Doctoral Project

Completing Your Doctoral Project

The Doctoral Project (DP) process provides an opportunity for the student to demonstrate research competence by applying research skills acquired through the following courses: Introduction to Psychological Research, Statistics, Psychometrics, and Research I and II. It also provides an opportunity for consolidation of the student's professional development and bridges her/his relationship to the larger psychological community through dissemination of their research findings. 

With guidance from a faculty Chairperson and Committee Member(s), the student initiates, carries out, and critically evaluates a piece of professional research that contributes to the field by providing new psychological knowledge. This involves the identification and critical review of psychological research studies. 

The student selects a topic from an area of psychological theory and practice that is relevant and of particular interest and applicability in his/her developing professional work and is consistent with the research interests of at least one faculty member in the Clinical PsyD program. A listing of faculty research labs and interests is available here. 

During years two and three of the program, the student forms a Doctoral Project (DP) Committee, constructs a research proposal consistent with current scientific standards in psychology, conducts the research study, completes a Final DP write up of the study, and disseminates the findings through a DP Colloquium.