The PhD in Clinical-Community Psychology is accredited by the American Psychological Association¹ as a clinical psychology program. 

The program ensures that graduates have obtained the full range of clinical training mandated for doctoral-level clinical psychologists and will be adequately prepared for licensure as psychologists. The program meets doctoral education requirements for licensure as a psychologist in the State of Alaska. Please go to UAA's Authorization by State website for information about licensure or certification in a state other than Alaska.

More information is available on the program's webpage.

¹Questions related to the program's accredited status should be directed to the Commission on Accreditation:

Office of Program Consultation and Accreditation 
American Psychological Association
750 1^st Street, NE
Washington, DC 20002
(202) 336-5979
Email: apaccred@apa.org
Web: www.apa.org/ed/accreditation

Admission Requirements

Complete the Admission Requirements for Graduate Degrees.

Students apply to the Ph.D. in Clinical-Community Psychology program through the UAA Office of Admissions. All applicant materials are collected and evaluated by the admissions committee, which makes admissions recommendations to the dean of the UAA Graduate School. For more information about the application process, visit the program website.

1. Application deadline: received by January 15 for fall admission. This is the only opportunity for program admission each year.
2. Bachelor’s degree (BS or BA or BEd); major in psychology or related field preferred. All requirements for bachelor’s degree must be completed by June 30 prior to matriculation.
3. Minimum 3.00 GPA in major and in all psychology courses.
4. Coursework in the areas of abnormal psychology, statistics, research methods, and biological bases of behavior (e.g., behavioral neuroscience). All prerequisite coursework must be completed by June 30 prior to matriculation.
5. A detailed letter of interest and intent.This letter of intent requests information on clinical and/or community experience; research experience; interest in Rural and Indigenous Psychology; and a personal statement describing your professional goals and interests. 
6. Professional vita, including documentation regarding academic, research, and professional experiences; special projects and activities; and recognitions or honors.
7. Three professional letters of reference (preferably curriculum or research advisors, major course instructors with whom the student had contact in more than one course, and/or supervisors).
8. Lifetime criminal background check must be submitted by students invited to a personal interview at least two weeks prior to the interview. Additional information on the Identity History Summary through the FBI is located on the program website. In addition to completing the identity history, applicants complete a disclosure statement as part of the Application for Admission.

Graduation Requirements

• Complete the General University Requirements for Graduate Degrees.
• Complete the program and additional requirements below.

Students must complete the required courses, dissertation, internship and electives. Students must accumulate a minimum 115 credits to graduate and must have completed all required coursework. Graduate course work completed at other universities cannot be used to waive required courses. 

Cultural experience: During their time in the Ph.D. program, students must participate in a cultural experience as defined by program faculty. The actual experience will vary from year to year, but includes direct exposure to Alaska Native and other cultural worldviews, values and life experiences through contact with cultural elders and advisors in a non-classroom setting.

A minimum of 115 credits is required for the degree.

Additional Requirements

Integration Seminar

First-year and third-year students are required to attend a monthly 1-hour lecture series that introduces current trends in community, clinical and multicultural psychology. 

Research Competency

Research competency is demonstrated through preparation of a research portfolio that will be evaluated by an ad hoc committee. Criteria for the research portfolio will be clearly defined and samples will be provided for students. Students must demonstrate research competency before advancing to candidacy and enrolling in dissertation credits. 

Clinical Competency

Clinical competency is demonstrated through preparation of a clinical portfolio that will be evaluated by an ad hoc committee. Criteria for the clinical portfolio are clearly defined and samples will be provided for students. Students must demonstrate clinical competency before applying to advance to internship and must pass the clinical competency and community competency before starting PSY A686.

Community Competency

Community competency is demonstrated through preparation of a community portfolio that will be evaluated by an ad hoc committee. Criteria for the portfolio will be clearly defined and samples will be provided for students. Students must pass both the clinical competency and community competency before starting PSY A686.

Advancement to Candidacy

Before students are allowed to register for dissertation credits, they will be reviewed for performance by the committee, using existing university standards and forms for advancement to candidacy. Review will be based on faculty experience with the student to date, submitted paperwork and the student’s progress through the program. Feedback from the review will be provided to the student by their advisor. To advance to candidacy, students must also have received at least a conditional pass on their comprehensive exam. The program defines the comprehensive exam as being met through passing the required competency portfolios. Passing the research portfolio qualifies the student for a conditional pass on the comprehensive exam, which is sufficient for advancement to candidacy. All portfolios must be passed for the comprehensive exam to be fully passed.

Doctoral Dissertation Proposal Defense

Before commencing data collection for a dissertation project, students must defend their proposal to their dissertation committee. The defense must be based on a written dissertation proposal to be distributed to the dissertation committee after approval by the dissertation chair. The defense will be an oral presentation to the committee by the student and will not be a public meeting. For data-collection based dissertations, the proposal must also be approved by the UAA institutional review board before data collection can commence.

Doctoral Dissertation

A doctoral dissertation must be carried out successfully and approved by a doctoral dissertation committee. The dissertation committee will consist of at least four members. Content areas can vary widely, but must be related to clinical, community, or multicultural issues and applicable in Alaska settings.

Advancement to Internship

Students must pass the clinical portfolio and at least conditionally pass their dissertation proposal defense before applying to advance to PSY A686. In addition to passing the clinical portfolio and conditionally passing the dissertation proposal defense, students must apply to the program director by September 30 (the fall semester prior to the year during which the student seeks to complete the internship) stating their intent to advance to internship. For most students this will mean that the application needs to be made in the fall of the fourth year in the program. The program director will notify the core faculty committee, which will review each student’s coursework, ensure that adequate progress has been made toward all prior milestones (i.e., clinical competency, community competency, research competency, doctoral dissertation proposal defense and advancement to candidacy) before approving the student for internship and before writing a letter of support for the student. Students must fully pass the clinical portfolio, the community portfolio and the dissertation proposal defense before starting internship. Failure to pass the clinical portfolio, the community portfolio and the dissertation proposal defense will result in the student not being eligible to apply for or enroll in internship credits.

Internship 

A full-time, 18-credit (one-year) internship is required. This internship should meet the criteria laid out by the American Psychological Association (APA); selection of an Association of Psychology Postdoctoral and Internship Centers (APPIC)-approved internship is encouraged. Placements in Alaska are preferred, but not required.

APA Ethical Guidelines

Strict compliance with APA Ethical Principles of Psychologists and Code of Conduct is required throughout participation in the degree program. Violations can result in immediate dismissal from the program and failure to graduate. Completion of an annual disclosure statement is also required. Affirmative answers may result in dismissal from the program and failure to graduate.