Doctor of Clinical Science

School/Division: Dornsife College of Arts, Letters, and Sciences

Degree/Certificate: Doctorate

The Ph.D. program in Clinical Science at the University of Southern California is dedicated to the integration of science and application. Clinical science is viewed as an ideology, a perspective taking, that values critical thinking and evidence in informing one’s professional activities. Our goal is to prepare graduates to create new knowledge with the potential to advance the field in whatever setting they choose to work — academia, research centers, medical centers, applied settings, or private industry.

Our curriculum at USC entails a set core of didactic courses on the theory, research, and applications of clinical psychology. There are also experiential requirements involving mentored research experiences and supervised clinical experiences. In addition to the required core curriculum, the program allows students to develop one of two specialties, now referred to as major areas of study (APA, 2012). They are Clinical Geropsychology, and Couples, Child and Family Psychology.

Our program has been accredited by the American Psychological Association as a doctoral program in clinical psychology since 1948, and in 2018, we received a full ten-year renewal of our accreditation status. Our next site visit is scheduled for 2027. In addition, in 2010 we became one of ten clinical science programs receiving accreditation from the Psychological Clinical Science Accreditation System (PCSAS). In 2021, we were reaccredited by PCSAS for another 10 years.  Please review the attached document: Consumer Information Disclosure, for further information about licensure post-graduation. No Ph.D. program in clinical psychology leads directly to licensure, given that most states have additional requirements for post-doctoral supervised clinical experiences that must be obtained prior to licensure. In addition, most states require taking the national licensing exam, a local, state-dependent exam, and some require additional specific, focused courses.

Additional Details/Related Links

• How to Apply
• Research in the Clinical Science Program
• Clinical Training
• Program Handbook
• American Psychological Association Commission on Accreditation
• Psychological Clinical Science Accreditation System