2026-2027 Academic Catalog
GradPsych1

Clinical and School Psychology, Psy.D.

Program Director: David Szwedo
Email: szwedode@jmu.edu
Clinical and School Psychology Website

Program Description

The mission of this doctoral program is to produce leading health service psychologists who are broadly trained in the science and practice of psychology, actively self-reflective, optimally prepared to work in a wide variety of settings with clientele across the lifespan, and demonstrably committed to an ethic of personal responsibility, social awareness and global engagement.

The Clinical and School Psychology program training uses an innovative, integrative approach that merges the traditional professional areas of clinical, counseling and school psychology into a generalist approach that provides students with a broad foundation from which to operate. A generalist orientation opens up pathways to draw from each of the three practice areas in a manner that is complementary and synergistic. The rationale for the training stems from the fact that there is a) tremendous overlap in the basic training of the three specialty areas of clinical, counseling and school psychology; b) there is a need to define the core competencies of professional psychologists; and c) there are emerging trends for greater integration within the field.

In regards to training objectives, we work to develop graduate health service psychologists who can:

  • understand and integrate contributions and perspectives from the three major areas of applied activity in our larger field (i.e. clinical, counseling and school psychology);
  • develop conceptualizations of human behavior that integrate biological, psychological, social and cultural dimensions of analysis;
  • integrate various theoretical perspectives into a coherent framework; and
  • work effectively in an interprofessional context.

A limited number of full-time students are admitted each year. All students receive a full-time teaching or graduate assistantship that includes tuition and stipend.

This doctoral program exhibits strong commitment to inclusive excellence through:

  • Required applied experiences specific to multicultural issues
  • Multicultural/gender issues covered in course work throughout the curriculum
  • Practical experiences with clients from a variety of cultures and backgrounds
  • Faculty with interests in international issues

This program is designed to be completed in 2 years. Summer courses are required.

Licensure/Certification

This program meets the educational requirements for licensure or certification in the Commonwealth of Virginia. Please refer to the JMU Professional Licensure Program Status by Jurisdiction Index to determine if this JMU program meets the educational requirements specified by the associated licensing or certification agency in the state or territory in which you are located and other states and territories. Requirements vary by state and are subject to change. The information provided is current as of the review date indicated in the table.