Policies U - Z

Once the thesis or dissertation committee has approved the work, students should submit final copies of the work to the College of Arts and Sciences. Here are some guidelines for preparing the final copies.

The appropriate style for submitting theses and dissertations is given in the current edition of the APA Publication Manual. Please be familiar with that style and use it in the preparation of thesis and dissertation documents. The purpose of the Manual is to help authors prepare manuscripts for submission to APA journals. Given that students are required to have their theses and dissertations in the format of a journal article, it is essential that students follow the procedures in the APA Publication Manual very closely. However, The College of Arts and Sciences annually produces a pamphlet entitled, Directions for the format and presentation of theses and dissertations. This document is also available on the internet at . The instructions in this pamphlet take precedence over the instructions given in the APA Publication Manual. If students have questions about how to prepare the documents, they are welcome to check with the Assistant Chair for Graduate Studies.

Students in the doctoral program in clinical psychology typically receive the M.S. degree as a step toward the Ph.D. Most commonly that degree is awarded at the end of fall semester of their third year. The university has set a limit of six years for completing the master鈥檚 degree. The six years begin in the semester in which the student enters the program, and the student must graduate by the final semester of the sixth year.

The university has set a limit of seven years for completing a Ph.D. degree. The seven years begin in the semester in which the student enters the program, and the student must graduate by the final semester of the seventh year. The time periods for the M.S. and Ph.D. degrees run concurrently.

Students entering the program with a master鈥檚 degree have the same time for completing the Ph.D. as those entering with a bachelor鈥檚 degree. The university automatically assigns students entering with master鈥檚 degrees 34 credit hours when they enter the program.

The doctoral degree cannot be conferred until the student completes all of the requirements of our program, including the required APA-accredited internship. This applies to all graduation times (May, August, and December). For students whose internships end after July 1st, but who wish to graduate in August, all requirements of the program, including the required APA-accredited internship, must be on schedule to be completed prior to the dates for completion of requirements as posted by the Registrar. If a student has all requirements except for internship completed, and the internship is completed prior to the final Registrar date for completion of requirements for an August graduation, the student can apply for summer graduation, and the Graduate Chair can provide a clearance for graduation, pending official notification that the internship has been completed. Students need to communicate clearly with their internship site to make sure official notification is sent to the Graduate Chair immediately upon official completion of the internship, so that the graduation clearance can proceed and the student can graduate in August.

In the circumstance that a student is not able to complete the doctoral program within the seven-year limit, they may request a one-time one semester extension from the Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences (see the Academic Policies section of the Graduate Catalog). Students should note that they are not guaranteed of obtaining an extension if they request one.

Students who require an extension beyond the one-semester extensions must obtain approval for readmission from the Clinical Section (see the Academic Policies section of the Graduate Catalog). To receive an extension or readmission, students must appeal to the section in writing with a rationale for requesting an extension or readmission. Approval by the section requires a positive vote by 2/3rds of the clinical faculty. Criteria for readmission are listed in the Graduate Catalog. As part of the readmission and extension, the section may require the student to complete additional coursework, retake comprehensive examinations, update the dissertation, or fulfill degree requirements that have been added (See the Graduate Catalog).

Rarely, student demand for courses exceeds available space. In an attempt to deal with such situations, the Clinical Section has developed policies for oversubscribed courses.

When clinical courses are oversubscribed, the section (through the Director of Clinical Training) determines who will enroll in the courses on the basis of criteria that make sense for that particular course. The general basis for the decision will be that students who need the course the most receive enrollment preference. Typically students who are more senior in their programs (i.e., closer to internship) have priority. Priority given on the basis of seniority may be limited to students who are completing the program in a timely manner and who remain on schedule.

When seniority conflicts with needs for specific training in an elective area of study, however, students who are in the major area of study for which the course is required (i.e., child or health or neuropsychology) may be given priority over students not pursuing the additional elective training. For repeatable courses (e.g., practicum), priority is be given to more senior students unless they have outstanding PRs for previous offerings of that course.

When feasible, faculty try to meet demand by adding another section during that semester, but the reality usually is that such additions to the schedule occur during a subsequent semester. On occasion, there may be nothing that the section can do until the next time the course is regularly scheduled.

Purpose

To provide undergraduate and graduate students with a procedure for appealing decisions made by faculty, administrators, committees, and sections in the Department of Psychology.

Province

These procedures are to be used for appeals bearing on policies and procedures developed within the Department of Psychology; they are not appropriate for appeals on issues for which the policy or procedure was established by a different administrative unit. For example, a student who wishes to appeal a grade should follow the grievance procedure given in Section IV.C.3 of the Faculty Handbook.

Procedures for Appeals

The first step in the appeal process for an undergraduate student is to discuss the issue with the Assistant Chair for Undergraduate Studies; a graduate student should discuss the issue with the Assistant Chair for Graduate Studies. In either case, the assistant chair works to resolve the student鈥檚 problem. If the assistant chair is unable to resolve the problem to the student鈥檚 satisfaction, then, at the student鈥檚 request, the assistant chair notifies the Chair of the Judicial Committee of a coming grievance. The Judicial Committee conducts a hearing (see the departmental policy on the Judicial Committee). If the student or the instructor is not satisfied with the recommendations of the Judicial Committee, either party may appeal to the department chair. If the student or the instructor is not satisfied with the decision of the department chair, either party may appeal to the Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences.

Special Provisions

Consultation with the 花季传媒 Ombudsman is available to a student at any stage of a grievance process, although many grievances may be settled at the departmental level.

A grievance against either of the assistant chairs is to be filed first with the other assistant chair. A grievance against the department chair is to be filed directly with the Judicial Committee, which then makes its recommendations directly to the Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences.