Doctoral Program in Clinical Psychology

The program is designed to follow the scientist-practitioner model of training (also known as the “Boulder Model”). Program faculty are thus committed to the idea that the professional practice of psychology is grounded on the science of psychology, and the science of psychology is optimally established by the practice of psychological findings (such as in clinical practice). Consistent with this model, academic knowledge, research skills, and clinical skills, and especially their integration, are emphasized throughout students' tenure in the Program. The Program is designed so that students' skills develop in a sequential and cumulative fashion that increases in complexity. The Program strives to develop scientist-practitioners who are capable of obtaining careers in academic, research and clinical settings. Thus, graduates of the program are prepared to practice as clinical psychologists, teachers, researchers, consultants, and administrators. For a complete list of learning outcomes of the doctoral program, please visit the Graduate Student Learning Outcomes page.

The Program curriculum requires 81 credit hours. Requirements include coursework, which is described on the Marquette Graduate School Bulletin. It also requires supervised clinical practica, a master's thesis, a doctoral qualifying examination, a doctoral dissertation, and a 12-month pre-doctoral internship (required by all clinical psychology programs). Students typically spend 4-5 years on-site, including extensive clinical training at externship sites. Please visit the Graduate School Bulletin for a coursework description.

The program will admit students who have completed prior graduate training at another program (i.e., “students entering the program with advanced standing”). This includes students who enter with a completed master’s degree. The program requires a total of 81 credit hours, and 30 hours of previous graduate training will be applied towards those 81 if they are relevant and similar to the program’s course offerings. For example, if an admitted student has taken “Adult Abnormal Psychology” from another graduate program, he/she will very likely be credited with having completed the requirement for that course in the program (with 3 credits granted toward the 81 required).  

Implications for Time to Completion 

Receiving credit for previous graduate study will likely reduce time to completion. In their first two years, students in the program take 24 credits per year. So granting 30 credits to a student with prior graduate study is the equivalent of 1.25 years. If students also enter with prior clinical experience (e.g., their master’s degree was in a clinical, counseling, or social work program), then their time to completion is even more likely to be reduced, since the previous clinical training might mean they need less time to complete necessary clinical training in the program. However, if students prior graduate work was not in a clinical field (e.g., their master’s degree was in experimental psychology), then their time to completion may not be significantly reduced by prior graduate training. Like students without prior graduate work, they will need time to obtain sufficient clinical experiences.  

At the completion of the Clinical Psychology Ph.D. degree program, the graduate demonstrates learning outcomes that are consistent with six core competencies and five functional competencies related to the field of clinical psychology. Please visit the Graduate Student Learning Outcomes page to view all the competencies.

The goal of the Program is to prepare students for successful careers as scientist-practitioners. Thus, faculty strive to create an environment that fosters scholarly productivity. Students are encouraged to apply for internal and external research funding, to present at professional conferences, and to publish in scientific journals.

Clinical Program students are required to keep track of their practicum hours using a proprietary software program called “Time2Track”. It is widely used and highly praised. In 2021, the cost to students was $60 per student. It is not optional. Please see the Program Assistant about paying for the program and setting up your account.

Please visit the Timeline for Completing Clinical Psychology Program Tasks page for a timeline on various tasks, including coursework, assistantships, research, and clinical training, required to complete the Clinical Psychology program.

For information regarding financial aid, please visit the Financial Aid page.

The program seeks to train graduates to be competent in the following general areas. (A link to the page listing specific competencies comprising these general goals can be found on the Graduate Student Learning Outcomes page.)

The scientific bases of clinical psychology

By the time they graduate, students will have developed a broad foundation and understanding of the knowledge base in psychology especially as it applies to clinical psychology. This includes understanding the biological bases of behavior, the cognitive-affective bases of behavior, social bases of behavior, personality, and human development across the lifespan.

Research skills

By the time they graduate, students will have developed an extensive knowledge base and high-level skills needed to make significant research contributions to the empirical and theoretical literatures of clinical psychology.

Clinical skills

By the time they graduate, students will be on their way to becoming skilled clinicians who understand and apply empirically-supported techniques of assessment, intervention, consultation and supervision. They will be capable of developing effective working relationships with individuals, groups, and/or communities, as well as multidisciplinary teams within a variety of clinical settings.

Cultural and individual diversity

By the time they graduate, students will have an appreciation of and knowledge about the relevance of ethnic, racial, age, gender, cultural, and individual diversity and how these issues apply to both scientific research and clinical practice.

Ethical and professional standards

By the time they graduate, students will have an appreciation of and expertise in applying ethical, professional and legal principles that relate to both scientific research and clinical practice.

Training in research skills such as statistics, measurement, and research methods ensures competence in conducting empirical research and in critically evaluating one's own and others' clinical and empirical work.

The Program seeks to train students who are interested in making significant contributions to scientific clinical psychology. The program uses an apprenticeship model, and applicants to the program are strongly encouraged to specify which faculty research laboratory they would like to enter. Faculty research interests and descriptions of research labs can be found on our Faculty & Staff Directory. Students begin research training as soon as they begin the program. Before the second year, the student proposes a master's research project, which is completed by the end of the second year. The third, fourth and fifth years are typically the time to write the doctoral qualifying exam (DQE) and to complete the dissertation. Throughout their tenure in the Program, students are strongly encouraged to make presentations at research conferences and to submit manuscripts for publication in research journals.

The Program is therefore not appropriate for those interested solely in clinical practice.

Students become competent in professional practice skills, such as assessment, interventions, and consultation. Supervised clinical experiences are planned throughout the curriculum.

Graduates of the Clinical Program demonstrate competency in the assessment and treatments of children, adolescent and adults, and basic proficiency in consultation and supervision. The doctoral graduate is expected to demonstrate understanding of professional practice issues, including ethical principles, legal guidelines, and multicultural and diversity issues. Doctoral students obtain their initial clinical training in both assessments and interventions under the close supervision of departmental clinical faculty at the Center for Psychological Services, which is in the Department of Psychology. Several specialty clinics within CPS serve as laboratories for cutting-edge clinical research. Numerous external training sites are available in the Milwaukee area, including but not limited to numerous clinics within Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin, Froedtert Hospital, the Medical College of Wisconsin, and the Clement J. Zablocki Veterans Administration Medical Center. The quality of clinical training can be seen in the success of advanced students, who routinely obtain one of their top choices in the highly competitive national Internship Match Program.

The Program places great value on ethnic and cultural diversity. Numerous faculty focus primarily on diversity-related issues in their research laboratories. Training experiences with traditionally underserved populations are readily available. The Multicultural Awareness and Professional Integration Program is a specialty certificate for doctoral students to assist them in gaining additional knowledge of multicultural issues.

The Program is very flexible. Its apprenticeship model allows students to gain specialized training in areas of most interest to them. All students take the same coursework, but research and clinical training diverge greatly. Some students focus on adults, others focus on children, and still others focus on families. Some students specialize in neuropsychology, whereas others focus on interventions. Several faculty are involved in the development and empirical evaluation of psychological interventions for various clinical populations. So, whereas there are not “tracks” in the Program, by choosing faculty with whom to work, students enrolled in the program develop specialized expertise.

A 12-month pre-doctoral internship is completed prior to granting of the doctoral degree.

Marquette Graduate School Resources

The Graduate School has two pages that you will find useful. One contains most if not all of the forms you will need as a graduate student, and the other is for new students.

• Graduate School Forms
• Newly Admitted Students

Graduate Student Handbook and Important Forms & Policy Handouts/Guidelines

These links take students to the Graduate Student Handbook ("The Handbook"), which contains extremely important information and should be referenced regularly. It also takes students to a page containing important forms that need to be completed over your tenure. Also on this page are important sources of information.

• Graduate Student Handbook
• Graduate Forms & Policy Handouts/Guidelines

Additional Resources

• Student Admissions, Outcomes, and Other Data – A page describing “Student Admissions, Outcomes, and Other Data” (also known as the "Full Disclosure" page) can be downloaded from this link.