Doctor of Psychology in Clinical Psychology 
PsyD Requirements for Admissions

Degree requirements

A bachelor’s degree from a regionally accredited institution is required to apply to the Clinical PsyD Program at PCOM. We will consider exceptional applicants who only possess a bachelor’s degree, but most applicants to PCOM’s Clinical PsyD Program also possess a master's degree in mental health counseling, psychology, social work, psychiatric/mental health nursing, counseling, school psychology, family therapy, or pastoral counseling from a regionally accredited institution in addition to a bachelor’s degree.

Individuals with degrees in other fields will be considered on a case-by-case basis.

GPA requirements for bachelor's level applicants

Students with exceptional performance at the bachelor's level are able to apply to the program without having completed a master's degree. Competitive applicants at the bachelor's level will have a minimum cumulative undergraduate GPA of 3.0 or higher, and a psychology GPA of 3.5 or better.

GPA requirements for master's level applicants

Students who have completed both a bachelor's and master's degree in a related field are able to apply to the program. Competitive applicants at the master's level will have a minimum cumulative undergraduate GPA of 3.0 or higher, and a minimum cumulative graduate GPA of 3.3 or higher. Competitive post-bachelor’s students also earn a Psychology-major GPA of 3.5 or better from a regionally accredited college or university.

Coursework requirements

In order to ensure that the program courses be taught at the highest possible level, applicants must have completed during undergraduate or graduate education the following courses prior to admission:

• Statistics/Research
• Abnormal Psychology or Psychopathology
• Theories of Personality
• Developmental Psychology

How does the Admissions Committee evaluate Clinical Psychology applicants?

The Admissions Committee evaluates applicants on a number of factors. These include: past academic performance, letters of recommendation, the content and writing style of autobiographical essays, prior work history and volunteer experiences, research activities and publications, presentations at workshops or conferences in psychology or a related field, membership in professional organizations, and personal and professional presentation in the interview. Intellectual ability, academic potential, strong writing skills, emotional stability, maturity, integrity, motivation and high ethical standards are necessary for successful program completion and acceptance into the professional community.

When is the deadline to apply?

This academic program operates on a rolling admissions basis. The application closes on Friday, August 2, 2024, but an early application is highly recommended.

New students will be accepted into the program until the desired class size is achieved.

How to apply to the PsyD in Clinical Psychology program

Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine (PCOM) participates in PSYCAS, the centralized application service for graduate study in psychology.

Beginning in September, prospective graduate and doctoral students in psychology may submit their application through a secure web server, PSYCAS.

In order to be considered for admission to PCOM, your full PSYCAS application must be:

1. e-submitted;
2. completed; and
3. verified in the PSYCAS application.

Please read the PsyCAS website regarding application status and verification to ensure you have given your PsyCAS application ample time to be verified.

Need help using PSYCAS?

Instructions on how to use PSYCAS can be found here.

Next steps

Once PCOM has received your application from PSYCAS, you will be contacted via email with a confirmation of its receipt including reminders of the appropriate steps to complete the application process. Note that there is no institutional application fee to PCOM.

Where do I send my transcripts?

Note that in order to be verified in PSYCAS, official college transcripts from all colleges/universities/schools attended must be sent directly to:

PSYCAS
P.O. Box 9138
Watertown, MA 02471

Where do I send my letters of recommendation?

Three letters of Recommendation can be sent through the evaluator portal on PSYCAS or directly to PCOM Admissions in .pdf format to recommend@pcom.edu. At least one letter of recommendation should be from a doctoral level psychologist.

Additional PsyD program requirements

Your application will be processed and assessed by the Faculty Committee on Admissions only after the receipt of:

• Three letters of recommendation (if not already submitted through PSYCAS).
• A general autobiographical statement explaining your interest in this academic program as it relates to your career aims (in 500 words or less) should be uploaded to your PCOM application portal.
• Graded writing sample or professional report or evaluation (APA style research paper preferred).

What happens after I apply to the Clinical Psychology PsyD program?

The PsyD in Clinical Psychology program utilizes a rolling admissions policy. Thus applications will be considered throughout the year as they are received and all required materials have been submitted. However, the Faculty Committee on Admissions will use two priority deadlines to evaluate completed applications. The deadlines are December 30, 2023 and March 31, 2024. New students will be accepted into the program until the desired class size is achieved. It is therefore recommended for candidates to submit applications early. Classes begin in the fall term (early August).

The Admissions Committee screens the applications, invites some applicants for an interview and to submit a writing sample, evaluates the applicants and selects the new students. Following the completion of the admissions process, each applicant is notified of the Admission Committee's decision in writing, including any conditions that must be satisfied prior to or following enrollment.

Interviews for this program will be offered both virtually and in-person for the 2023-2024 application cycle.

As an applicant to PCOM's Doctor of Psychology in Clinical Psychology program you are responsible for ensuring that all admissions materials are completed accurately and submitted in a timely manner.

Background check requirement

In an effort to foster the safety and well-being of the entire campus community, as well as to ensure that students accepted to PCOM will be permitted to perform clerkships/internships required to successfully complete their degree requirements, PCOM requires all first year students to complete a criminal background check prior to matriculation. All students must have their criminal background checks processed through a PCOM vendor of choice. The Admissions Office will send notification of the process after confirmation of enrollment and must have this information on file prior to orientation; students will not be allowed to start classes without this information.

Prior to enrollment, all candidates are required to complete the College's Technical Standards for Admission and Matriculation (PDF).

Should you have any questions, please contact us via email at admissions@pcom.edu.

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