Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in School & Applied Child Psychology

Students in the PhD program are required to complete:

a) A minimum of 33 units of course work at the doctoral level that includes:

i. Educational Psychology 712, 713, 731, 732, 760, 762, 763 and 764.

ii. Practicum Courses (12 units) selected from: Educational Psychology 761 and/ or Educational Psychology 766. Note: Please see Practicum and Internship section below.

b) Candidacy

c) A twelve-month (min. 1600 hours) full-time internship. Note: completion of this requirement will be recorded on the student transcript.
Note:  Successful applicants will need to produce the results of a Police Information Check before they will be permitted to participate in practicum or internship experiences associated with the program. Note: Please see Practicum and Internship section below.

d) Dissertation

Students entering the degree following completion of a Master's degree outside of the University of Calgary may be required to take additional Master's courses to ensure equivalency to the Master of Science in School and Applied Child Psychology at the University of Calgary. A student may be deficient in no more than two full-courses, which must be completed before the Doctoral candidacy.

School and Applied Psychology specialization and practicum courses:

EDPS 691 – Program Evaluation
EDPS 731 - Advanced Clinical Supervision
EDPS 732 - Advanced Seminar in School & Applied Child Psychology
EDPS 760 – Evidence-Based Consultation for Intervention
EDPS 761 - Advanced Doctoral Practicum in Clinical Assessment & Supervision (3 courses)
EDPS 762 - Advanced Neuropsychological Assessment and Intervention
EDPS 763 - School and Clinical Based Interventions
EDPS 764 - Advanced Research Statistics
EDPS 766 – School-Based Practicum

Examination

Admission into Candidacy in the Werklund School of Education Graduate Programs: 1) requires that students have abilities to conceptualize, interpret, critique and synthesize comprehensive, substantive knowledge that is relevant to the discipline and practice of educational psychology; and 2) ensures that students have a well-developed plan for their dissertation research, a sound proposal with a well-developed research question and potential for the ability to pursue and complete original independent research at the doctoral level.

In compliance with the Faculty of Graduate Studies Candidacy Regulations, the requirements for Admission to Candidacy at the Werklund School of Education is a 4 stage process:

1. Completion of all course requirements as identified in the calendar; 
2. Field of study (FoS) written candidacy examination; 
3. A research proposal approved by the Supervisory Committee (recognizing changes may be made after successful completion of exams prior to submission for ethics approval); 
4. An oral examination of the research proposal;
   All Candidacy requirements must be completed within 28 months of the start of the program. 

For further information, please consult the Graduate Programs in Education website, 

Dissertation
The Doctoral thesis is the focus of the degree program. In consultation with the supervisor, the student should formulate an appropriate thesis topic as early as possible in the program because the thesis proposal affects the choice and number of courses needed in order to complete the program. The thesis proposal must be approved by the supervisory committee before continuing towards candidacy.

Police Information Check

Please see Practicum & Internship section below.

Time Limit

Expected completion time for full-time students is four years with a maximum completion time of six years.

Supervisory Assignments

A supervisor is normally appointed at the time of admission.

Financial Assistance

Financial assistance may be available to qualified students. For information on awards, see the Awards and Financial Assistance section of the Faculty of Graduate Studies website.
Students applying for scholarships must submit their applications to Graduate Program in Education by February 1.

Doctoral Procedures Checklist

At the beginning of program:

• Register for an eID to access myUCalgary. Keep your eID and password confidential.
• Accept your Offer of Admission in the online Student Centre.
• Activate your UCalgary IT computing account that comes with a UofC email. We strongly encourage you to use this email while in program.
• Before you start utilizing your UofC email, update your email address in the online Student Centre.
• Confirm your current e-mail address to your Graduate Program Administrator (see your Admission Letter for contact information). Please include your full name, UCID number, program, and specialization.
• Attend one of the scheduled Virtual Welcome Sessions for Graduate Programs: Education (GPE) students.
• Attend one of the scheduled Student Orientations to GPE Online Delivery Tools. We recommend this for students in on-campus programs, due to the fact that online tools may be utilized in on-campus courses.
• Connect with your supervisor to plan your program.
• Initialize your registration.
• Register for courses.
• Check with FGS, Research Services and SSHRC for possible research funding.

Within 12 months:

• Confirm the number of courses required for program completion with the supervisor.

Every May:

• Submit the online Annual Progress Report form through student centre, approved by supervisor, and Graduate Program Director of GPE or designate.

Every 12 Months:

• Complete registration initialization.

Within 15 months:

• Consult with supervisor regarding the appointment of the supervisory committee. Complete the Appointment of Supervisory Committee form.

Within 28 months:

• Request candidacy examination guidelines.
• Complete all course work prior to the candidacy examination.
• Submit a research proposal to the supervisory committee. If acceptable, this proposal is signed by the members of the supervisory committee and placed in the student's file.
• Complete candidacy requirements and examination.

Within 4 to 6 years:

• Have ethics application approved before collection of data.
• Complete thesis and final oral examination.
• Submit two unbound copies of the thesis to the Faculty of Graduate Studies along with the Thesis Clearance form.
• Submit an Application for Degree through your Student Centre.
• Attend convocation and celebrate.

Program Forms

There are various forms related to a student’s progress through their graduate degree. Please refer to the forms for detailed instructions on their proper completion. Students who have any questions or concerns should contact their Graduate Program Administrator. Required forms are available in the GPE office and some can be accessed by downloading them from Faculty of Graduate Studies.

Practicum are completed in our Centre for Wellbeing in Education (ISE) and in the field. The mission of the Centre is to provide psychological and counselling services to individuals in the community. The Centre was awarded the CPA Foundation (CPAF) Access to Innovative Psychological Services in 2009.  Field-based experiences are normally completed in schools, although students can complete practicum with other external community agencies that have learning activities aligned to the field of school psychology.  

Students are required to complete a CPA-accredited internship (or its equivalent), with most internships completed in external school districts, community agencies, or health centers locally, nationally, or internationally and so there is no dedicated internship facility.  There is a consortium affiliated with our program, Educational Psychology Pre-doctoral Internship Consortium (EPPIC), which has rotations with Alberta Health Services, Rocky View School Division, Renfrew Educational Services, and the Centre for Wellbeing in Education (supervision rotation). 

The EPPIC Match & Post Match Schedule is available on the CNPY & SACP Internship D2L shell. 

For information on the Association of Psychology Postdoctoral and Internship Centers (APPIC) Match Dates, please go to, http://appic.org/Match/About-The-APPIC-Match/APPIC-Match-Dates.

Police Information Check

All successful applicants to the Werklund School of Education School PhD School & Applied Child Psychology program are required to provide a current and clear Police Information Check which includes a Criminal Record Check and a Vulnerable Sector Search. Students must apply for a Police Information Check through their nearest police service or RCMP detachment in the area where they reside.

The original Police Information Check must be presented to and accepted by the administration in the Graduate Program Office in the Werklund School of Education, dated within timelines as directed by the Placement Coordinator.

Students will be required to request a Police Information Check upon admission and each subsequent year that they go on placement (Educational Psychology 761, 766, and PhD Residency).

A current and clear Police Information Check is required for all placements. Failure to present a clear and current Police Information Check may result in the student being unable to begin their program and/or go on placement. Successful completion of all placements is required for graduation.

Intervention Record Check

In addition, it is strongly recommended that students obtain an Intervention Record Check (IRC) in each year that they participate in a practicum. Even if your site does not specifically require this check, it is to your advantage to have an IRC done so as to prevent a potential issue should there be a last minute change in your placement site.

NOTE: IRCs are not required by the Werklund School of Education (WSE), and should not be submitted to WSE. Results should be kept in your personal records, and shown to your practicum site should they request to view them.

Practicum Schedule

• EDPS 761 (1st year of program): 
  • On Campus - Centre for Wellbeing in Education (Winter & Spring terms)
• EDPS 766 (2nd year of program): 
  • Off Campus – Community based (Winter & Spring terms)
• PhD Residency (3,4,5 or 6* year of program):
  • Off Campus – Community based (Fall, Winter, Spring & Summer terms)

*Students are required to obtain approval from the Director of Training (DoT) and thesis supervisor via a Readiness to Apply form before applying to residency sites.

Centre for Wellbeing in Education is an on-campus clinic within the Werklund School of Education at the University of Calgary.  Recipient of the Canadian Psychological Association Foundation 2009 Access to Innovative Psychological Services Award, the Integrated Services clinic is a nationally recognized leader in psychological service that offers clinical services, professional development, and applied research/programme evaluation. The Centre provides opportunities for both Educational Studies in School Psychology (EDSP) and Educational Studies in Counselling Psychology (EDCP) graduate students to gain hands-on experience under the supervision of registered psychologists in each of these areas.  Graduate students are provided with the very best experiential learning while making a contribution to the community. The core values of empowerment, respect for diversity, advocacy, resiliency, and accountability permeate the teaching, research, and services of the Centre.

Centre for Wellbeing in Education provides psychoeducational services to the local Calgary community and has developed partnerships with a number of regional educational and health service providers.  The Centre is strongly committed to excellence in both the quality of psychological services provided to the community as well as in the learning experiences offered to graduate students.  Serving the practicum and supervised learning programme of the on-campus MSc and PhD students in School and Applied Child Psychology programmes, The Centre provides direct benefit to the students in a number of ways.  Through the supervised training opportunities to work directly with children and youth in the clinic, much of the revenue from the services provided is returned to doctoral students in the form of annual PhD funding.  This funding support allows students to gain valuable professional experience and complete their research in a timely manner. Under the guidance of PhD students, Masters students are also provided with the opportunity to complete practicum placements in the clinic, and are provided with a hands-on learning environment in which to develop their assessment, diagnostic, and intervention skills.