Psy.D. and Ph.D. Program
Wheaton’s new Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology is founded on nearly three decades of excellence in doctoral clinical psychology training at Wheaton. The Psy.D. in Clinical Psychology admitted its first class in 1993 and received APA accreditation in 1998. Over the course of its 30 years, the Psy.D. has demonstrated an excellent record of student outcomes, academic rigor, emphasis on research, high licensure rates, superior internship match rates at highly regarded sites, and competitive job placements.
In recognition of the wide-ranging applicability of a Ph.D. within academia and research, the international job market, and select sub-disciplines, Wheaton's doctoral program in clinical psychology is in a phase of transition from a 120-credit Psy.D. to a 122-credit Ph.D. program. This process began in 2021 with the admittance of our first Ph.D. cohort. Since then, the Psy.D. and Ph.D. programs have operated simultaneously. Once we receive APA accreditation for the Ph.D. program, admission to the Psy.D. program will close, and the program will continue its legacy of excellence through the Ph.D. program only.
Accreditation
After launching the program in the academic year of 2021-2022, the Ph.D. program has submitted its self-study to the APA and is scheduled for the site visit in the 2024-2025 academic year. This is the final step of our accreditation process. Given the long-standing success of our closely related APA-accredited Psy.D. program, we are optimistic about the outcome.