The PhD in Clinical Psychology is a 98-credit hour, five-year program designed to prepare students for licensure as clinical psychologists and for careers in clinical practice, research, and academia. Grounded in the scientist-practitioner model, the program integrates rigorous academic coursework, supervised clinical training, and mentored research experiences.
Students complete 82 credit hours of didactic coursework, 12 credit hours of clinical practicum, and a minimum of 4 credit hours of dissertation research. Clinical training begins in the second year with placements in the SBHS teaching clinic and expands to diverse outpatient and inpatient settings across UTHealth Houston and affiliated institutions. In the final year, students complete a full-time, American Psychological Association (APA) accredited or APPIC-member internship.
The curriculum is designed to meet the APA’s Standards of Accreditation and includes training in evidence-based assessment and intervention, ethics, cultural competence, and interdisciplinary collaboration. Students also engage in faculty-mentored research, contribute to scholarly publications, and complete a dissertation that advances the field of clinical psychology.
Graduates will be eligible for licensure in Texas and equipped to serve in a variety of healthcare, academic, and community settings. The program addresses the critical shortage of mental health professionals in Texas and aims to produce health service psychologists who are both clinically skilled and research-informed.
The PhD in Clinical Psychology is not yet accredited by the APA Commission on Accreditation. Any questions about accreditation status may be addressed to:
Office of Program Consultation and Accreditation
American Psychological Association
750 1st St. NE, Washington, DC 20002
Phone: (202) 336-5979
Email: apaaccred@apa.org
Admission requirements and required prerequisite courses for the PhD in Clinical Psychology include:
- Bachelor's degree from an accredited institution of higher education
- If bachelor's degree is in Psychology, no additional prerequisites will be required
- If the bachelor’s degree does not include a major in Psychology, 18 SCH in the following areas must be demonstrated:
- Introduction to Psychology (3 SCH),
- Experimental Methodology (3 SCH),
- Social Psychology (3 SCH),
- Theories of Personality (3 SCH),
- Developmental Psychology (3 SCH), and
- Abnormal Psychology (3 SCH).
- Students with international college transcripts must submit a course-by-course evaluation report by either World Education Services (WES) or Educational Credential Evaluators (ECE). Final transcript credential evaluation results must be submitted with the application through PSYCAS.
- The program will use a holistic approach when reviewing applications, with the following components:
- Preference will be given to applicants with prerequisites completed and an undergraduate overall GPA of 3.5 or higher.
- Graduate Record Examinations (GRE) results are requested but will be weighed in the context of the totality of the application and will not serve as a stand-alone measure of potential success in a graduate program.
- A statement (500-1,000 words) of research objectives, to include a description of the following:
- Why the applicant wants to pursue a PhD in Clinical Psychology within SBHS
- The areas of research of interest to the applicant
- How the applicant has prepared for graduate study and research activities
- Specific SBHS faculty members the applicant would like to work with while pursuing the PhD in Clinical Psychology PhD
- A statement of interest in the program, to include a description of how the program fits with the applicant’s long-term career goals as well as a description of how the applicant hopes to contribute to the Behavioral Sciences community and to the field of psychology as a whole; this should not be a repeat of the applicant’s statement of research objectives.
- Three professional letters of recommendation from academic faculty and/or work supervisors who are in a position to evaluate the applicant’s qualifications for graduate study.
PhD in Clinical Psychology Curriculum
| First Year | ||
|---|---|---|
| Fall | Hours | |
| CPSY 5102 | Developmental Psychology & Developmental Disabilities | 3 |
| CPSY 5901 | Intellectual Assessment | 3 |
| CPSY 5104 | Psychopathology | 3 |
| Hours | 9 | |
| Spring | ||
| CPSY 5201 | Psychotherapy Skills and Techniques | 3 |
| CPSY 5202 | Applied Ethics | 3 |
| CPSY 5902 | Personality Assessment | 3 |
| Hours | 9 | |
| Summer | ||
| CPSY 5302 | Cognitive/Affective Basis of Behavior | 3 |
| CPSY 5301 | History and Systems of Clinical Psychology | 3 |
| CPSY 5304 | Integrative Psychological Assessment | 3 |
| Hours | 9 | |
| Second Year | ||
| Fall | ||
| CPSY 6111 | Assessment Practicum and Seminar | 1 |
| CABS 6301 | Biological Basis of Behavioral Disorders | 3 |
| CPSY 6302 | Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy | 3 |
| CPSY 6304 | Multivariate Statistics I | 3 |
| Hours | 10 | |
| Spring | ||
| CPSY 6111 | Assessment Practicum and Seminar | 1 |
| CPSY 6305 | Multivariate Statistics II | 3 |
| CPSY 5253 | Research Design and Methodology | 3 |
| CPSY 5303 | Social Aspects of Behavior | 3 |
| Hours | 10 | |
| Summer | ||
| CPSY 6111 | Assessment Practicum and Seminar | 1 |
| CPSY 7303 | Theories of Measurement | 3 |
| Elective (1 of 2) | 3 | |
| Hours | 7 | |
| Third Year | ||
| Fall | ||
| CPSY 7302 | Assessment and Treatment of Severe & Persistent Mental Illness | 3 |
| CPSY 7112 | Intervention Practicum and Seminar | 1 |
| CPSY 7301 | Psychopharmacology | 3 |
| CPSY 9201 | Research Thesis I | 2 |
| Hours | 9 | |
| Spring | ||
| CPSY 6322 | Advanced Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy | 3 |
| CPSY 7112 | Intervention Practicum and Seminar | 1 |
| CPSY 9202 | Research Thesis II | 2 |
| CPSY 6303 | Supervision and Consultation | 3 |
| Hours | 9 | |
| Summer | ||
| CPSY 5503 | Group Psychotherapy | 3 |
| CPSY 7112 | Intervention Practicum and Seminar | 1 |
| Elective (2 of 2) | 3 | |
| CPSY 9203 | Research Thesis III (as needed) 1 | - |
| Hours | 7 | |
| Fourth Year | ||
| Fall | ||
| CPSY 8113 | Advanced Practicum and Seminar | 1 |
| CPSY 8200 | Dissertation | 2 |
| CPSY 6306 | Social Determinants of Health and Health Disparities | 3 |
| Hours | 6 | |
| Spring | ||
| CPSY 5501 | Addictions: Research and Practice | 3 |
| CPSY 8113 | Advanced Practicum and Seminar | 1 |
| CPSY 8200 | Dissertation | 2 |
| Hours | 6 | |
| Summer | ||
| CPSY 5906 | Cultural Considerations in Clinical Practice | 3 |
| CPSY 8113 | Advanced Practicum and Seminar | 1 |
| CPSY 8200 | Dissertation (as needed) 2 | - |
| Hours | 4 | |
| Fifth Year | ||
| Fall | ||
| CPSY 8122 | Internship | 1 |
| CPSY 8200 | Dissertation (as needed) 2 | - |
| Hours | 1 | |
| Spring | ||
| CPSY 8122 | Internship | 1 |
| CPSY 8200 | Dissertation (as needed) 2 | - |
| Hours | 1 | |
| Summer | ||
| CPSY 8122 | Internship | 1 |
| CPSY 8200 | Dissertation (as needed) 2 | - |
| Hours | 1 | |
| Total Hours | 98 | |
- 1
Students may enroll in CPSY 9203 Research Thesis III if needed to complete the requirements of the research thesis.
- 2
Students are required to enroll in CPSY 8200 Dissertation on a continuous basis until the dissertation is successfully defended.
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Elective Courses (choose 2 courses for 6 SCH total) | ||
| CPSY 7914 | Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) | 3 |
| CPSY 7912 | Advanced Child and Adolescent Psychotherapy | 3 |
| CPSY 7913 | Couples and Family Therapy | 3 |
| CPSY 7919 | Community Psychology | 3 |
| CPSY 7915 | Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) | 3 |
| CPSY 7916 | Forensic Psychology | 3 |
| CPSY 7917 | Human Sexuality Across the Lifespan | 3 |
| CPSY 7920 | Neuropsychological Assessment and Conceptualization | 3 |
| CPSY 7918 | Trauma Focused Approaches to Intervention | 3 |