The internship field experience provides supervised experiences in interventions, assessment, supervision and research. Students are admitted to Doctoral internship after completing the Advanced Practicum and with a recommendation of the Director of Training, the student's advisor, and the Coordinator of Internship. The Director of Training, in consultation with the Internship Coordinator, will make final decisions regarding a student's eligibility for Doctoral internship. Following the guidelines of the American Psychological Association (APA), the internship consists of one calendar year of full-time or two calendar years of half-time professional experience, totaling 2,000 hours. Students must register each semester they are engaged in internship, for a total of two credits.
PREREQUISITES FOR APPLYING FOR INTERNSHIP
The following Program requirements must be satisfied before students begin an internship:
- students must have completed all course requirements including the successful passing of the Doctoral Comprehensive Examination and the computer competency requirement;
- students are strongly encouraged to have completed the Doctoral dissertation prior to beginning the internship. At a minimum, students should have an approved dissertation topic and approval of a dissertation committee before they begin an internship. In effect, we expect that students will have filed their proposal intents by the time they leave for their pre-doctoral internship.
The application process for pre-doctoral internship follows the guidelines of the Association of Post-Doctoral and Internship Centers (APPIC). The DOT presents a set of workshops for applicants, beginning during the later part of the students’ third year and continuing in the fall semester of the students’ application year. Students are encouraged to work on their applications and essay during the summer prior to the year that the applications are submitted.
Students need to submit their requests for completion of the AAPI form to the Director of Training a minimum of five business days before they are needed. Prior to approving the student’s APPI form, students must have their application materials reviewed in depth by their advisor. If the student’s advisor is not available, the Director of Training will review the application. The advisor then needs to inform the Director of Training, in writing (via e-mail or letter) that the student’s application has been reviewed and that it is ready to be submitted. The purpose of this review is to help students prepare compelling and informative applications materials that accurately convey the students’ training experience, goals, and theoretical perspectives.
All APA-approved internship sites follow a specific application time period and receive applications in November, set application deadlines of mid-December to early January, and make offers in February. The student is required to discuss with her/his advisor her/his goals for internship and the selection of potential internship sites. The student’s plan for internship should be coordinated with the Director of Training and the Coordinator of Internship.
All students are encouraged to receive training in an APA-approved internship. If a student selects a non-approved APA site, the setting must follow the basic APA accreditation guidelines for internship training. If the Director of Training and the Coordinator of Internships have questions concerning the site (e.g., the number of licensed psychologists, specialization areas of supervisors, number of interns, and exposure to other professionals), they will consult with the faculty. The faculty will evaluate the internship site and approve or disapprove using general APA internship guidelines.
For students who complete all requirements for a Ph.D. including the defense of the Doctoral dissertation, the degree is not awarded until the completion of the internship. Completion of the internship is required before the degree is awarded as it is part of the degree requirements in accordance with the APA Committee on Accreditation guidelines.