conducting independent empirical research and contributing to the scientific knowledge base.
- Prepare to navigate cultural and individual diversity issues in research and clinical practice.
- Develop competencies to pursue licensure as a clinical psychologist upon program completion.
These learning outcomes ensure the program covers broad knowledge in psychology, attain profession-wide competencies, provide advanced clinical training through experiential components, develop research competencies, address cultural and individual diversity, and prepare students for entry-level practice and licensure.
