About the Program Home Admissions Course Descriptions Curriculum Dissertations Dissertation Guidelines Financial Information Request for Information Program Courses in Sequence Divided by Year Dissertation Guidelines Program Features Psychology Links Library Academic Progress Policies & Procedures Manual Program Statistics

Academic Progress

Listed below are the university and program guidelines for normal academic progress for students in the Psy.D. program. Any exception to these policies must be requested in writing to the Program Chair or, when necessary, to the ULV Graduate Appeals Committee. The Program Chair may, at his or her discretion, forward such requests to the Psy.D. Program Faculty for consideration.

  1. Course load: Students enrolled in the Psy.D. program are considered full-time students for Years 1, 2, and 3. Exceptions may occur for students who have received transfer credit for courses offered during those semesters, or for students who request a course load reduction due to extenuating personal situations. Requests for a course reduction for extenuating circumstances must be requested in writing to the Program Chair. During Year 4, students typically enroll in 6-9SH in Fall (5SH of required courses and a range of SH for electives) and 6-9SH in Spring (5SH of required courses and a range of SH for electives). During Year 5 (Pre-doctoral Internship), students enrolled in a full-time internship register for Psy 680a (5SH) in the Fall and Psy 680b (5SH) in the Spring. Students enrolled in a half-time internship register for Psy 681a (5SH) in Fall of Year 5 and Psy 681b (5SH) in Fall of Year 6.
  2. Completion of admission prerequisites: Students must complete any admission conditions or prerequisites by the end of Year 1, unless otherwise noted by the program.
  3. Transfer policies and credits: Students entering the program with acceptable graduate transfer credit must consult with the Program Chair prior to Fall of Year 1 to approve their transfer credits. The program handout on Transfer Policies provides guidance for assessing appropriate transfer courses.
  4. Grading policies: The grading policy for Psy.D. students is based on the assumption that the minimum acceptable grade for satisfactory doctoral level academic work is B (3.0). The minimal passing grade for all doctoral courses is a B-. A final grade lower than B- will not be accepted for credit and the course must be re-taken for course credit to be obtained.
  5. GPA: Students must maintain a minimum GPA of 3.0 each semester and cumulatively throughout the program.
  6. Academic probation: Academic probation is a serious warning that a student's scholastic record is unsatisfactory, and failure to improve may result in academic disqualification. Academic probation may result from a substandard GPA or from failing to achieve a passing grade in any class. A student who receives a single failing grade (any grade below a B-) in any class will be placed on academic probation and will remain on probation until that class has been retaken and passed with a grade of B- or better. A Psy.D. student whose cumulative GPA falls below 3.0 will be placed on academic probation and will remain on probation until their cumulative GPA rises to 3.0 or better. Students who are on academic probation or whose GPA in a given semester is lower than 3.0 may, at the discretion of the Psy.D. Faculty Committee, be prohibited from beginning or continuing a clinical practicum.
  7. Probation related to professional standards: Students may also be placed on academic probation, at the discretion of the Psy.D. Faculty Committee, for failure to meet professional standards in terms of their academic, personal, or professional activities within the Psy.D. Clinical-Community Psychology Program. A violation of the Ethical Guidelines of the American Psychological Association (APA) could also result in a student being placed on probation. Probation for failure to meet professional standards can include a wide range of restrictions and/or additional requirements, at the discretion of the Psy.D. Faculty Committee. Such restrictions could include an administrative leave for a period of up to one year, as well as additional assignments designed to remediate the student's professionalism.
  8. Academic honesty: The Psy.D. Clinical-Community Psychology Program expects honest and ethical behavior on the part of all students, faculty, and staff. Honest and dishonest actions are purposeful. Honorable behavior is no accident, and neither is cheating. Accidental behaviors, or actions that are not purposeful but that fail to meet standards of professional practice, may require further education. Actions that are dishonest will result in consideration for termination from the Program. Students are expected to abide by University of La Verne (ULV) policies as stated in the ULV catalog, and to Ethical Guidelines of the APA.
  9. Academic disqualification: The University will academically disqualify students who are on academic probation and have not achieved a cumulative GPA of 3.0 by the next semester. A student who is on academic probation due to receiving a failing grade in any class will be academically disqualified if a passing grade is not earned by the conclusion of the next semester when that class is again offered. Also, a student who has previously failed a course and who receives a failing grade in a subsequent semester will be considered by the Psy.D. Faculty Committee for possible academic disqualification regardless of the outcome of the first failing grade. Academic disqualification is recorded on the student's transcript, and if this status is removed, the date of reinstatement is also recorded. Appropriate governmental or funding agencies will be notified when a student is academically disqualified.
  10. Credit/No Credit grading option: The program has designated certain courses as Credit/No Credit courses, rather than letter grade courses. Courses taken for Credit do not affect a student's GPA. Students will be required to repeat a course in which they receive a grade of No Credit. A grade of No Credit is considered a failing grade for purposes of academic probation and academic disqualification. The program or the course instructor, not the student, decides this grading option.
  11. Incomplete grades: The Psy.D. program has adopted its own policy regarding the circumstances for, and the number and duration of Incomplete grades allowed. Please refer to the separate program handout for these policies.
  12. In Progress grades: An 'In Progress' grade is reserved for practicum (Psy 635, 636, 655, 656), dissertation (Psy 642, 663, 664), independent studies (Psy 699), introduction to dissertation research (Psy 603), Internship (Psy 680a,b, 681a,b), and courses involving on-going research activities, and is used only when appropriate progress has been made in these courses. With the exception of Psy 663 and 664, an IP grade will become an F or No Credit if not cleared within one year following the term of registration. A student who has received an 'IP' for Psy 663 or 664 and has not received credit for these classes by the one-year time limit must enroll in Continuous Registration and pay the appropriate fee in order to maintain their standing in the program.
  13. Continuous Registration: Students will receive an In Progress grade for Psy 664 and will have one year after the semester in which they are enrolled in Psy 664 to receive a credit grade for that course. This occurs when Dissertation Form 4 is completed and the Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences has signed the cover page of the final version of the dissertation. If a student has not completed Form 4 and the Dean has not signed the cover page after the one-year period from the end of the semester in which they enrolled in Psy 664, they may request from the Graduate Appeals Committee a one-time only, six-month extension of the In Progress grade. If the student is still not finished with the dissertation at the end of the six-month extension, they must register for 1SH of Continuous Registration until the Dean signs the dissertation cover page. Each Continuous Registration lasts for six months. Psy.D. students are limited to a total of four Continuous Registrations.
  14. Advancement to Candidacy: Psy.D. students are advanced to doctoral candidacy no earlier than the Fall of Year 4. To be advanced to candidacy, a student must have completed at least 90SH, including transferred units, have successfully completed all Year 3 coursework, be in good academic standing, have successfully completed Psy 655 and 656, and have successfully completed the Year 3 Competency Exam (Psy 660). Doctoral candidacy is required before students are eligible to apply for internships. It is only after a student is advanced to candidacy that they may refer to themselves as a "doctoral candidate" or a "Psy.D. candidate."
  15. MS in Psychology: The Master's degree is intended only as an en-route degree, not a terminal degree in psychology. It must be received, however, before students are eligible to receive the Psy.D. degree. Students must file for "graduation" and pay the appropriate fee in order to receive this M.S., and are then eligible to participate in the next scheduled commencement ceremony. Please refer to the separate program handout on the M.S. in Psychology for specific details about this degree.
  16. Year 3 Clinical-Community Competency Exam (Psy 660, 0SH): This exam is completed following the students' receiving a passing grade in Psy 656. The exam is administered during the summer before the start of the fourth-year sequence of courses and activities. This exam must be successfully completed prior to initiating the internship application process.
  17. Psy.D. degree posting: The actual degree completion date for Psy.D. students occurs when the last grade has been submitted to the registrar, including units taken for dissertation and internship. The specific degree completion date is posted on the transcript. Graduates may start to accrue their post-doctoral experience hours for licensure after this degree posting date.
  18. ULV diploma: ULV diplomas carry one of three dates-depending on whichever comes first after degree posting: May 31, August 31, or January 31.
  19. Commencement ceremony for Psy.D. degree: In order to attend the May commencement ceremony, students must have turned in Form 3 by April 1, successfully completed their dissertation defense by May 1 (Form 4), and completed Psy 680a or 681a. Students may attend commencement while they are completing their last semester of Internship (Psy 680b or 681b) and while their dissertation (Psy 664) is undergoing the format review at the Graduate Admissions and Academic Services office.
  20. Degree completion time limit: While students are expected to complete their Psy.D. requirements and graduate in five years from the date of matriculation, all requirements for the doctoral degree must be completed within eight years from the time of start of the student's first course in the Psy.D. program.
  21. Use of title 'Doctor of Psychology': The use of the title Psy.D. or 'Doctor' occurs when the Psy.D. degree is completed and posted on the transcript. Students are not permitted to use the term 'ABD' or any other term indicating doctoral status until the Psy.D. degree is posted.

<-- Return to the Policies & Procedures Manual