William Paterson University Establishes Doctor of Psychology Degree to Offer Advanced Education for Clinicians And Researchers

William Paterson University in Wayne has expanded its doctoral level programs to include a doctor of psychology degree.  The program will provide training and coursework in clinical practice and research. The degree program has been authorized by the New Jersey Presidents’ Council and the New Jersey Commission on Higher Education.

The doctor of psychology degree is a professional doctorate designed to prepare graduates for practice in psychology.  The program will begin in fall 2015 by enrolling students who have completed their undergraduate degrees. For fall 2016, the program will also enroll students who have completed a master’s degree. Students who begin the program with an undergraduate degree will receive a master’s degree upon successful completion of the requirements for that degree, which include completion of the core 48 credits. Students who complete the doctoral degree will be eligible to take the national examination and after completing all state requirements can pursue licensure as a psychologist.

“We are excited to offer this new doctoral degree program,” says Warren Sandmann, provost and senior vice president for academic affairs.  “This new degree is a natural progression for our already strong bachelor’s and master’s programs, and will help us meet the expanding need for mental health care professionals.”

The 96-credit program is based on a practitioner-scholar model and is designed to prepare students to understand, prevent, and treat mental health issues across the lifespan. Each student will be matched with a research and clinical mentor.  Students will initially serve as apprentices in ongoing research projects before assuming the role of independent investigators to develop and conduct an independent project leading to a dissertation. Students must also complete a one-year, full-time pre-doctoral clinical internship as required by the American Psychological Association.

The program is housed in the University’s expanded and renovated Science Complex.  Facilities include a clinical teaching suite equipped with training rooms, clinical spaces, and a monitoring room; the suite is outfitted with digital cameras for observing, recording, and assessing clinical skills. Other facilities include a dedicated graduate teaching and testing room, a graduate study room, and a variety of research labs.

William Paterson University, one of the nine state colleges and universities in New Jersey, offers more than 250 undergraduate and graduate academic programs through five colleges: Arts and Communication, Cotsakos College of Business, Education, Humanities and Social Sciences, and Science and Health. Located on 370 hilltop acres in Wayne, the University enrolls more than 11,000 students and provides housing for nearly 2,600 students. The institution’s 400 full-time faculty are highly distinguished and diverse scholars and teachers, many of whom are recipients of prestigious awards and grants from the Fulbright Program, the Guggenheim Foundation, the National Endowment for the Humanities, the National Institutes of Health, and the National Science Foundation.

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