James Madison University

Course Curriculum

Overview of the Curriculum

The total JMU Combined Doctoral Program curriculum consists of five areas of sequenced, integrated learning experiences as follows:

  1. Course work;
  2. supervised practicum experiences;
  3. clinical comprehensive examinations;
  4. the dissertation, and;
  5. the pre-doctoral internship.

The program functions on a calendar-year academic schedule with three separate semesters per year (Fall, Spring, and Summer). Students begin the program in the fall semester, which is devoted to orienting them to the program, and assessing each incoming student's professional skill levels and knowledge in psychological foundation areas.

Coursework

Required coursework is based upon each student’s Individual Program of Study (IPS), as well as C-I’s Basic Program Requirements (BPR). Because students enter the program with a history of professional training and advanced graduate degrees, it is important that training experiences are not duplicated or redundant, and it is the case that most students transfer in some credit from their previous graduate education. At the same time, there are aspects of the program that are deemed crucial to the unique training and ultimate identity of a C-I psychologist graduating from our program. As such there are certain courses that are required, and no transfer credit will be accepted for these courses. Sample Course Curriculum (PDF).

The Individual Program of Study (IPS) is designed to allow students to tailor their training to individual career goals and capitalize on past professional training/experience. It also allows students and their program advisors to monitor progress as they proceed through the program. In developing each student’s IPS, decisions must be made regarding which of any of the student’s previous graduate courses can be accepted to meet the requirements of the courses listed in the course curriculum. Sample IPS

The Basic Program Requirements help program faculty and students build, evaluate, and monitor each student’s progress in the program. The BPR is a comprehensive audit of all of the program requirements that students must complete before they can graduate from the program. Most students will complete more requirements than are indicated on the BPR during their time in the program. However, no student may graduate from the program without completing at least these basic or minimum program requirements.

Supervised Practicum Experiences

The Combined-Integrated Doctoral Program’s curriculum plan emphasizes the integration of knowledge and theory gained in course work with concurrent, sequenced practicum experiences that culminate in the student’s predoctoral internship and facilitate eventual licensure as a clinical psychologist and licensure/certification as a school psychologist. Throughout training, the program emphasizes that “best practice” interventions are theoretically grounded and evidence-based. Strong, positive interprofessional relationships are fostered in all practicum settings. For example, to prepare for clinical activities at Mercy House, a local homeless shelter for children and families, faculty and students conducted a literature search on the treatment of homelessness and discussed different perspectives and best practices in class, including collaboration with a variety of treatment providers. Practica are central to the curriculum plan, as the program wants to ensure that students are prepared for their internship experiences and have the clinical skills necessary to be leaders in the delivery of mental health services.

At approximately 15 hours per week for the fall, spring, and summer semesters, students are expected to accumulate approximately 500 clock hours each year (thus, three year students acquire approximately 1500 hours, and two year students acquire approximately 1000 hours). These hours are distributed between 1) direct service (e.g., therapy, assessment, consultation, and supervision for Master’s-level students); 2) professional development/case preparation activities; and 3) receiving individual and group supervision. It should be noted that these practicum experiences are in addition to the practica the student may have completed in his or her previous graduate program, as well as any professional experiences acquired prior to entering the program.

Given the integrated nature of training in the Combined-Integrated Doctoral Program, students are required to complete a practicum and demonstrate competency in each of the three subfields that are integral to the program: Clinical, Counseling, and School psychology. Clinical practicum experiences are individualized whenever possible. Students Program have access to a rich and diverse array of on-campus and off-campus sites and experiences. On-campus practica occur through three different sites:

  1. Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS, a comprehensive outpatient clinical practice);
  2. Interprofessional Services for Learning Assessment (ISLA), and
  3. The Counseling and Student Development Center (CSDC, JMU’s student counseling center).

Depending upon availability, program students also have access to several relevant, off-campus practicum sites including Greene County public schools, Mercy House (a shelter for homeless families), the Counseling Center at Mary Baldwin College (a women’s college located in Staunton, Virginia), Juvenile Probation (the local agency dealing with adolescent youth placed on probation), the Community Services Board (in-home, family preservation, and/or within-agency therapy children, youth, and families), the Kluge Children's Hospital and Neuropsychology Clinic at the University of Virginia, the Mary D. Ainsworth Attachment Clinic, and Roberta Webb Child Day Care (a local daycare for economically disadvantaged children and families). In addition to these developed sites, students who have an interest in a particular training experience or population that is not currently offered are encouraged to discuss such interests with their Advisor and the Program Director to determine if a legitimate and high quality practicum experience are available and/or can be developed.

Clinical Comprehensive Exams

To ensure that students demonstrate sufficient knowledge and skills commensurate with program goals, they are required to complete two comprehensive exams.

The Foundations Comprehensive Exam consists of three comprehensive and integrative questions in the context of the following three sections (i.e., one question per section):

  1. Intervention/Assessment;
  2. Research/Theory; and
  3. Professional Identity/Professional Psychology.

Students have two hours to complete each section of the exam (i.e., approximately two hours per question). The Foundations Comprehensive Exam is designed to assess knowledge and conceptual ability in a wide range of areas. In preparing for the exam, students are advised to develop complete responses that are well supported by appropriate written materials (e.g., books, chapters, and articles that have been assigned in courses). The Foundations Comprehensive Exam for the Combined-Integrated Doctoral Program is scheduled annually during the summer semester. Two-year students must complete the Foundations Comprehensive Exam at the end of their first year in the Combined-Integrated Doctoral Program. Three-year students may complete the written comprehensive exam either at the end of their first year or at the end of their second year in the Combined-Integrated Doctoral Program.

The Applied Clinical Comprehensive Exam is modeled after the format used in the American Board of Professional Psychologists examinations, and is completed at the end of the student’s course work. This exam covers both assessment and counseling skills, and typically involves two separate cases. Students must submit a written analysis, as well as a videotape of their counseling performance. They then must defend their performance on these cases orally before at least two Core Faculty Members.

Dissertation

All students must complete a scholarly dissertation. Students are free to choose any topic that matches their professional and career goals and is compatible with the interests and expertise of their PSYC 881 (Issues and Methods in Research and Evaluation: Research Practicum) course instructor (who is also normally the student’s advisor). Overall, emphasis is placed on applied research projects. The ability to use applied research is seen as an integral part of each student's overall training, and one befitting a doctoral-level professional psychologist.

At its best, the dissertation should not only constitute a credible and substantial contribution to the larger field of psychology, but should also clearly

  1. represent the culmination of a rigorous process of intellectual development;
  2. emerge from discussions regarding student’s interests and strengths and the expertise and interests of the student’s advisor; and
  3. be congruent with that student’s professional and scholarly aspirations.

Internship

All Combined-Integrated Doctoral Program students are required to complete a twelve-month, 2000 clock-hour internship as part of their pre-doctoral coursework and as a requirement for eventual licensure as a clinical psychologist and licensure/certification as a school psychologist. Students cannot start their internship until they have successfully completed 1) the Individual Program of Study, 2) the Foundations and Core Comprehensive Exams, 3) the defense of their dissertation proposal, and 4) the Basic Program Requirements.

All students are expected to secure an APA-accredited internship. The criteria provided by APA in approving internship sites is the basic framework for internship selection. When choosing an internship, students are advised that the sites selected must meet the basic criteria stated in the annual APA APPIC directory for approved internships. NASP guidelines require that students eligible for licensure as school psychologists complete at least 600 hours of their pre-doctoral training in the schools. Students are expected to meet this requirement. Exceptions are to be discussed with the student’s advisor. The selection of an internship site is a cooperative effort between the student and his or her Dissertation-Advisory Committee.