Department of Psychology

PhD in Clinical Psychology

Program Aims

Prepare Graduates for Careers in Clinical Practice. With regard to professional practice, our curriculum and training experiences provides thorough training in state-of-the-art evidence-based assessment and psychotherapeutic treatment approaches. Students will receive education and training in all of the competencies deemed necessary to function as a clinical psychologist in a full-range of settings in the current healthcare environment (e.g., evidence based assessment and intervention, ethical and legal standards, knowledge of individual and cultural diversity, development of professional values, consultation and supervision skills; cf. SoA).

Prepare Graduates for Careers in Academic Settings. Our curriculum and training opportunities prepare graduates of our program for careers in research in a variety of settings (e.g., colleges, universities, medical centers). In addition, for those students who are interested, there are opportunities for teaching undergraduate courses in order to develop the necessary teaching skills for a potential career in academics.

Graduates of our program are prepared to pursue careers in applied and academic settings.
Surveys of our more than 900 alumni have shown that they are employed in a wide variety of settings (clinics, colleges and universities, correctional facilities, hospitals, independent clinical practices, research centers, etc.) in 25 different states and in a number of foreign countries. This LINK provides career information of our graduates during the past ten years.

Degree Requirements. The Ph.D. program in Clinical Psychology is designed to take a minimum of five years of full-time study (regardless of whether the student enters with a Bachelor’s or Master’s degree). This time-frame includes a one-year predoctoral internship to be completed off-campus at an APA accredited internship site acquired through the national psychology internship match. Two research projects are required: A Second Year Research Project and a Dissertation. Successful completion of two Qualifying Exams (Research and Clinical) are required prior to initiation of dissertation research. A total of 105 semester hours, including those for course work, externships, internship, and research projects, are required to earn the doctoral degree. Click on the following to view a required curriculum sequence or to view student admissions, outcomes, and other data.

Learn More About the Program

GREs will not be considered for Fall 2024 applications. Please ignore any other information on this website or the application portal that indicates GREs are required. They are not required for this coming cycle.


Program News and Updates

PhD Program Receives Maximum Accreditation Award

Our program was evaluated by the American Psychological Association for reaccreditation during 2019 and was granted 10 years of accreditation (through 2029). Ten years is the maximum award allowable and can be viewed as an independent, objective endorsement of the quality of our training program given that APA does not award the maximum lightly. The following is from the site-visitors report summarizing what they believe to be the particular strengths of our program. These points are very worthy of consideration for applicants deliberating about applying to our program:

  • a highly dedicated, hard-working, and supportive core faculty;
  • a satisfied group of students, who have positive outcomes with respect to graduation rates, licensure, employment, and life-long learning;
  • excellent training, particularly in evidence-based psychological interventions, in both community-based specialty clinics and an impressive set of externships;
  • a well-organized and administered program with effective leadership, which works to optimize doctoral training and education.

Contact the Program

Program Director

William C. Sanderson, PhD
Director, PhD Program in Clinical Psychology

Consumer Information Disclosures

As an American Psychological Association Accredited Program, it is our intention to train students in all the competencies outlined for the profession of health service psychology. It is our expectation that the vast majority of our graduates will obtain professional licensure as clinical psychologists, and will be able to engage in clinical practice and supervise trainees. Hofstra’s clinical training program is designed to meet the high standards of the New York State Education Department’s Office of Professions—standards that meet or exceed those of many other states. However, licensure is controlled by individual governmental bodies in each of the 50 US states (typically State Boards of Psychology under the Division of Occupational Affairs in State Governments) and every jurisdiction may impose their own unique requirements. Hence, we cannot guarantee that the specific training we provide will meet the criteria for licensure in any individual state. That said, we are quite successful at advocating for our students, and we are unaware of any graduate from the last 25 years who has been unable to obtain licensure in any state if they have pursued it. For more information see our program requirements. For specific information about a specific state's licensing requirements see https://cdn.ymaws.com/www.asppb.net/resource/resmgr/docs/7.22.21_consumer_information.pdf. -- you are strongly encouraged to review current state licensing requirements if you are planning to get licensed in a state other than New York.