Ph.D. Program in Clinical-Community Psychology

Offered Jointly by the University of Alaska Fairbanks and the University of Alaska Anchorage

Program Requirements

Minimum Requirements for Degree: 115 credits

The Ph.D. Program in Clinical-Community Psychology with Rural, Indigenous Emphasis is a program jointly delivered and administered by the Departments of Psychology at UAF and UAA.  Although the degree is awarded by UAF, the only doctoral degree granting institution in the UA system, students can complete the entire degree program in residence at UAA.  All program courses are co-taught across campuses via video conference and all program components are delivered by faculty at both campuses.  The student experience is identical regardless of students’ city of residence (Fairbanks or Anchorage). The program focus includes clinical, community and cross-cultural psychology with an emphasis on indigenous, Alaska Native and American Indian psychology.  As a UAA-UAF partnership, the program integrates the strengths and resources of both campuses to advance academic excellence, promote innovative and practical research, and provide solid graduate training in clinical-community psychology. 

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.

1.   Successfully complete the admission process and be fully admitted into the program.

2.       Complete the general university requirements as outlined in the UAF/UAA catalog.

3.       Complete the Ph.D. degree requirements as outlined in the UAF/UAA catalog.

4.       Complete the following as part of the Ph.D. program requirements:

a.       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.  The goal of the cultural experience is to provide an opportunity to interact directly with cultures in a non-classroom setting. 

b.       Coursework:  Students must complete, with a grade of B or better,  26 required courses (for a total of 70 credits), 18 credits of dissertation, 18 credits of predoctoral internship, and 9 credits of electives.  Students must accumulate a minimum 115 credits to graduate and must have completed all required coursework.  Students entering the program with a master's degree in psychology or related field must complete at least two-years of full-time coursework, 18 credits of dissertation, and one-year of predoctoral internship, all as approved by the student's advisory committee. 

        The following 26 courses are required: 

c.       Clinical/Community Competency: Clinical-community competency is demonstrated through preparation of a clinical-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 demonstrate clinical-community competency before actually starting Predoctoral Internship.

d.       Research Competency: Research competency is demonstrated through the preparation of a research portfolio that will be evaluated by an ad hoc committee.  Criteria for the portfolio will be clearly and samples are available to students.

e.       Advancement to Candidacy: Before students are allowed to register for dissertation credits, they will be reviewed for performance by the UAF/UAA Ph.D. committee, using existing university standards and forms for advancement to candidacy.  Review will be based on faculty experience with students to date, submitted paperwork, and student’s progress through the program.  Feedback from the review will be provided to the student by her or his advisor.  The program defines the comprehensive exam as being met through passing the required competency portfolios.  All portfolios must be passed for the comprehensive exam to be fully passed.  Passing one portfolio qualifies the student for a conditional pass on the comprehensive exam, which is sufficient for advancement to candidacy.    

f.         Doctoral Dissertation Proposal Defense:  Before commencing data collection for 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 UAF or UAA Institutional Review Board before data collection can commence. 

g.       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. It is recommended that the dissertation chair be on the same campus as the student. There must be at least one committee member from each Psychology Department at UAF and UAA.  Content areas can vary widely, but must be related to clinical, community, or cross-cultural issues and applicable in Alaska settings. 

h.       Advancement to Internship:  Students must apply to the local 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.  The DCT will notify the core faculty committee, who will review the students' coursework, assure that adequate progress has been made toward all prior milestones [i.e., clinical-community competency, research competency, doctoral dissertation outline (the outline must be completed, submitted, and approved by the Chair), 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-Community Portfolio before actually starting Internship.  Failure to pass the Clinical-Community Portfolio results in the student not being eligible to enroll in internship credits.   

i.         Predoctoral Internship (PSY 686):  A full-time, one-year predoctoral internship is required.  This internship should meet the criteria laid out by the American Psychological Association; selection of an Association of Psychology Postdoctoral and Internship Centers (APPIC)-approved internship is encouraged.  Placements in Alaska are preferred, but not required.

j.         APA Ethical Guidelines:  Strict compliance with APA Ethical Guidelines 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.  The Disclosure Statement may be viewed at on-line here.

UAA Master of Science, Clinical Psychology Option for Psychology Ph.D. Students

Students admitted into the Ph.D. program have the option of obtaining the UAA M.S., Clinical Psychology degree en route to the Ph.D.  This option to pursue the M.S. degree in Clinical Psychology  is completely voluntary for doctoral students. Doctoral students who choose to pursue the M.S. degree option will receive additional clinical training that will increase their range of opportunities as practicum students, predoctoral interns, and employees.  Students who complete the additional requirements necessary to obtain the M.S. degree will become eligible for licensure in Alaska as a Licensed Psychological Associate or (with additional course work) as a Licensed Professional Counselor.

Through the M.S. degree option, doctoral students can work toward receiving a master’s degree as early as by the end of their second year in the doctoral program. Students opting to pursue this additional degree will need to:

·         file a Plan of Study for the M.S. degree program in Clinical Psychology at the University of Alaska Anchorage, in collaboration with their doctoral academic advisor;

·         take two additional courses, PSY 624 Group Therapy  (or UAF course substitution PSY 674/COUN 674 Group Therapy) and PSY 626 Family Therapy (or UAF course substitution PSY 666 Family and Network Therapy), courses that can serve as electives in the doctoral program;

·         take one additional semester of PSY 653, Practicum Placement: Clinical II, the hours for which can be used toward the Clinical-Community Portfolio in the doctoral program; and

·         request three course substitutions from the regular M.S. degree requirements; specifically, 1) PSY 602 Native Ways of Knowing will be substituted for PSY 654 Cultural Issues in Psychotherapy; 2) PSY 639 Research Methods will be substituted for PSY 609 Applied Research Methods; and PSY 629 Intervention II (1) will be substituted for PSY 627 Community-based Intervention Skills. 

Through completing these additional requirements, students become eligible for the M.S. in Clinical Psychology degree.  The following table provides a comparison of the course requirements for the M.S. Clinical Psychology degree and the Ph.D. Clinical-Community Psychology degree.

Comparison of MS Clinical Psychology Course Requirements and Corresponding Ph.D. Clinical-Community Psychology Course Requirements

Additional Courses Needed:

1. PSY 624 Group Therapy
2. PSY 626 Family Therapy

Course Substitutions Needed:

1. PSY 602 Native Ways of Knowing for PSY 654 Cultural Issues in Psychotherapy
2. PSY 639 Research Methods for PSY 609 Applied Research Methods
3. PSY 629 Intervention II for PSY 629 Community-based Intervention Skills   

Spring 2013 Schedule

Spring 2013 Texts

Student Handbook

Course Descriptions

Practicum Opportunities

Example of Conferences

University of Alaska Fairbanks
Department of Psychology

P.O. Box 756480
Fairbanks, Alaska 99775

telephone 907.474.7012
fax 907.474.5781

University of Alaska Anchorage
Department of Psychology

3211 Providence Drive, SSB 303
Anchorage, Alaska 99508

telephone 907.786.1640
fax 907.786.1669