Application for Admission

Applications completed by January 15 will be screened for regular acceptance. Applications completed after January 15 will be considered late and will be reviewed only if there are openings. Information about the program and application material can be obtained from the Graduate Admissions Office. Students are accepted only for the fall semester of each year.

Admission Requirements

1. Successful completion of the baccalaureate degree at an accredited institution.
2. Score on the Verbal Section of the GRE of no less than 500 and the Quantitative Section of no less than 500. For non-native speakers of English, a TOEFL may be required.
3. Score on the GRE, Psychology Section, of no less than the 65th percentile.
4. Candidates are expected to have preparation in:
   
   • Elementary Statistics
   • Research Design
   • Psychopathology/Abnormal Psychology
   • Experimental Psychology/Laboratory
5. A personal essay with statement of professional goals.   
6. A personal interview with a program faculty member.
7. Three to four letters of recommendation.
8. A curriculum vitae listing educational and professional
   experiences and accomplishments.

Program Requirements - Semester Hours: 105

Graduation Requirements

1. Completion of the 105-credit program with a cumulative grade point average of B or better.
2. Successful completion of a Qualifying Examination which must be taken and passed immediately following the first two semesters of the program. This examination is given in May and July of each year. Students who fail the qualifying examination twice will be dropped from the program.
3. Students must maintain a B average each semester, receive no more than one C per semester and no more than three Cs in total toward the Ph.D. or the student will be dropped from the program. 
4. If a student earns a grade of D in a course, the instructor of that course will inform the Program Director who will then convene a meeting of the Core Program Faculty to discuss the circumstances under which the D was earned. If this is the first D earned during his or her course of study, the student will be immediately placed on probation and a remedial plan for the student will be developed by the faculty. In the case of a D, course credit will not count toward the degree being sought but the grade is included in determining the cumulative grade point average. The course or its equivalent, must be repeated. A second grade of D received in any course while enrolled in the program is grounds for immediate dismissal. The Core Program Faculty will decide if the dismissal is warranted. A letter which reviews the discussion and outcome of the meeting will be generated by the Program Director with a copy sent to the student. 
5. A grade of F in any class is grounds for immediate dismissal from the program. If a student earns an F, the instructor of that course will inform the Program Director who will then convene a meeting of the Core Program Faculty to discuss the circumstances in which the F has been earned. A letter which reviews the deliberations of the Core Program Faculty will be generated by the Program Director with a copy sent to the student.
6. Students are expected to behave in an ethical and professional manner according to the guidelines for student conduct and academic honesty at Hofstra University, and the Ethical Standards for Psychologists published by the American Psychological Association. Satisfactory interpersonal behavior and professional performance in classes and meetings, on practica and internships, etc. is expected. When a report of an ethics violation or an interpersonal problem which may be impeding professional growth is received, the Program Director will convene a meeting of the Core Program Faculty to discuss the circumstances under which the violation or problem arose. After a faculty investigation, a report will be issued that may clear the student of any wrongdoing, place the student on probation with a plan for remediation, or dismiss the student from the program. A letter which reviews the deliberations of the Core Program Faculty will be generated by the Program Director with a copy sent to the student.
7. Students must obtain and complete a psychological internship during their 5th, 6th, or 7th year of the doctoral program. The internship must minimally comply with standards for psychological internships of the Association for Psychology Postdoctoral and Internship Centers (APPIC). It is the student’s responsibility to meet all deadlines for internship application and to provide proof that the internship has been successfully completed.
8. Completion of a satisfactory research dissertation.
9. Satisfactory performance in an oral examination, to be given subsequent to the completion of the dissertation.

Footnotes

*A student who has not made sufficient progress on the dissertation to gain permission of the members of the committee to begin collecting data, will have to repeat the course, paying full fee. A student must maintain continuous enrollment in this course, registering for it during the fall and spring semesters. A student must complete the work for this course within two semesters. If sufficient progress has not been made by the end of this period, the student will have to enroll in 603A, Extended Dissertation Advisement. This course may be taken only once. If the student does not complete the work for this course by the end of the semester, the student will be dropped from the program.

**A student who does not complete the dissertation during the semester of enrollment in 604, Dissertation Advisement, will have to repeat the course, paying full fee. Once 602, Dissertation Proposal Preparation or 603A, Extended Dissertation Advisement has been completed, a student must enroll in 604, Dissertation Advisement, the following semester and maintain continuous enrollment in this course during the fall and spring semesters. A student must complete the work for this course within three semesters. If the dissertation is not completed by the end of this period, the student must immediately enroll in 605A, Dissertation Extension. The student will be dropped from the program if all requirements for the dissertation are not fulfilled by the end of 605A. Once a candidate has begun work on the dissertation, a leave of absence from the program will not be granted, except in highly unusual circumstances.

***Many clinical seminars involve ongoing case work with patients in the Psychological Evaluation, Research and Counseling (PERC) clinic. Students may repeat clinical seminars with the permission of the seminar instructor.

Typical Plan of Study