With diverse classes, students, and professional interests, students find classmates and colleagues who share their aspirations—and student-led groups offer mentoring support to incoming students making them feel welcome on day one.
PsyD in Clinical Psychology Program emphasizes coursework reflecting the latest empirical findings in the field and combines courses, practicum placements, and dissertation with professional support to help you successfully complete the program with a versatile degree for practice, teaching, or research. Our in-house clinical training facilities provide clinics for training doctoral students.
Varied faculty interests provide students with exposure to a broad range of theoretical perspectives and assessment, intervention, research/evaluation, consultation/education, and management/supervision skills. Four Areas (Adult, Child, Health, & Neuro) within the generalist program allow students to receive advanced training in specific areas of interest. Each student will select an area of advanced study and clinical training.
Pacific University graduates move on with the knowledge and skills to provide psychological services, including traditional areas of psychological assessment, psychotherapy, and applied research. We also teach the business, organizational, and political aspects of graduate psychology to ensure students excel in leadership roles, can launch a private practice, or thrive in supervisory positions at mental health facilities.
The PsyD in Clinical Psychology Program is accredited by the American Psychological Association (APA).
“Pacific University stood out to me because of the commitment and importance within the program to include psychology within integrated and interprofessional health settings. I was also impressed by the reputation that Pacific University graduate psychology students have within the community when they are participating in various practicum sites.”
PsyD Program in Clinical Psychology Admission Requirements
We look for students who have academic aptitude combined with the personal qualities that enable them to develop into effective psychologists. Applicants must have a bachelor’s degree with a preferred GPA of at least 3.4 during the past two years. Additionally, we no longer require the GRE. For more information on our admission requirements, please visit our website.
International Students The Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) is required if English is not your native language. We require a minimum score of 600 for the paper test; 250 for the computer test; and 250 or 100 for the Internet test. Applicants who attended college, university or graduate school outside of the U.S. and Canada must provide a course-by-course evaluation of all international college and university transcripts. Pacific University prefers evaluations from World Education Services (WES).
Prerequisite Coursework
Strong Undergraduate Background in Psychology: A psychology major is not required; however, math-based Statistics and Abnormal Psychology courses are required prerequisites.
In addition, two of the six courses are required:
Research Methods
Experimental Psychology
Personality Theory
Introduction to Psychology
Social Psychology
Developmental Psychology
Prerequisite courses must be completed with a “B-” or above before a student can matriculate into the program. These prerequisites do not need to be complete when application is submitted.
How to Apply Go to our website for instructions and to fill out the online application for your program of choice.
If you have a question about certain courses or admissions information, please email PsychDoctorate@pacificu.edu.
PsyD Entering Class of 2019 Profile
300
applications received
30
class size
24–48
average age
3.52
AVERAGE UNDERGRADUATE GPA
3.74
average graduate gpa
83%
NUMBER OF
OUT-OF-STATE/INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS
We combine courses, practicum placements, and dissertation with professional support to help you successfully complete the program with a versatile degree for practice, teaching, or research.
Clinical Placement
Practicum training helps students integrate theoretical knowledge with clinical application. Our students gain supervised practice experience with a range of client populations, age groups and clinical problems.
Practicum
Each student is required to complete two year-long practicum placements: Practicum I (three semesters) and Practicum II (three semesters). Each practicum experience includes a minimum of 500 training hours per year:
At least 50%, and ideally 75%, in direct service to clients.
Approximately 25% in supervision, training activities, and administrative duties related to service and training.
Additional elective clinical training experiences are available (part-time or full-time Clinical Fieldwork). All training is designed to help students integrate theoretical knowledge with clinical application, and students gain supervised practice experience with a range of diverse client populations, age groups, and clinical problems. For example, students can pursue training in child psychopathology assessment and treatment, neuropsychology, behavioral health, forensic or correctional issues, or adult psychopathology assessment and treatment, carried out in close mentoring relationships.
Possible Sites
The School of Graduate Psychology maintains the Pacific Psychology & Comprehensive Health Clinic, a training clinic located at two sites. The Hillsboro clinic is located in Creighton Hall on the Hillsboro Campus; here, student clinicians provide services in both Spanish and English. The Portland clinic is located in downtown Portland.
Other community sites in the Portland area are available for Practicum II and elective Clinical Fieldwork placements, allowing for exposure to varied sites and populations.
More than 100 training sites are available, such as the following:
Community mental health centers serving children, adolescents, adult, and/or geriatric populations, with a variety of racial/ethnic, gender-diverse populations represented. Client problems include moderate to severe family and individual dysfunction. Services provided include assessment and individual, family and group therapy. Some agencies focus on specific populations, such as patients with life-threatening illnesses or sexual minority clients.
State hospital with adult clients representing a variety of racial/ethnic groups and including forensic populations and patients with severe and persistent mental illness. Diagnoses include any of the major mental illnesses, and treatment includes intermediate- and long-term inpatient treatment. Trainees may be involved in providing individual and group psychotherapy, behavioral treatment, assessment, and working with an interdisciplinary treatment team.
Student counseling centers serving students ranging in age from late adolescence through their 60s. Counseling centers are in both small town and urban settings and serve college students from diverse backgrounds, a variety of racial/ethnic populations, and a wide variety of diagnoses (adjustment disorders, mood disorders, psychotic disorders, alcohol/drug problems, career decision making and learning disabilities). Trainees may participate in individual psychotherapy, group psychotherapy, outreach consultation, vocational testing and counseling, psychological assessment and learning disability assessment.
State Department of Corrections, serving inmates with problems ranging from adjustment issues to severe persistent mental disorders, to crises. Students may conduct assessment, consultation, and group and individual interventions.
Residential treatment center and juvenile justice facility for youths. Students conduct assessments and therapy. The primary treatment modality is group therapy, but individual, family, and psychoeducational interventions are also used.
Hospitals serving youths and adults. Students conduct diagnostic and neuropsychological assessments and individual and group therapy in clinics and may work with a variety of populations, including children, youths, and adults.
Community medical clinics serving youths, adults, and families. Students conduct assessments and therapy, as well as behavioral health consultations. Individual, family, and psychoeducational interventions are used.
Internship
The clinical psychology internship is the culminating experience of the professional psychology program. It is among the last major tasks undertaken by the student prior to graduation, and it represents a significant commitment of time and effort.
The internship requires either full-time supervised clinical experience for one calendar year or a comparable half-time supervised clinical experience for two consecutive years. Internship training must be taken at a site that is accredited by the American Psychological Association (APA) or meets Association of Psychology Postdoctoral and Internship Center (APPIC) criteria. Students apply for internships through the APPIC match procedure. The School of Graduate Psychology has an outstanding record of placing students in internship experiences across the United States and Canada. We also have our own APA-accredited internship training program.
Our students (2018-2019) are placed all over the country. See Map for placements. For more information on clinical training, please visit our website.
Practicum Sites
Clinical Psychology In-House Practicum Sites
Pacific Psychology & Comprehensive Health Clinic (Hillsboro and Portland) – Clinical and Assessment Teams (supervisors have a variety of theoretical orientations)
Clinical Psychology Community Practicum Sites
Adventure Psychological LLC
Allies in Change
Behavioral Diagnostics & Treatment
Center for Integrated Intervention
Childrens Program
Clackamas Community College
Clark College Counseling and Health Center
Clark County Jail
Clark County Juvenile Justice Center
CODA
Conifer Wellness
Gary Sacks PhD, PC
Harden Psychological Associates PC
Hazelden Springbrook
Hillsboro School District
James Bryan, PhD
Job Corps - Springdale/PIVOT
Kaiser Permanente
Legacy
Lewis & Clark College Counseling Service
LifeWorks NW - Adult Rehabilitation
LifeWorks NW - Virginia Garcia Primary Care
Morrison Child and Family Services
Multnomah County Health Department
National University of Natural Medicine (NUNM)
Native American Rehabilitation Association (NARA)
Northwest Forensic Institute
NW Anxiety Institute
Oregon Health and Science University (OHSU)
Oregon Center for Change
Oregon Department of Corrections
Oregon Neurobehavioral Group
Oregon State Hospital
Pacific University Student Counseling Center
Providence
Portland Anxiety Clinic
Portland DBT Institute
Portland Mental Health & Wellness
Portland State University Student Health and Counseling
Providence Children’s Development Institute (PCDI)
Quest Center for Integrative Health
Rose City Geropsychology
Samaritan Health Services
Tara Sanderson PsyD
Tongue Point Job Corps Center
Trillium Family Services
University of Portland Health Center
University of Washington Counseling Center - Tacoma
VA Portland Health Care System
Washington State University-Vancouver
Western Psychological and Counseling Services
Willamette Family Medical Center
Yakima Valley Farm Workers Clinic
The fifth-largest city in Oregon, Hillsboro is an energetic suburb of Portland and home to the state’s burgeoning high-tech industry. The Pacific University Hillsboro Campus is ideally situated in the heart of downtown Hillsboro’s Health and Education District.