Doctor of Psychology (PsyD) in Clinical Psychology
Requirements for Admissions

PCOM's Doctor of Psychology in Clinical Psychology (PsyD) program trains psychologists who are well-grounded in fundamental and general training. They are prepared to deliver essential services to today’s diverse populations, particularly the underserved.

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Admission Requirements

Graduate program and GPA requirements

A Clinical Psychology PsyD applicant must have completed 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, with a 3.3 GPA or better.

Applicants with master's degrees in other specialty areas will be considered on a case-by-case basis.

Undergraduate GPA requirement

An undergraduate GPA of 3.0 or better is required.

An applicant's undergraduate transcripts are used to evaluate the exposure the candidate has had to formal course work in psychology from a regionally accredited institution.

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 PsyD 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.

Application Process

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. Be advised that your full PSYCAS application must be e-submitted, completed and verified in the PSYCAS application to be considered for admission to PCOM.

Need help using PSYCAS?

Instructions on how to use PSYCAS can be found here.

Next steps

Once your application has been downloaded 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 application 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 you interest in this academic program as it relates to your career goals (in 500 words or less) sent via email to admissions@pcom.edu.
Graded writing sample or professional report or evaluation (APA style research paper preferred).

Admissions Process

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 three priority deadlines to evaluate completed applications. The deadlines are December 30, 2020, March 30, 2021 and June 30, 2021. 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.

Due to COVID-19, we will conduct online interviews only for the 2021-2022 admissions cycle at all PCOM locations.

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).

Respecialization candidates who have already completed a doctoral degree in psychology may apply for admission using the same criteria as listed above using PSYCAS. The timeline to complete the degree program will be determined upon a full application review.

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