The PsyD in Clinical Psychology is a 98-credit hour, five-year doctoral program designed to prepare students for licensure as clinical psychologists and for careers in direct clinical service, leadership, and applied research. Emphasizing a practitioner-scientist model, the program integrates advanced coursework, supervised clinical training, and an applied dissertation.

Clinical training begins in the second year and includes rotations in 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, and interdisciplinary collaboration. Students also complete a comprehensive examination and a dissertation that may emphasize the application of research to clinical services and/or settings.

Graduates will be eligible for licensure in Texas and prepared to serve in a variety of healthcare, community, and academic settings. The program addresses the growing demand for doctoral-level mental health providers and is committed to producing skilled, compassionate, and individually responsive clinical psychologists.

The PsyD 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 PsyD 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),
    • Abnormal Psychology (3 SCH), 
    • Social Psychology (3 SCH),
    • Theories of Personality (3 SCH),
    • Developmental Psychology (3 SCH), and
    • Research Methods and Statistics (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) expressing interest in the program, including a description of the motivations for pursuing a PsyD in Clinical Psychology at SBHS. The statement should outline the anticipated contributions to the community as a future psychologist and explain how the education and training received through the program will support the achievement of professional goals. Additionally, it should address how this preparation aligns with the increasing demand for mental health providers in the state of Texas.
  • 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.