The APA designation ensures graduates meet doctoral program training requirements for psychology licensure in most states.
Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine’s (PCOM) Doctor of Psychology (PsyD) in school psychology program has been granted initial accreditation by the American Psychological Association (APA). This program now meets the gold standard for doctoral psychology programs and ensures graduates meet the doctoral program training requirements for psychology licensure set by most states, including Pennsylvania.
“We are very excited to share this with the PCOM community,” said Kate Tresco, PhD, director, PsyD program in school psychology, “We began developing the program in 2014, and welcomed our first cohort in 2016. We were officially granted accreditation on October 20, 2019. This is particularly important for our students, as many high-quality internships and postdoctoral training sites require students are enrolled in or graduate from an APA-accredited program,” continued Dr. Tresco.
To date, this program has 17 students across four cohorts, with a fifth cohort beginning summer 2020. Currently, there are only nine other PsyD in school psychology programs on the APA’s list of accredited doctoral programs.
PCOM’s official accreditation status is “accredited, on contingency.” At this time, the College is only eligible for “on contingency” status as this is a new program that does not yet have graduates. PCOM will graduate its first PsyD in school psychology cohort in 2021. This is an accredited status and graduates from this program will have graduated from an accredited program.
PCOM now has two APA-accredited programs – school psychology and clinical psychology.
Learn more about the Doctor of Psychology in School Psychology program at PCOM.
Established in 1899, Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine (PCOM) has trained thousands of highly competent, caring physicians, health practitioners and behavioral scientists who practice a “whole person” approach to care—treating people, not just symptoms. PCOM, a private, not-for-profit accredited institution of higher education, operates three campuses (PCOM, PCOM Georgia and PCOM South Georgia) and offers doctoral degrees in clinical psychology, educational psychology, osteopathic medicine, pharmacy, physical therapy, and school psychology. The college also offers graduate degrees in applied behavior analysis, applied positive psychology, biomedical sciences, forensic medicine, medical laboratory science, mental health counseling, physician assistant studies, and school psychology. PCOM students learn the importance of health promotion, research, education and service to the community. Through its community-based Healthcare Centers, PCOM provides care to medically underserved populations. For more information, visit pcom.edu or call 215-871-6100.
For general media inquiries, please contact the Office of Marketing and Communications at 215-871-6300 or communications@pcom.edu. Visit our media relations page to view contact information for public relations personnel.
© 2025 Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine
