Doctor of Philosophy in Psychology with specialization in Professional Consulting
The purpose of the Doctor of Philosophy in Psychology with specialization in Professional Consulting, Research and Teaching program is to train doctoral level students, with an earned a master’s degree in any field of psychology, in the multi-disciplinary program’s competencies. The Ph.D. in Psychology Program addresses the needs of advanced training for prospects who wish to develop advanced skills in the teaching of psychology at the university and graduate levels, and skills in professional consultation and research. The Ph.D. program retains the traditional emphasis on statistics and research skills.
The curricular sequence of the Ph.D. in Psychology Program includes 69 credits of coursework, three supervised practices – consulting, teaching and two research modules — for a total of 400 hours. Additionally, the students present a Doctoral Level Exam (consisting of two Qualification Diagnostic Exams), a doctoral dissertation and the presentation of an academic article ready for publication at a peer-reviewed journal. The program is offered only at the San Juan Campus. The training model is based on the development of the following specialized skills:
• Development of needs assessment for educational and social services organizations
• Program development and evaluation
• Preparation of remedial strategies to promote quality of programs and services
• Curriculum development and evaluation
• Research project
• Journal article presentation
• Consultation models and strategies application
• Teaching strategies and styles
GRADUATION REQUIREMENTS
ADMISSION APPLICATION – Applicants must submit to the Office of Admissions a completed application form, prior to deadline dates, accompanied by the appropriate fee. Payment of a non-refundable application fee of $75.00 is required. It is required for every applicant to provide a social security number. No application will be processed without this information.
GRADE POINT AVERAGE – It is required a master’s degree in any field of psychology, with a grade-point average (GPA) of 2.75 (on a 4.0 scale) or higher.
ACADEMIC TRANSCRIPTS – In the case of the Ph.D. in Psychology Program, the applicants must have an MS or MA degree in psychology (any field) from an institution authorized by the Puerto Rico Council of Education. Degrees or credits taken outside of Puerto Rico must have been taken at an institution accredited by a national or regional accrediting body recognized by the U.S. Department of Education; or an institution of higher education located outside the United States, which, at the time the applicant was enrolled, maintained a standard of training substantially equivalent to the standards of training of those institutions in the United States which are accredited by a body recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. Please take note that six weeks typically elapse between the filing of an application and receipt of all supporting documents.
PRE-REQUISITES: Applicants must have a graduate level statistics course, and documented in the official transcripts.
RECOMMENDATION LETTERS – Two (2) recommendation letters from a professor, employer or community leader are required. It is required to use Albizu University official Recommendation Letter form.
The Ph.D. in Psychology candidate must:
1. Complete the curricular requirements (69 credits) with a grade point average (GPA) of 3.00 or higher on a 4.00 scale.
2. Satisfactory completion of all academic courses, as applicable. Grades of “C” or lower in foundation or concentration courses are not accepted.
3. Satisfactory completion of the required supervised practicum hours: Complete the required hours of supervised and certified practicum (80 hours in teaching, 64 in Consulting, and 256 in research).
4. Passing scores (70% or above) on the written portion of the Doctoral Qualification Examinations and a Pass in the oral portion of the Examination.
5. Demonstrate competence in APA style for publications and computer literacy, including SPSS I and SPSS II.
6. Satisfactory completion and approval of a Doctoral Project or Dissertation and present a ready to publish journal article.
7. Good standing in the Program, i.e., no disciplinary action pending or academic or clinical probation.
8. Recommendation from the program Faculty for the doctoral degree. Students seeking a doctoral degree must demonstrate, to the satisfaction of the faculty, those professional, ethical, and personal qualities and attributes described in the current General Policies and Disciplinary Procedures Manual.
