- Core coursework: 126 units (including externship)
- Electives: 18 units minimum: May be taken anytime after Spring Quarter of Year 1.
- Total Units for years 1-4 must equal or exceed 144
- Internship = 36 units
- Total program units = 180
Ways to Learn
Quick Facts
- 5 Years Full-Time
- 6 Years Part-Time
- 144 Units Coursework + 36 Units Internship
- Evening Classes
This Program is Now Available at NU
The Doctor of Clinical Psychology (PsyD) program has been relocated to JFK School of Psychology at NU. To learn more, visit the new program page.
Overview
For those seeking the highest level of education and training available for hands-on practitioners in the field of psychology, JFK University offers its Doctor of Clinical Psychology (PsyD) program. Graduates are optimally prepared to serve their communities in a variety of vital roles including clinician, program administrator, evaluator, consultant, educator, supervisor, assessor, and, perhaps most importantly, critical consumer of psychological research.
Highlights
- APA-approved program with long-standing reputation
- Graduates meet the requirements to apply for licensure as a psychologist in the state of California
- Unique concentrations including clinical sport psychology, neuropsychology, and integrated health
PROGRAM LEARNING OUTCOMES
Demonstrate knowledge of the foundational concepts and guiding principles of scientific psychology. [Systemic and Theoretical Foundations]
Develop, articulate, and maintain constructive and contextually sensitive working relationships with clients, colleagues, supervisors, and others with whom they interact professionally. Students engage in contextually appropriate activities that promote, restore, sustain, or enhance positive functioning and a sense of well-being in clients through preventive, developmental, or remedial services. [Relationship and Intervention]
Describe, conceptualize, characterize, predict, and present clinically relevant aspects of clients (e.g., character, behavior, strengths, challenges, symptoms, relationship quality, functioning) in sociopolitical and cultural context. [Assessment]
Conduct a systematic and culturally relevant inquiry involving problem identification, selection of appropriate methodology, analysis and interpretation of data, and clear and accurate communication of findings pertaining to psychological phenomena. [Research and Evaluation]
Articulate, value, and work consciously with individual and contextual differences within intersecting systems, and conduct themselves in accordance with professional standards, laws, and ethics. “Contextual” includes, but is not limited to: race, ethnicity, class, immigration status, sexual orientation, gender, and ability. [Contextual Awareness and Professionalism]
Program Relocation Information
The PsyD program will continue without substantive changes in its academic or clinical training curriculum. The same is true of the MA/PsyD dual degree program. The principal change is evidenced in the operational aspects of the program (financial aid, registration, advising will be managed under the auspices of National University. This will be a positive change given that NUS has a much more robust operational infrastructure.
The PsyD program will also continue to have access to its excellent network of clinical training sites throughout the Bay Area. This change is an administrative relocation; however, the academic and clinical training components of the program remain unchanged.
The JFKU PsyD program continues to have its APA accreditation, and continues to be in good standing. This transition will be a process, and we are currently waiting on final APA approval for our request to administratively relocate the program to National University.
Students who are graduating by December 31, 2020 will receive a John F. Kennedy University degree. Students finishing after this date may have an option of receiving either a JFKU degree or an NU degree; these details are still under consideration. All JFKU students also have the option of transferring to another university if they choose not to continue with the JFK College of Psychology at National University. Studentsmay transfer directly by contacting another university individually, or they may transfer through an articulation agreement established between JFKU and the articulating university. The primary advantage of the transfer through the articulation agreement is that students will know exactly what courses will transfer over to the receiving local institutions.
JFKU’s WASC accreditation, which is in good standing, provides protections for students; and National University is similarly a WASC-accredited institution. WSCUC has approved the administrative relocation to National University. All students who remain within the National University System and choose to transfer to National University will receive a 20% discount off of NU’s current tuition rates if they remain continuously enrolled and in good academic standing.
If a student wishes to transition outside the National University system, articulation agreements are being developed at the following universities:
- Alliant University
- University of San Francisco
Why JFKU

The Best Fieldwork Available
After taking the Ethnographic Placement Assessment and being assigned to a cross-cultural clinical site, students provide psychological services to underserved and disadvantaged individuals. Apart from gaining state-mandated clinical experience and providing mental-health assistance to real people in need, students are also exposed to the rewards and importance of public-interest work.

We Practice What We Teach
Our faculty represents a cross-section of some of the brightest minds in clinical psychology today. Many faculty are also active practitioners, keeping them grounded in actual clinical practice and not just theory.
With a faculty mentor assigned to every student and an overall student-to-faculty ratio of just 13:1, our professors take a personalized approach to each student’s development.


You Decide What Approach Works for You
Rather than subscribe to a single theoretical approach or school of thought, the JFK University Doctor of Clinical Psychology program exposes students to a broad range of theories and applications. Exploring various methodologies encourages students to think critically about their pros and cons, ultimately incorporating the best aspects of each into their own individualized clinical “tool kits”.

Master of Arts in Sport Psychology - Clinical PsyD Dual Degree
For years, individuals credentialed only in sport psychology have been unable to incorporate clinical psychology into their practice.
Now, however, thanks to a unique interdepartmental partnership, students can “link” an MA in Sport Psych with their PsyD, enabling them to become one of the few professionals credentialed to engage in the burgeoning new field of clinical sport psychology.

Accreditation
The PsyD Program is accredited by the American Psychological Association (APA), which requires that we provide the student outcome data available via the links on this page. We hope this information will help you to make an informed decision regarding your graduate study.
Questions related to the program’s accredited status should be directed to the APA’s Office of Program Consultation and Accreditation:
Office of Program Consultation and Accreditation
American Psychological Association
750 1st Street, NE, Washington, DC 20002
Phone: (202) 336-5979
E-mail: apaaccred@apa.org
Web: www.apa.org/ed/accreditation
Requirements
To receive the Doctor of Clinical Psychology, the student must meet the following degree requirements:
- The Comprehensive Written Examination and the Clinical Proficiency Examination must be passed.
- Fifty (50) hours of personal psychotherapy must be completed.
- All training logs and supervisors’ evaluations must be submitted to the Training Office.
- The dissertation must be successfully defended.
- After admission to the PsyD program, all academic requirements must be completed in residence, except for where transfer credit units have been awarded.
- A full-time load of 36 units must be carried for a minimum of one year, preferably in year one.
- A minimum grade of B- is required in each course applied to meeting degree requirements.
- An overall grade-point average of 3.0 must be achieved in all work for the PsyD program.
- Candidates for doctoral degrees are required to file a Petition for Degree and pay the required fee by February 15 of the year prior to the beginning internship.
- All program requirements must be completed within eight calendar years of matriculation.
Curriculum
Students will apply for approved internship sites anywhere in the country that are consistent with their individual interests, training needs, and professional goals. Students will build competency in the diverse clinical skills required of a professional psychologist. Students are required to complete either one full-time, year-long internship or two-half-time, yearlong internships completed over two years’ time.
Students will apply for approved internship sites anywhere in the country that are consistent with their individual interests, training needs, and professional goals. Students will build competency in the diverse clinical skills required of a professional psychologist. Students are required to complete either one full-time, year-long internship or two-half-time, yearlong internships completed over two years’ time.