Doctor of Psychology (PsyD) Program

Policies & Procedures

Leaves of Absence

Students in good academic standing may request a leave of absence from the School for financial, medical, or other emergency personal reasons.  With the approval of the advisor, any full-time student in good standing will automatically be granted a leave of absence of up to one year provided the application is made prior to June 15 for a leave which begins in the fall semester and prior to December 1 for a leave which begins in the spring semester. The Director of Training and the Associate Director of Training must be notified prior to the student taking any action regarding the site. If the student wishes to extend the leave of absence beyond one year or if the student’s advisor does not approve of the leave, the student must petition the Academic Council. Part-time students and students on reduced load must petition the Academic Council for leaves of absence.

Probation

Probation at MSPP is defined as an official recognition of a student's failure to meet the standards of the School. It is a temporary condition, resulting either in a return to good standing through a student having remediated the noted difficulties by having met the terms of probation and/or the recommendations for remediation established by an intermediate or annual Assessment and Planning Conference and/or the Academic Council or in dismissal procedures being instituted.

Terms of Probation are set by the Academic Council. The Academic Council decides in all cases the terms and length of probation (with input from the Advisor and Field Placement Liaison). The Academic Council determines how long any given student may remain on probation before dismissal procedures are initiated.

While a student is on probation, s/he is no longer eligible to participate in any Title IV Student Financial Assistance Programs, including the Federal Stafford Student Loan Program (see section V.G.9., “Satisfactory Progress Clause”).

There are at least seven ways a student may be placed on probation. They are listed below, along with the person responsible for announcing the probation to all necessary parties (the Advisor, the Academic Council, Registrar, Dean and other relevant parties, e.g. Financial Aid).

Remediation

Remedial intervention is considered for students who are given an opportunity to improve their performance in some domain of program expectation.

Failure to meet the standards of the program in academic or field experience and/or other problematic performance may result in remedial recommendations different from or in addition to probation.  Students may be required to repeat courses, engage in remedial clerkships, undertake a pr9scribed directed study, among other options.  Remediation is monitored by a student’s advisor and may be reviewed by the Academic Council and/or the Dean of the Clinical Program, as well.

Dismissal

Grounds for dismissal may include, but are not limited to the following: No Credit earned in three or more courses; a combination of five No Credits or Credit Problematic grades; failure to meet the terms of probation; failure to complete all program requirements within established time limit; failure to meet minimal criteria for the internship level of training and no prospect for remedial education or field experience; failure to comply with the APA or MPA codes of ethics; or gross violation of MSPP standard School policies.

Petitions and Grievances

A petition for review and/or reconsideration of any academic matter (except dismissal) is submitted to the student’s advisor.  If the student and advisor cannot reach a mutually satisfactory resolution, the petition can be forwarded to the Academic Council. If the student still is not satisfied with the decision of the Academic Council, s/he may file a petition with the Dean of The Doctoral Program, who will review the situation and take appropriate action. Grievance procedures have also been developed for complaints of discrimination and sexual harassment.  Petitions and Grievances regarding a recommendation of dismissal allows for a review of Adherence of Procedure through hierarchical Administrative Channels.

Advanced Standing

Considerations of Advanced Standing may be available to students who have completed a Master’s Program in psychology or a closely related field requiring a minimum of 60 credits of coursework before matriculating in the MSPP Program.  The program must have included required supervised field experience effectively equivalent to the MSPP first year practicum requirement.

Students admitted to Advanced Standing would have the first year practicum waived and be eligible for up to 24 transfer-of-credit hours.  Eligibility will be determined by individual review of students’ records; an admissions post-acceptance interview with the Dean of the Doctoral Program and/or his designate; and direct contact with prior advisors and supervisors at the academic program and field sites identified in a student’s application.

Applicants to the program will be notified of their eligibility for Advanced Standing prior to an admissions interview.  Following an admissions decision, Advanced Standing Candidates will be invited to meet with the Dean and/or his designate in order to review their credentials and potential course equivalencies for transfer of credit consideration.  Academic and applied achievements will be reviewed with a student’s prior advisors and supervisors. Only students with demonstrated excellence in their prior program(s) will be granted Advanced Standing.  Advanced Standing status will be contingent upon a establishing a record of academic mastery and good academic standing during the first year of the MSPP program

Students admitted to Advanced Standing must matriculate as full-time students and complete at least three years in the Doctoral Program at MSPP

Transfer of Credit (TOC) Policy

A) Qualifying Courses
Courses for which a student seeks transfer credit must:

1. have been taken at a regionally accredited institution
2. have been taken at the graduate level
3. have been taken within 3 years of the student’s date of matriculation at MSPP
4. have received a grade of B or better

B) Limitations

1. A maximum of 2 credits will be given for each course accepted for transfer (with the exception of the those courses designated as 3 credits by the Registrar)
2. Transfer credit is limited to a maximum of 4 courses.This Policy is automatically waived for those students who are admitted to MSPP with Advanced Standing, or other special status.
3. Transfer credit is limited to a combination of elective and required courses as follows: Within the 4 course maximum, a student can transfer in a maximum of 2 required courses (this minimizes duplication of course work taken previously, enhances the overall quality of an individual student’s program of studies, and provides for greater challenge and breadth within the program for students who so desire). Exceptions to this Policy are made for students admitted with Advanced Standing, or other special admission status on a case by case basis.
4. The following MSPP program requirements cannot be met via transfer of credit:
   
   Clinical Seminar I and II
   Cognitive and Affective Bases of Behavior
   History & Systems of Psychology
   Social Bases of Behavior
   Learning Theory
   Introduction to Family Theory
   Humanistic Psychological Theories
   Introduction to Psychodynamic Theory
   Advanced Clinical Seminar: Theory and Practice of Supervision
   Ethics, Standards and Professional Development
   Field Placement
   Doctoral Project
   
5. Additional courses may be considered on individual review by the Registrar

C) Petitions (Available through the Student Services Office)

1. Students must submit an original plus two (2) copies (for a total of 3 copies) of: The transfer of Credit Petition, course descriptions, and syllabi for each course s/he is requesting TOC.
2. An Official Transcript for which will be required if one is not on file in the student’s Academic folder.
3. Packets must be submitted by the student in her/his first year and submitted to the Registrar no later than the date posted on the Academic Calendar. Requests will be evaluated by the Registrar in conjunction with appropriate Faculty and/or with Administrative consultation.

D) Courses previously taken at MSPP

For students who have successfully completed MSPP courses on a non-matriculated basis:

1. If taken within 3 years of matriculation, these courses will automatically be applied toward the PsyD (unless the student requests otherwise).
2. This provision is included in and subject to the 4 course maximum.

E) Courses taken elsewhere while the student is enrolled at MSPP

1. Courses taken at other accredited institutions while a student is enrolled at MSPP will be eligible for transfer credit subject to the same rules as courses taken prior to matriculation at MSPP.
2. Students must obtain prior approval of such courses for transfer of credit from their advisor and from the Registrar in accordance with the procedures outlined in c) above.
3. An official transcript must be submitted after completion of the course.
4. Such courses will fall into the 8 credit maximum allowed for each student.

Audit Policy

A student who wishes to audit a course at MSPP must obtain permission from his/her advisor and the course instructor before registering as an auditor. MSPP students who audit a course will be charged one-half the current per-credit tuition rate. Audited courses do not appear on transcripts.

Confidentiality

In compliance with the Family and Education Rights and Privacy Act of 1974 (The Buckley Amendment), MSPP requires a signed request from students before releasing academic transcripts and other personally identifiable information.

Updated 1/15/08