Chaminade University of Honolulu

School of Education and Behavioral Sciences

Doctor of Psychology in Clinical Psychology

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Doctor of Psychology in Clinical Psychology (PsyD)

Application Deadline
January 15, 2025

Fall Term Begins
August 18, 2025

#16

Best PsyD program in the nation

Only APA-accredited PsyD Program in Hawaii

Primary source for licensed psychologists in Hawaii

 Largest psychological assessment library in Hawaii

The Doctor of Psychology (PsyD) in Clinical Psychology degree program at the Hawai‘i School of Professional Psychology (HSPP) at Chaminade University of Honolulu is APA-accredited and designed to prepare students for both contemporary and emerging roles in the practice of professional psychology. Training is provided so that students have the opportunity to be practitioner-scholars who are skilled in local and contextual investigation and problem solving. The school offers a five-year generalist program that supports the development of core competencies in psychological assessment, intervention, science, practice, foundations, and professional issues and roles. The curriculum is on-ground (not online) and designed to provide for the meaningful integration of theory, research, and practice. The program emphasizes the acquisition of attitudes, knowledge bases, and skills essential for professional psychologists who are committed to the provision of ethical quality services. Both by virtue of the location of Hawai‘i and by the specific design of the faculty, attention to issues of human diversity occurs throughout the curriculum and within numerous additional learning opportunities outside of the classroom. Work with diverse and marginalized populations is a major focus of the teaching, scholarship, and clinical practice of the Hawai‘i School of Professional Psychology at Chaminade University of Honolulu.

As part of the students-first commitment, the PsyD program at Chaminade offers a student-to-core-faculty ratio of 10-to-1, an extensive range of student support, and free access to our psychological assessment library, which houses over 150 testing instruments. Students in the program have opportunities in various research designs and topics, dozens of practicum sites and experiences, and various internship training sites across the country.

The Hawai‘i School of Professional Psychology has had a long history in Hawai‘i, dating back over 40 years. The program received its first APA accreditation in 1998 and has been granted APA Full Accreditation status through the year 2030. Questions related to the program’s accredited status should be directed to the Commission on Accreditation:

Office of Program Consultation and Accreditation American Psychological Association
750 1st Street, NE, Washington, DC 20002
Phone: (202) 336-5979
E-mail: [email protected]
Web: apa.org/ed/accreditation

Program Information

The Hawai‘i School of Professional Psychology (HSPP) at Chaminade University of Honolulu’s clinical psychology doctoral program’s aim is to educate and train students employing a practitioner-scholar model so that they will be able to function effectively as clinical psychologists. To ensure that students are adequately prepared, the curriculum is designed to provide for the meaningful integration of psychological science, theory, and clinical practice. The clinical psychology program at the Hawai‘i School of Professional Psychology is designed to emphasize the development of knowledge, skills, and attitudes essential in the training of health service psychologists who are committed to the ethical provision of quality, evidence based services to diverse populations and who are able to apply multiple theoretical perspectives to clinical issues.

The Hawai‘i School of Professional Psychology at Chaminade University of Honolulu’s clinical psychology doctoral program subscribes to the American Psychological Association (APA) Standards of Accreditation. As such, students are expected to establish an identity in and orientation to health service psychology by acquiring the necessary discipline-specific knowledge and profession-wide competencies as follows:

  1. Students will demonstrate knowledge of ethical and legal standards relevant to the practice of clinical psychology, including professional ethics that guide professional behavior.
  2. Students will develop both communication and interpersonal skills, to include utilization of clear, informative, well-integrated communication, critical thinking, and effective interpersonal skills in professional interactions.
  3. Students will demonstrate knowledge of professional values and attitudes as well as self-reflective practice and openness to supervision and feedback.
  4. Students will demonstrate competency in individual and cultural diversity, including knowledge of theoretical models and diversity research that serve to guide the application of diversity competence.
  5. Students will have knowledge of the history and systems of psychology as well as the basic areas in scientific psychology, including affective, biological, cognitive, developmental, psychopharmacological, and sociocultural aspects of behavior.
  6. Students will demonstrate competency in the science of psychology, including knowledge and application of psychometrics, statistical analyses, and quantitative and qualitative research methods.
  7. Students will demonstrate competency in psychological assessment, including the ability to administer, interpret, and integrate results of psychological tests and apply knowledge of strengths and psychopathology to the assessment process.
  8. Students will demonstrate competency in clinical intervention, including case formulation, theoretical conceptualization, developing and applying evidence based treatment plans, and evaluating treatment effectiveness in work with clients.
  9. Students will evidence knowledge of consultation models and practices, and demonstrate interprofessional and interdisciplinary skills in consultative services.
  10. Students will evidence knowledge of supervision models and practices.
  11. Students will understand and apply the Marianist values in their professional practice. The application of Marianist values includes applying and adapting social awareness for community service, justice, and peace.

The Hawaiʻi School of Professional Psychology (HSPP) at Chaminade University of Honolulu program’s training model is sequential, cumulative, increasingly complex, and designed to prepare students for further training, including life-long education required to maximize success as a professional psychologist. First- and second-year classes provide the foundation of clinical psychology and cover the psychological assessment sequence. Second- and third-year classes cover therapy and research training. Fourth-year classes complete the coursework of the program with more specialized and supplementary courses.

Students enrolled in HSPP are required to satisfactorily complete 103 doctoral- level credit hours, in addition to three Clinical Competency Evaluations and the Comprehensive Exam. The program is designed to be an intensive five-year training program. Students must complete all requirements of the program within seven years. Due to transfer, course, practica, comprehensive examination, and internship application requirements, the program cannot be completed in less than five full-time academic years (including internship), and in less than three years of full-time residence. The typical study plan is provided below. In addition to the study plan, 12 hours of elective requirements can be taken at any time.

First Year Courses
  • PP7110 – Professionalization Group I (1)
  • PP7111 – Professionalization Group II (1)
  • PP7045 – Psychopathology (3)
  • PP7010 – Lifespan Development (3)
  • PP7040 – Cognition and Affective Processes (3)
  • PP7051 – Biological Bases of Behavior (3)
  • PP7100 – Professional Issues: Ethics, Conduct, and Law (3)
  • PP7365 – Clinical Interviewing (3)
  • PP7370 – Cognitive Assessment (3)
  • PP7371 – Objective Personality Assessment (3)
  • PP7372 – Projective Personality Assessment (3)
  • PP8646 – Introduction to Neuropsychological Assessment (3)
Second Year Courses
  • PP7373 – Integrative Assessment (3)
  • PP8010 – Cognitive Behavioral Theory and Therapy (3)
  • PP8030 – Psychodynamic Theory and Therapy (3)
  • PP7342 – Evaluation and Treatment of Diverse and Marginalized Populations (3)
  • PP7041 – Quantitative Inquiry (3)
  • PP7042 – Statistics Laboratory (1)
  • PP8201 – Practicum I (3)
  • PP8202 – Practicum II (3)
  • PP8202E – Practicum II Extension (1)
Third Year Courses
  • PP8020 – Person-Centered and Experiential Theory and Therapy (3)
  • PP8060 – Group Psychotherapy (3)
  • PP7360 – Clinical Psychopharmacology (3)
  • PP7043 – Qualitative Inquiry (3)
  • PP8203 – Practicum III (3)
  • PP8204 – Practicum IV (3)
  • PP8204E – Practicum IV Extension (1)
  • PP8501 – Dissertation Seminar; Proposal Defense (1)
Fourth Year Courses
  • PP7000 – History and Systems (3)
  • PP7060 – Social Psychology (3)
  • PP7044 – Consultation and Community Mental Health (3)
  • PP7352 – Clinical Supervision (3)
  • PP8501 – Dissertation Seminar; Final Defense (1)
Fifth Year Courses
  • PP8900 – Internship (1); taken in 3 consecutive terms of Fall, Spring, and Summer for a total of 3 credits in the Fifth Year

Time to Completion

Program Costs

Internship Placement

Attrition

Licensure

Admissions Information

Those interested in applying for the Hawai‘i School of Professional Psychology at Chaminade University of Honolulu should contact the Admission Department for specific instructions. Admissions requirements are:

  • Possess a bachelor’s degree from a regionally accredited institution or an appropriately certified foreign institution
  • Possess an undergraduate degree grade point average of at least 3.0 (on a scale of 4.0) or a graduate grade point average of 3.25 (on a scale of 4.0)
  • Complete the program application (via online form)
  • Submit a personal/professional goal statement with a self-appraisal of qualifications for the profession
  • Submit a current résumé (or career summary)
  • Submit 3 applicant recommendation letters
  • Submit official transcripts from all post-secondary schools attended

Complete an in-person (or web-based) interview with members of the faculty

The Hawaii School of Professional Psychology at Chaminade University of Honolulu requires applicants to successfully complete, five three-credit undergraduate (with a C or better) or graduate (with a B or better) courses that serve as a basic foundation for coursework in clinical psychology. Foundation courses must be completed prior to starting the program. Several of these courses serve as direct prerequisites to the HSPP courses. The following undergraduate or graduate courses are required:

  • Introduction to psychology or general psychology (this course may be waived if the applicant has completed a Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Psychology)
  • Abnormal psychology, psychopathology, or maladaptive behavior
  • Statistics or research methods
  • Two additional courses in the field of psychology

The Hawai‘i School of Professional Psychology at Chaminade University of Honolulu does not automatically transfer credit from graduate coursework taken at other institutions. Students who have taken graduate courses elsewhere may petition to have these courses apply toward transfer credit for courses in the curriculum. Course transfers are not reviewed or granted until the student has been accepted into the program and has paid the initial deposit following admission to the program.

For a course to be considered eligible for transfer credit, the following conditions must be met:

  • The course must have been taken no more than 5 years before entry to HSPP.
  • The course grade must be a grade of “B” or higher.
  • The course must have been a graduate-level course and taken for graduate-level credit from a regionally accredited college or university. In the case of institutions outside the U.S., the appropriate state or national accreditation is required. HSPP does not accept any credit hours earned as military credit, credit hours by examination, credit hours by correspondence, credit hours for life experience, or graduate credit hours from non-accredited schools.
  • As this is an on-ground Clinical Psychology program, peer and instructor face-to-face interactions are critical to instruction and evaluation. Transfer requests for online courses will be heavily scrutinized. Transfer of online assessment and therapy courses is prohibited.
  • Any course submitted towards a transfer of a 3 credit hour course must carry 3 or more graduate credit hours. In special circumstances, a maximum of 2 courses can be submitted to transfer as one 3 credit hour course. The total number of credit hours of the 2 courses must be equal to, or greater than 3 credit hours.
  • A maximum of 3 courses (9 credit hours) may be transferred towards the program (5 courses if transferring from an APA-accredited PsyD program).
  • Transfer courses must be equivalent in content, and it is the responsibility of the student to demonstrate course equivalency. As determined by the HSPP faculty, there must be significant overlap in course content and requirements between the course submitted for transfer credit and the course offered.

Transfer of assessment, therapy, and advanced courses carry additional scrutiny, especially if the course was not taken at an APA-accredited clinical psychology doctoral program.  In addition to completing the above-mentioned review process, the student may be required to pass a practical competency exam and provide reports/recordings, and even then, approval is extremely difficult. To ensure integrity of training, there are courses that are not transferrable; please contact the program for a complete list.

Tuition and Fees

Detailed information regarding student account billing, financial responsibility, reinstatement, payment options, payment plans, the delinquent accounts policy, and the withdrawal credit policy is available in the Chaminade University of Honolulu Catalog.

Tuition

$1,315 per credit hour*

*AY 2024-2025 effective July 1, 2024

Fees
  • Assessment Fee-per course  (PP7370, PP7371, PP7372, PP8646): $50
  • Internship Study Materials fee: $375
  • Graduation Fee: $215
  • Application Fee: $50
  • Transcripts (regular/instant processing, electronic regular/instant processing, credentials) : $7-$20
Parking Permit (OPTIONAL – per term, Fall and Spring only)
  • Automobile: $200
  • Motorcycle: $80
  • Moped: $40

The Doctor of Psychology in Clinical Psychology program offers a Diversity, a Leadership, and a Rural Health Scholarship available to incoming first year doctoral students. Each competitive scholarship awards $2,000 to the chosen recipient. The scholarship submission details will be sent to applicants that are offered admission to the competitive program.

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GRADUATE ADMISSIONS
[email protected]
(808) 739-8340

ACCREDITATION
Chaminade University of Honolulu is accredited by WASC Senior College and University Commission. the Doctor of Psychology in Clinical Psychology degree program at the Hawaii School of Professional Psychology at Chaminade University of Honolulu is accredited by the American Psychological Association (APA).

FACULTY
Our faculty members are leaders in their fields. They believe in the power of personal experience—stressing mentorship, collaboration and project-based learning inside and outside the classroom.

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