Psychology - Clinical (PhD)

Mission Statement and Goals

The mission of the Ph.D. program in Clinical Psychological Science at the University of Louisville is to produce clinical scientists who are:

1. Competent to conduct and evaluate research
2. Competent in implementing research-supported practice
3. Ethical and professional in their work with research participants, clients, students, and colleagues
4. Prepared to be professionals in a diverse world

The program is built on a set of competencies in four major domains: research, clinical practice, professional development, and cultural competency and diversity. The research training, clinical training, academic curriculum, and department/university activities are integrated to allow students to develop as skilled clinical scientists.

We recently changed our program name from Clinical Psychology to Clinical Psychological Science. We updated the name to reflect the program’s shift from a Scientist-Practitioner to a Clinical Science model. Our program emphasizes science in the research lab, in clinical training, and in coursework. We prioritize thinking critically, testing hypotheses and generating and synthesizing empirical evidence across all program activities, which prepares students for research, clinical and teaching careers.

Accreditation

The Ph.D. Program in Clinical Psychological Science is accredited by the American Psychological Association. First accredited in 1973, the Clinical Program provides education and training, including preparation for practice and research. In addition, the Program is sponsored by an institution of higher education which is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC).

Questions related to the program's APA accredited status should be directed to:

Office of Program Consultation and Accreditation 
American Psychological Association 
750 1st Street, 
NE, Washington, DC 20002-4242 

Phone: 202-336-5979 
Email: apaaccred@apa.org 
Web: www.apa.org/ed/accreditation

Research Training

Students begin working in their mentor's laboratory when they arrive on campus. Research is viewed as an integral component of the Clinical Psychological Science Ph.D. program and is a continuous activity throughout training. Faculty research interests are grouped into 4 major areas:

• Health psychology
• Geropsychology
• Psychopathology
• Mental health disparities

Students are expected to be involved in presentation and publication of their work. All students in the last 3 years have presented at conferences.

Students are required to complete a Master's Research Portfolio, which includes a first-authored submitted manuscript and a presentation on this work.

After completion of the Master's Portfolio, students write their preliminary examination, an integrative review paper. Students also conduct a presentation on their research program.

Next, students move on to their dissertation work. A dissertation proposal must be defended by October 1 of the year the student is applying for internship.

Clinical Training

Clinical skills training begins in the first year and usually continues until students take their internship position. The Noble H. Kelley Psychological Services Center (PSC), which serves clients from both the community and the University, provides the major portion of practicum experiences.

The PSC is organized around evidence-based clinical training teams focused on specific treatment approaches, psychological disorders, and/or developmental period. On these teams, students learn empirically based approaches to assessment and treatment, and integrate scientific and clinical aspects of training.

Students receive both group supervision (in teams composed of a supervisor and 5–8 students at different levels of experience) and individual supervision. Students acquire assessment and interviewing skills during the first year and typically start seeing psychotherapy clients in the second year.

At least six credit hours in the Psychological Services Center are required, representing at least 160 hours per year of direct supervised service or related activity.

Finally, training placements in external clinical settings (i.e., practicum sites) provide additional clinical experience for advanced students.

Academic Training

The Ph.D. curriculum contains 2 basic sets of core courses: department cores and clinical cores. The curriculum closely follows guidelines for accreditation established and maintained by the American Psychological Association.

Students take a two-course assessment sequence, courses in intervention, psychopathology, personality, legal and ethical issues, and an advanced seminar in diversity.

In addition to the clinical core curriculum, students take basic psychology core courses including statistics and research methods, behavioral neuroscience, personality, developmental, cognitive, and social psychology. Students also complete research hours for master's and dissertation research. A topical seminar is also required.

Students entering the program with graduate courses from another program may request no more than 3 core courses be waived provided the appropriate instructors judge them to be of equivalent content. These requests are to be made after a student has been admitted to the program.

Department Core

• Human Learning -or- Cognitive Processes
• Behavioral Neuroscience -or- Cognitive Neuroscience
• Advanced Social Psychology
• Advanced Developmental Psychology
• Advanced Personality Theory
• Advanced Statistics I and II
• Advanced Research Methods

Clinical Core

• Legal, Professional, and Ethical Issues
• Assessment I and II
• Interventions
• Clinical Interviewing
• Advanced Clinical Psychopathology
• Clinical Practicum
• Assessment Practicum
• History and Systems of Psychology

Electives

Topical seminars are offered to augment the curriculum and allow students more detailed exposure to areas of interest. Students are required to take two seminars including one on diversity. Recent seminars include: Cultural Neuroscience, Geropsychology Assessment, Clinical Neuropsychology, and Child Psychopathology.

Students may also, with approval from their mentor and the Director of Clinical Training, take a seminar in other departments of the University.

Please also see the catalog for more information about program requirements: https://catalog.louisville.edu/graduate/programs-study/doctor-philosophypsychologyclinical/

Policies

• Graduate School
• Graduate Education (College of Arts & Sciences)

Our program adheres to APA accreditation standards and prepares students for entry into the profession of clinical psychology. Given the varied and changing requirements across jurisdictions, we cannot assure, nor is it our responsibility, that graduates will meet all requirements for licensure in all states or territories. You are encouraged to become familiar with state licensing laws and discuss your curricular plan with your Mentor and Director of Clinical Training.

General information about psychology licensure and contact information for the Association of State and Provincial Psychology Boards (ASPPB) may be seen below.

EPPP Information

The Examination for Professional Practice in Psychology (EPPP) is developed and owned by the Association of State and Provincial Psychology Boards (ASPPB). The EPPP is provided to state and provincial boards of psychology to assist them in their evaluation of the qualifications of applicants for licensure and certification. This standardized knowledge-based examination is constructed by ASPPB with the assistance of its test vendor, Pearson VUE.

The EPPP is only one part of the evaluation procedures used by state and provincial boards to determine candidates' readiness to practice the profession of psychology. Most boards supplement the EPPP with other requirements and/or assessment procedures. The EPPP is intended to evaluate the knowledge that the most recent practice analysis has determined as foundational to the competent practice of psychology. Most candidates taking the EPPP have obtained a doctoral degree in psychology, a year of pre-doctoral supervised experience and appropriate postdoctoral experience.

In order to sit for the EPPP, individuals seeking licensure must first apply for licensure to the licensing authority in the state, province, or territory in which they wish to be licensed. The licensing authority reviews applicants' credentials and determines if they meet the requirements established in the laws of the state, province, or territory. Candidates who meet their licensing authorities' requirements will be pre-approved by the board to take the EPPP.

The ASPPB provides links to National ASPPB Member Boards here: https://www.asppb.net/page/BdContactNewPG

The University of Louisville has not determined whether this program meets the educational requirements for licensure or certification outside of Kentucky. You should contact the board of the state where you currently reside or the state you will be moving to after graduation.

The website for the Kentucky Board of Examiners of Psychology may be viewed here: http://psy.ky.gov/Pages/default.aspx

Program Admissions

Thank you for your interest in the Clinical Psychological Science Ph.D. program at the University of Louisville. This and other pages are intended to provide prospective students and other publics with program information and application instructions. Our department does not offer a terminal Master's degree in Clinical Psychology.

Faculty Reviewing Applications for 2026–2027

(Applications due December 1, 2025)

• Dr. Konrad Bresin — PI of the Short Term Intense Relief: Refining the Etiology of Dysregulation (STIRRED) Lab
• Dr. Cheri Levinson — PI of the Eating Anxiety and Treatment (EAT) Lab
• Dr. Yara Mekawi — PI of the Challenging Ongoing Legacies Of Racism (COLOR) Lab
• Dr. Clarissa Ong — PI of the Process-Oriented Intervention Science (POIS) Lab

See here for more information about each faculty member's research: Faculty & Staff Directory

Faculty NOT Reviewing Applications for 2026–2027

Dr. Nadia Al-Dajani; Dr. Sara Bufferd; Dr. Tamara Newton; Dr. Benjamin Mast

Note: The application will request your faculty mentor preference(s). You will indicate at least one and up to three potential faculty mentors with whom you would like to work in our graduate program. In your Personal Statement, be sure to describe why the work of that faculty member(s) is a fit with your interests, experiences, and goals. You do not need to email faculty in advance to alert them you are applying to their lab, but you can send a brief note if you'd like.

Deadline

The program accepts new students in the Fall Semester only. Our application deadline is December 1st.

How to Apply

Please view the Application Instructions below before applying. This section includes important information on the application process, as well as required materials that MUST be submitted for your application to be considered complete.

Admissions Qualifications

Typically, applicants who are admitted to our program possess the following minimum qualifications:

• Undergraduate degree in Psychology
• GPAs of 3.0 or higher
• Strong letters of recommendation
• Experience in a research lab

The Clinical Psychological Science Ph.D. program is highly selective. Even very highly qualified applicants may not be offered admission due to their research interests, experiences, and/or goals not aligning with those of our faculty and/or very few spaces open for admission even when interests do align.

Funding

Typically, all graduate students in the department are supported for five years of study. Sources of funding include fellowships, research assistantships, teaching assistantships, and clinical placements. All carry full tuition remission and health insurance.

Graduate teaching assistantship stipends for 2026–2027 are $26,000/12 months. Fellowships and Scholarships ($26,000/12 months) are competitively awarded.

Required Application Materials

Please carefully review and follow all application procedures listed below and those outlined by the Graduate School. You are responsible for ensuring that your application is complete and all materials are received by the deadline (December 1st). Applicants should first review the Graduate School application instructions and then complete the online application form.

1. Graduate School Online Application: https://graduate.louisville.edu/admission/apply
2. Application Fee: $65 — see here for information on opportunities for fee waivers: https://graduate.louisville.edu/admission/apply/application-feewaiverinformation
3. Apply for the Fall term: The program accepts new students in the Fall Semester only. Be sure to select the correct Fall Start date in the item "Please select the term you wish to apply."
4. Transcript(s): Official transcripts from ALL undergraduate and any graduate institutions you have attended must be sent directly from the colleges to the Office of Graduate Admissions. Sending transcripts is usually done through your university's Registrar's Office or the National Student Clearinghouse. See here for more information: https://graduate.louisville.edu/admission/apply/applicationrequirements
5. Three Recommendation Letters: Three letters of recommendation from academic and similar professional sources (e.g., professors; research lab principal investigator) are required. Applicants will enter information for each of their letter writers in the online application form, and the system will send each letter writer a link to submit their recommendation.
6. Mentor Rankings: Our program is a research-based, clinical science focused program and students are admitted based on a mentorship model (i.e., you will work with a specific faculty mentor in their research lab). You should identify a potential faculty mentor(s) in our program who is reviewing applications in this cycle (see above) whose research matches your interests, experiences, and goals. The online application will prompt you to indicate your preferences for at least one and up to three possible research mentors (ranked 1st, 2nd, and 3rd).
7. Current Curriculum Vitae: Your current CV should be uploaded under "Upload Materials" > "Resume or Curriculum Vitae (CV)." At minimum, your CV should include the following sections (as relevant based on your experiences; exclude any section(s) in which you do not have experience):
   • Education
   • Honors/Awards/Scholarships/Grants
   • Publications
   • Presentations
   • Research Experience
   • Clinical Experience
   • Teaching Experience
   • Service
   • Technical Skills

8. Personal Statement: A Personal Statement should be uploaded with your application materials under "Upload Materials" > "Personal Statement." This document is a Statement of Purpose and is expected to be 2–3 pages. The Statement should describe your research experience and interests, and career goals. Within your Statement, please describe how your professional and research experiences led you to pursue a Ph.D. in Clinical Psychological Science and how our program and the specific faculty member(s) to whose lab(s) you are applying fit with your interests, experiences, and goals.

   Tip: The Application Statement Feedback Program provides free constructive feedback on the research/personal statements of Ph.D. applicants in psychology: https://www.asfp.io/

9. Interest & Experience Essays: Four brief essays (up to 300–600 words each) about your interests, research experiences, clinical experiences, and career goals are required. The information in these essays may overlap with information you have provided in your Personal Statement. You may duplicate text from other application materials such as your Statement and CV. These essays will be submitted via the checklist after you submit your application. Essay Prompts:
   • Interests: In what area(s) would you like to pursue research as a graduate student? Try to be as specific as possible regarding the populations, issues, or questions you would like to study as part of your research training. (Up to 500 words maximum)
   • Research: Please indicate your specific research experiences in psychology. Describe the nature of your participation and any products (papers, conference presentations, manuscripts or publications) that came from these experiences. (Up to 600 words maximum)
   • Clinical: Please indicate your specific clinical experiences related to psychology. Describe your work with any clinical populations or other applied work relevant to clinical psychology. Give specifics as to the duration and nature of your work. If you have an interest in a particular theoretical approach for psychotherapy, please indicate that approach (e.g., interpersonal and cognitive-behavioral). (Up to 500 words maximum)
   • Career: Please state briefly your career goals in clinical psychology/clinical psychological science. Indicate what you expect to be doing following your degree, and in what setting you expect to be doing it. (Up to 300 words maximum)
10. Education & Life Experiences Essays: The Graduate School requires responses to two of six provided prompts in the areas of leadership, community engagement, resilience and adaptability, accountability and responsibility, self-motivation, and capacity for self-improvement. Specific instructions for each prompt are provided in the application.
11. Confirmation of State of Residence: You will be asked on the application if you intend to live in Kentucky during your first term of enrollment in our program, regardless of the state in which you currently live. Our program is an on-campus, in-person program. Our students typically live in Kentucky throughout the on-campus portion of program (usually 4–5 years prior to completing their one-year predoctoral internship in or out of state, depending on where students match). Unless you are planning to live out of state and commute in for our on-campus program, most applicants should note their intention to live in Kentucky (select Yes) in the first term of enrollment in our program. Information about federal regulations:
    • Due to federal regulations, some programs designed to lead to professional licensure may not be available for offer to some applicants depending on the location of study during the first term of enrollment in the program.
    • For applicants to our on-campus programs who do not intend to live in Kentucky or in a state where the program meets educational requirements for licensure, it is strongly advised that prospective students review the list of states and U.S. territories where UofL programs meet educational requirements for professional licensure available at https://louisville.edu/oapa/licensure-information.
    • By submitting your completed application and paying the application fee, you confirm that you have read, understood, and agreed to these terms.

Supplemental Materials

Supplemental materials are not required but encouraged. Supplemental materials can provide information regarding your quantitative/research and writing skills. You may upload supplemental materials such as a description of relevant courses/trainings, capstone or Honors projects, research presentations, publications, or writing samples with your application materials.

These materials will be submitted via the checklist after you submit your application. Your supplemental materials should be uploaded under "Upload Materials" > "Writing Sample" for any writing (e.g., writing samples) and "Other" for any other documents (e.g., description of trainings attended). If necessary, combine documents into a single PDF for the file upload.

Note: The Graduate Record Exam (GRE) is not required for the Clinical Psychological Science Ph.D. Program.

Additional Considerations for International Applicants

TOEFL/English Proficiency: Official TOEFL scores must be submitted by those for whom English is not their native language. For more information about the English Proficiency/TOEFL requirements, see the Graduate School website.

Application Review Timeline (Approximate)

Offers of Admission

Typically, students will receive offers of admission before April 1. Assistantships and fellowships are also normally offered before April 1. Applicants are under no obligation to respond to offers of admission or financial support prior to the decision date of April 15.

Additional admissions and financial offers may be made after the April 15th decision date if one or more slots become available.

Fee Waivers

For more information about qualifying for a Graduate School fee waiver, please see here: https://graduate.louisville.edu/admission/apply/application-fee-waiver-information

Frequently Asked Questions

Q. Do you offer a terminal master's degree? We do not offer a master's degree program. The program is a doctoral program leading to a Ph.D.

Q. Do you accept part-time students to your doctoral program? No. The Clinical Psychological Science Ph.D. program is a full-time, year-round program.

Q. Do you offer any online and/or night courses? Is it possible to complete the program while working full-time? Our program is a full-time, in-person program that is based on a 4- to 5-year predoctoral clinical-scientist program followed by a 1-year predoctoral internship (typically completed out of the Louisville area depending on the match, with nation-wide applications). We do not offer weekend or online classes and classes are not typically offered in the evenings. Our students are fully funded, with tuition remission and are not permitted to work outside of the program-funded positions.

Q. How long does it typically take to earn a PhD in Clinical Psychological Science? The program typically takes 5 to 6 years to complete, including the required pre-doctoral internship year. At a minimum, the program must require that each student successfully complete:

1. A minimum of 3 full-time academic years of graduate study on campus (or the equivalent thereof) plus an internship prior to receiving the doctoral degree
2. At least 2 of the 3 academic training years (or the equivalent thereof) within the program from which the doctoral degree is granted
3. At least 1 year of which must be in full-time residence (or the equivalent thereof) at that same program

Q. What type of prior experience is required for admission to your Ph.D. program in Clinical Psychological Science? Our program is a research-based, clinical scientist focused program and students are admitted based on a mentorship model. Prior research experience is the norm for competitive applicants and typically the experience is in the area that is consistent with the research lab of the potential mentor who is identified as part of the application process. Some of our successful applicants may have accrued this experience as strong undergraduate students, and through additional post-baccalaureate research experiences.

Q. Is a psychology undergraduate major required for program admission? No, but relevant coursework (e.g., statistics, research methods, psychopathology) and research experiences are the norm for competitive applicants.

Q. What can I do to increase my chances of getting accepted? Many factors are taken into consideration when accepting clinical doctoral students. Applicants typically have competitive GPA and research experience. Competitive applicants typically demonstrate dedication to the field of psychology by completing an undergraduate honors thesis, working in a research lab, or volunteering. Any experiences that demonstrate application of course knowledge to real world situations are encouraged. Fit with program model and mentor match are also important considerations.

Q. Do I need to identify a research mentor to apply to the program? Yes. We are a clinical scientist program and the program is structured according to a mentor model in which students work primarily with one mentor. Students are admitted to the program in tandem with admission to a faculty mentor research lab. You should identify at least 1 faculty member with whom you are interested in working with based on faculty who are reviewing applications in a given cycle (listed above).

Q. Can you answer questions about how to develop a strong application to your program? / Can I make an appointment with a staff member to ask questions about the program and/or the application process? We receive a high volume of program inquiries and cannot respond to individual inquiries or accommodate appointments. If after reviewing these frequently asked questions and resources provided at the links, you have questions concerning the program and/or the application process, please email them to maggie.leahy@louisville.edu. If you are interested in a certain faculty member's current research, we strongly encourage you to email the faculty member directly: Faculty & Staff Directory

Q. Are GRE scores required for the upcoming admissions cycle? The GRE is not accepted for our program.

Q. I have attended multiple undergraduate institutions. My transcript from one of these institutions contains all of the transfer credits from the other institutions. Do I still need to have transcripts sent from each institution that I attended? Yes, transcripts from ALL attended institutions are required for admission.

Q. I entered contact information in the Graduate School online application for those writing me letters of recommendation. Why have they not been contacted yet? Recommenders will not receive a request to submit their letters until your application fee has been paid in full.

Q. Are application fee waivers available? The Graduate School offers fee waivers for some applicants: https://graduate.louisville.edu/admission/apply/application-feewaiverinformation

Q. How do I check to see if all of my application materials have been received / if my application is complete? You may check your application submission status via the Graduate School's online application. Any questions regarding materials submitted to the Graduate School should be directed to them: https://graduate.louisville.edu/admission. If we are missing any part of your application, the system will prompt you to submit that part of your application.

Q. When will applicants be contacted for interview invitations? Interview invitations are extended as soon as possible after applications are submitted. Typically, we contact applicants with invitations no later than the first week or two of January.

Q. When will interviews be held? Interview dates change each year. However, they are typically held sometime in the last two weeks of January. Interviews for admission in the upcoming cycle will be held virtually.

Q. When will applicants be contacted with admissions decisions? Typically, students will receive offers of admission before April 1. Assistantships and fellowships are also normally offered before April 1. Applicants are under no obligation to respond to offers of admission or financial support prior to the decision date of April 15. Additional admissions and financial offers may be made after the April 15th decision date if one or more slots opens up.

Q. Where can I find out more information about clinical psychological science/clinical psychology PhD programs? There are several online resources available to guide potential applicants in their application process:

• The Council of University Directors of Clinical Psychology (CUDCP) Resources
• Mitch's Uncensored Advice for Applying to Graduate School in Clinical Psychology (PDF)
• American Psychological Association (APA) — Applying to Graduate School

For More Information

Should you have any further questions regarding program-specific application requirements, please contact the program administrative coordinator Maggie Leahy (maggie.leahy@louisville.edu).

For questions about faculty research, please contact the faculty member directly: Faculty & Staff Directory

For other inquiries regarding the Clinical Psychological Science Ph.D. program at the University of Louisville not addressed above, please contact the Director of Clinical Training, Dr. Sara Bufferd (sara.bufferd@louisville.edu).

The PhD program in Clinical Psychological Science at the University of Louisville is accredited by the American Psychological Association (APA). For further information about APA accreditation or specific information about the accreditation status of our doctoral program please contact: Jacqueline Remondet Wall, PhD Director, Office of Program Consultation and Accreditation, American Psychological Association, 750 First Street NE Washington DC 20002-4242, (202) 336-5979, http://www.apa.org/ed/accreditation 

The Committee on Accreditation at APA requires that accredited programs provide the following data to the public:

• Time to completion, from admission to graduation
• Program costs
• Internship success rates
• Attrition rates
• Licensure rates

Program Disclosures

Time to Completion for all students entering the program

Students entering the program with graduate courses from another program may request no more than 3 core courses be waived, provided the appropriate instructors judge them to be of equivalent content. In no circumstances may graduate course credit be granted for undergraduate courses or projects. Substitutions of projects or other experience for required courses will not be permitted.

The expected timeline is 5 years on campus followed by 1 year on internship (6 years).  Dissertation progress or internship match impact on time to completion could influence time to completion with 6 years to completion in some cases. It is rare for our students to exceed 7 years.

Internship Placement - Table 1

Internship Placement - Table 2

Attrition

Licensure

Program Costs     

All costs are per academic year (Fall, Spring and Summer semesters).

All students admitted to the Clinical Psychological Science program receive full tuition remission, health insurance, and a stipend of $26,000 per year (paid across 12 months) for a minimum of five years pending good standing in the program.

Admissions

* new GRE scoring

NOTE: Starting in the 2020-2021 application cycle, GRE scores became an optional part of our program application and are not viewed as part of admissions decisions for all applicants. Thus, starting in 2020-2021, we will no longer report GRE data here.

The above table provides important information on our admissions, consistent with recommendations from the Council of University Directors of Clinical Psychology ( http://cudcp.org/).