Clinical Psychology Students at Wheaton
Historically, students have come to Wheaton's Clinical Psychology programs from all over the United States and the world, bringing a rich diversity of cultural, ethnic, and personal experiences and backgrounds. The Clinical Psychology programs value diversity in its recruitment of students.
The Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology program will seek to admit 2-5 students per cohort during the first 3 years prior to seeking APA accreditation. The program will ulimately aim to admit approximately sixteen students a year so as to maintain a good balance of faculty members to students. We anticipate the accreditation process to begin with the American Psychological Association in 2023-24 and for the first cohort of students from Ph.D. program to graduate from an APA-accredited program.
Many of the classes that students take in the Ph.D. program will also be taken by students in the Psy.D. program, and the programs will share share faculty. After the Ph.D. program can attain APA accrediation, the Psy.D. program will sundown.
The student-faculty ratio is planned to remain at approximately 10:1 until the Psy.D. program completely sundowns upon which time we anticipate a drop in student-faculty ratio to approximately 7.5:1. Typical of clinical psychology programs throughout the nation, the ratio of women to men is approximately 2 to 1. The age range is from early twenties into the early fifties, with most students in their mid- to late-twenties.
The academic credentials of Wheaton Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology students applying to the program is anticipated to be strong. The program benchmark for undergraduate GPA is 3.5 out of 4.0 and a composite GRE score of 300 (GREQ of 150 + GREV of 150).
We expect that some students will come to the Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology program directly from their undergraduate institutions whereas others arrive with an M.A. and somework experience. Because the program is designed on a cohort model, where students take most of their classes with the same peers, students quickly form close and caring relationships. This is facilitated by the Graduate Psychology Student Association (GPSA), various social events involving faculty and students, and spontaneous gatherings of students.
The GPSA is an active group that provides student life enrichment and also gives voice to student concerns within the program. The group plans student events but also interacts with faculty members in the program in a manner designed to enhance the overall training environment.
As with our Psy.D. program, we anticipate that some Ph.D. students will seek part-time employment while attending the Clinical Psychology program. The schedule is structured for department cohesiveness and unity of the student body. For example, all students and faculty are on-campus every Monday and Tuesday. On Mondays, the clinical training groups meet and on Tuesdays, we offer our electives and research groups.
First-year and second-year students take courses on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. Third-year and fourth-year students have classes Monday and Tuesday. Students' open days are generally used for employment, reserach, clinical work at practicum placements, and coursework preparation.
The intention of the faculty and students is to develop a caring community in which scholarship is valued, self-awareness is gained, cultural and individual differences are celebrated, collegial relationships are established, and faith is nurtured. The result is a diverse training environment where faculty members and students collaborate on a common mission of excellent training in professional psychology.