The doctoral program in Psychology prepares students for scholarly careers and for leadership roles in a variety of organizations. Study is organized around six defined major areas:

• Applied Social Psychology
• Evaluation and Applied Research Methods
• Organizational Behavior
• Positive Developmental Psychology
• Positive Organizational Psychology

University Policies

Policies detailed in the current Policies and General Information Bulletin apply.

Admissions Requirements

Admission requirements are detailed in the Admissions section of the current Policies and General Information Bulletin.

Program Requirement

All students are expected to be engaged in a research project under faculty supervision each semester in the program. Doctoral students are required to be enrolled in the Directed Research seminar (PSYCH 306) during their first two or three semesters at CGU. The goal of the Director Research seminar is to launch each student on an empirical research project with a faculty research advisor at CGU.  In addition, students are encouraged to regularly attend colloquia, department sponsored conferences, research discussion groups, and other such activities as part of their education to enhance their development and broaden their horizons.

Degree Requirements

Coursework.  A minimum 72 units is required for the degree. 

Required Courses.  All graduate students must meet the following course requirements and pass these courses with a grade of B- or better.

• Research Methods (PSYCH 302 - 4 units).  Students who have taken a comparable graduate level course should consult with the instructor about a waiver examination. Students are required to be dually enrolled in the associated lab PSYCH 302al for zero units.
• Statistics Sequence (PSYCH 308a,b,c,d - 2 units each).  Students who have taken comparable statistics courses may consider taking the waiver examination given at the beginning of each module. Courses from other institutions cannot be considered for transfer credit unless the waiver examination is passed and grades in the comparable course(s) were B- or better.
• Methodology (PSYCH 315a-ee)(2-4 units each).  A minimum of four units of methodology courses are required beyond PSYCH 302. Any courses from the PSYCH 315 series will meet this requirement.
• Directed Research (PSYCH 306).  All students must enroll in PSYCH 306 (Directed Research) during their first two or three semesters. This course provides a valuable, educational experience for participating in faculty-directed research. An approved research proposal is required by the end of the second or third semester to successfully complete this course.

The University’s policies on Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) and transfer credit apply.

Core Courses.  Within the first three years of beginning their graduate study, students must take and pass two or more qualifying core courses in their area of concentration. Credit for qualifying examinations requires a grade of B- or better in core courses, and grades of Incomplete are not given.

• Applied Cognitive Core Courses (12 units)
• Applied Social Core Courses (20 units)
• Evaluation Core Courses (14 units)
• Organizational Behavior Core Courses (16 units)
• Positive Developmental Core Courses (20 units)
• Positive Organizational Core Courses (20 units)

Transdisciplinary Studies Course.  All PhD students are required to enroll in a transdisciplinary core course from Claremont Graduate University’s “TNDY” course sequence. This requirement needs to be completed within the first two years of coursework.

Master’s Project.  All doctoral students in the program must meet the following two deadlines. Failure to meet these deadlines will result in the student’s program being changed to a terminal MA degree which will include adjustments in student fellowship rates and financial aid.

•  Master’s proposal: Students must submit to the DBOS office a copy of the approved proposal for a thesis or master’s project along with an official form signed by two faculty readers. An approved master’s proposal must be submitted by the end of the student’s third semester in the program.. Master’s Thesis/First-Year Project: All students are required to conduct an empirical research project prior to beginning work on their PhD dissertation. Thesis or first-year empirical project must be completed and approved by two faculty readers by the end of the student’s third year in the program.

Field/Teaching Experience.  All DBOS PhD students are required to take either the Field Placement Seminar (and complete an internship equaling 320 hours) or TNDY 430 (4 units) (and teach one college course as the lead instructor).

Portfolio.  All students are required to assemble a portfolio to provide evidence of professional development within an area of specialization. A minimum of two research tools (one of which is the statistics sequence) and  six different products or experiences accumulated over the student’s period of graduate study that are relevant to the professional goals and specialization area of the student are to be submitted and approved by the end of the third or fourth year of graduate study. Selection of portfolio items is expected to occur in consultation with the student’s research advisor and the second faculty member on their committee. Approval of the portfolio plan is recommended in each student’s second year in the PhD program but must be obtained by the end of the third or fourth year in the PhD program.

Research Tools.  In lieu of a language requirement, the program requires demonstrated proficiency in research tools tailored to the individual needs of the student.  Faculty approval of specific tools and satisfactory evidence of their mastery is required within the first three years of graduate study.  Two research tools must be completed before taking the oral qualifying examination. A list of the approved research tools is available on the DBOS internal website.

Oral Qualifying Examination.  The oral qualifying examination is intended to demonstrate the student’s ability to organize, integrate, and evaluate knowledge in an area of concentration. The following requirements must be met before a student is permitted to take the oral qualifying examination:

• Completion of coursework
• Completion of all portfolio items
• Completion of residency
• Completion of not less than two years of full-time graduate study (48 units) or their equivalent (including the period for which transfer credit was received).

Satisfactory completion of the qualifying examination and approval of the dissertation proposal are prerequisites for advancement to candidacy for the doctoral degree.

Dissertation. University policies and procedures regarding dissertations are detailed in the Doctoral Degree Regulations section of the current Bulletin and on the registrar’s webpage.  The Psychology program requires the following additional specifications.

• Acceptable dissertation research conducted with the approval of an advisory committee must be submitted.
• Dissertation committees must consist of at least four examiners, including one DBOS Core Faculty member and  one visiting examiner from outside the Claremont community. The committee must be approved by the Dean prior to approval of the dissertation proposal.

Time to Degree Limits.  University policies on time to degree apply.  For doctoral students, no more than 7 years from the time a student begins graduate study will be allowed for the fulfillment of all degree requirements (6 years if 13-24 units of transfer credit are accepted toward degree; 6.5 years if 1-12 units are transferred in).  The Psychology program imposes the following additional specifications for its students regarding extensions of time to degree.

• Extensions of time are granted for only one year at a time.
• Only students who have completed the oral qualifying examination may be considered for a second extension.
• Only students who have been advanced to candidacy and are making satisfactory progress on their dissertation will be considered for a third extension.
• The Psychology PhD program does not authorize more than three extensions.

Master’s Degree Along the Way

CGU’s degree requirements for the Master of Arts in Psychology apply. Students may qualify for a master’s degree, received along the way to the doctoral degree, provided all of the following conditions are met.

• A minimum of 48 units of coursework must have been completed.
• Completed coursework must not have been used toward conferral of a master’s degree from CGU in another discipline.
• A master’s thesis has been completed and approved by two readers. Students who complete program requirements for MA co-concentration programs may earn their MA without completing a thesis; however, all PhD students are required to complete a MA thesis/first year project to progress satisfactorily in the program.

To receive the master’s degree, students must follow degree completion procedures and comply with the deadlines applicable for the semester in which the degree is requested.  Degree completion deadlines are published in the University’s Academic Calendar.

Practical Experience Milestone

International Psychology PhD students must meet the Practical Experience Milestone through:

• A teaching assistantship
• A research assistantship
• An external teaching opportunity
• A research project with CGU or other Faculty in the Claremont Colleges
• One or more articles submitted for publication
• Completion of one or more semesters in Doctoral Studies that includes relevant work experience and/or progress on the doctoral dissertation

Students must have their Practical Experience Milestones approved by the department prior to the submission of their completed Final Approval Form. This milestone is to be completed during the time to degree at CGU (7 years for PhD students). Extensions of time to degree citing this milestone will not be approved. Students can have a maximum of 4 years of experience for the Practical Experience Milestone. Activities completed in the past as part of the Portfolio can include up to 4 years of experience as part of the milestone.