Regulations for The Doctor of Clinical Psychology - DClinPsych

Qualification Regulations

Part I

Part II

Admission

1. Admission to the Degree of Doctor of Clinical Psychology requires that the candidate will:

(a) meet the University admission requirements as specified; and 

(b) have been awarded or qualified for a Bachelor Honours degree or Master‘s degree in Psychology with the award of First Class or Second Class Division I Honours, or equivalent; and

(c) have passed the following courses or their equivalent, in their qualifying degree: 175.738, 175,781, 175.782, and 175.783; and

(d) have sufficient personal qualities, ethical standards, and professional potential to satisfy the Doctoral Research Committee they have the capacity to successfully undertake the programme, and to satisfy the requirements for eligibility to practice as a Registered Psychologist in accordance with the Health Practitioners Competence Assurance Act of 2003, or as amended.

Qualification requirements

2. Candidates for the Degree of Doctor of Clinical Psychology shall follow a parts-based programme of study, which shall consist of courses and a thesis, totalling 360 credits, comprising:

(a) Part One: Provisional Registration, and

(b) Part Two: Full Registration

and including:

(c) the courses listed in the Schedule for the Qualification;

(d) a thesis;

(e) participation in required activities including presentation of a research report at a confirmation event, defending a thesis in an oral examination, and demonstrating the competencies required of a Professional Clinical Psychologist at a practical oral examination.

Specialisations

3. The Degree of Doctor of Clinical Psychology is awarded without specialisation.

Thesis Requirements

4. The thesis must demonstrate the candidate’s ability to carry out independent research, which must make a significant contribution to knowledge and understanding in clinical psychology. The thesis shall be a cohesive and integrated report of the candidate’s supervised work, and may consist of several studies or cases, and will include the candidate’s published or unpublished material or a combination of both.

5. There shall be one main supervisor, who shall be a member of the academic staff of the University, and at least one co-supervisor who shall also be a member of the academic staff of the University. At least one supervisor must be a registered senior clinical psychologist. All supervisors, including any additional co-supervisors, must be approved by the Doctoral Research Committee.

6. The thesis must comply with the following requirements:

(a) the work on which the thesis is based has not been accepted either in whole or in part for any other degree or diploma; and

(b) must clearly define the nature and extent of any assistance the candidate has received in pursuing the research on which the thesis is based;

(c) reference to work other than that of the candidate must be appropriately acknowledged;

(d) all relevant policies underpinning research practice have been complied with;

(e) the thesis must not exceed 65,000 words (excluding appendices and bibliography);

(f) the thesis must be submitted for examination in the manner specified by the Doctoral Research Committee in accordance with the published guidelines.

7. The thesis will be independently examined by an Examination Committee experienced in the subject area, appointed by the Doctoral Research Committee in accordance with published guidelines, and will include an oral examination of the candidate on the thesis and the subject area. The oral examination will not proceed if the examiners agree that the thesis is of an inadequate standard.

8. The Thesis Examination Committee shall make a recommendation to the Doctoral Research Committee on the whole examination and will advise the result of the examination by using one of the following categories:

(a) Pass without emendation.

(b) Minor emendations required.

(c) Major emendations required.

(d) Further research and re-examination required.

(e) Fail. The candidate shall not be awarded the degree and shall not be permitted to apply for re-examination.

9. If minor emendations are required the candidate will have a maximum of three months full time to complete the emendations. The candidate must complete the emendations to the satisfaction of the examination panel within the specified time period or the candidate will be failed.

10. If major emendations are required the candidate will have a maximum of six months full time to complete the emendations. The candidate must complete the emendations to the satisfaction of the examination panel within the specified time period or the candidate will be failed.

11. If further research and re-examination is required, the candidate will have a maximum of one year full time to conduct the required additional research and/or revisions. The candidate must re-enrol and pay tuition fees on a pro-rata basis. A candidate may only revise and resubmit a thesis for re-examination once. If the candidate does not complete the revisions to the satisfaction of all the examiners within the specified time period, the candidate will be failed.

12. No appeals are allowed except on completion of the examination process on the grounds of procedural irregularities in the examination process. For an appeal to be considered, applications must be received by the Doctoral Research Committee within three months of formal notification of the examination result by the Graduate Research School.

Student progression

13. For progression from Provisional Registration to Full Registration, candidates must have:

(a) achieved pass grades in courses 175.935 and 175.920;

(b) participated in a confirmation event, during which they have presented their research report to, and had it accepted by, a confirmation committee;

(c) their proposed main supervisor and co-supervisor(s) approved by the Doctoral Research Committee.

14. Candidates are required to make successful progress in the thesis as determined by six-monthly progress reports in accordance with the guidelines published by the Doctoral Research Committee and assessed by the Supervisors, Head of Academic Unit, and the Doctoral Research Committee.

15. Candidates are required to successfully complete courses 175.935 (taught) and 175.920 (practicum) before progressing to 175.936 (taught) and 175.921 (practicum). Candidates are required to successfully complete courses 175.936 (taught) and 175.921 (practicum) prior to enrolling in 175.922 (internship) and undertaking clinical case study research. Any candidate who fails one taught or practicum course will be permitted to repeat that course once. If the second attempt is unsuccessful, the candidate’s registration will be terminated.

16. Eligibility to present for the final examination of 175.922 (internship) is dependent on the candidate having reached a satisfactory standard of achievement in the internship, to the satisfaction of the Director of Clinical Training.

17. A candidate who fails the internship will be permitted to re-enrol for the internship once. Should the candidate fail to successfully complete the internship following the second attempt, the candidate’s registration will be terminated.

18. Candidates must continue to satisfy the requirements for eligibility to practice as a Registered Psychologist in accordance with the Health Practitioners Competency Assurance Act of 2003, or as amended, throughout the duration of their studies.

Completion requirements

19. A candidate’s period of registration (including provisional registration) shall be a minimum period of three years (36 months) and a maximum of four years (48 months) full time, unless a specified time of suspension or extension has been approved by the Doctoral Research Committee. 

20. The maximum period of registration shall include:

(a) passing courses as listed in the Schedule to the Qualification;

(b) submission of a thesis in the manner required under the published Doctoral Research Committee guidelines;

(c) application for the thesis to be examined;

(d) thesis examination (including, completion of any emendations or re-examination);

(e) submission of one PDF copy of the final thesis, as approved by the Examinations Committee;

(f) practical oral examination of professional clinical competencies by an examination committee of qualified clinical psychologists including at least one external academic clinical psychologist from another University training programme and at least one external senior consultant clinical psychologist with prior experience of intern field supervision.

21. Candidates may be graduated when they meet the Admission, Qualification and Thesis requirements within the prescribed timeframes. Candidates who do not meet the requirements for graduation may, subject to the approval of Academic Board, be eligible to be awarded an alternative qualification should they meet the relevant Qualification requirements.

Unsatisfactory academic progress

22. For candidates enrolled in the Degree of Doctor of Clinical Psychology, the following will lead to termination of registration by the Doctoral Research Committee:

(a) failure to pass any of the taught courses in the Schedule for the Qualification in two successive attempts;

(b) failure to pass any of the practicum courses or the internship course in the Schedule for the Qualification in two successive attempts.

23. In the following circumstances, a candidate enrolled in the Degree of Doctor of Clinical Psychology will either be permitted to withdraw without prejudicing future doctoral applications, or have their registration terminated by the Doctoral Research Committee:

(a) failure to make adequate progress in the research thesis as required by the six-monthly progress reports in accordance with the guidelines published by the Doctoral Research Committee as assessed by the Supervisors, Head of Academic Unit, and the Doctoral Research Committee.

Schedule for the Doctor of Clinical Psychology

Compulsory courses