Clinical Psychology Student Handbook
6-1 Continuous enrollment and deadlines
Chapter 6. Continuous Enrollment and Deadlines
Every graduate student is required to maintain continuous enrollment from the date of first
registration until a degree program is completed. A student who fails to maintain continuous enrollment
is considered to have withdrawn from the University. If the student wishes to resume graduate work, a
petition for readmission must be made. An applicant for readmission must pay the application fee and
must, after review of the student's record of progress toward the degree, be recommended by the
Department Chair. The recommendation must then be approved by the Dean.
The university "residence" requirement for full-time doctoral students is 3 years (six semesters)
of full-time registration, which is defined as a minimum of eight credit hours per semester. Additionally,
graduate students must register for at least one credit each semester until all course requirements have
been met (but see below regarding delay of payment of federal loans).
Comprehensive Examination
Students must register for the comprehensive examination in the semester they take it. Students
registering for any course work during the semester they take the Comprehensive Examination are
assessed no additional fee for the exam (register for COMP 698, Doctoral Comps with classes–note: this
is not a Psychology course–the “department” is COMP). However, graduate students who have finished
their course work and residency requirement (3 years of full-time enrollment; see above) and who want
only to take the Comprehensive Examination in a particular semester can register for the comprehensive
examination only (one credit hour of tuition, zero course credit) during the semester that they take the
examination (register for COMP 699, Doctoral Comps without classes–again, the “department” is COMP,
not PSY).
The Most Frequent Registration Scenarios Beyond the Third Year
Note: The discussion below is about university requirements and does not take criteria for
delay in repayment of federal loans into account. Students must be “full-time” in order not to
repay loans, but the definition of “full-time” for federal loan purposes may not be the same as the
registration requirements of the university. Students in the first 3 years of the program should be
taking enough credits to be considered full-time for the purposes of delay of federal loans. For
students who are more advanced, at the present time, registration for dissertation guidance or
internship is sufficient for a student to delay federal loan repayment. It appears that registration
for 6 credits is also sufficient for delay of federal loan repayment. However, the requirements for
demonstrating that a student is full-time for federal purposes could change, and students with
federal loans should ascertain with Graduate Financial Aid (202-319-5307) that they are meeting
the criteria.
Students must register for Advanced Clinical Training (ACT) any semester in which they are
doing clinical work that is not part of practica, externship (registered for as PSY 909 or 910, Externship),
or internship. See Chapter 4 on training outside the program. Registration for ACT involves not only
online registration, but also filling out the ACT form and having the supervisor fill out the form, as well
as getting approval with the signature of the Director of Clinical Training.
Students must register for Dissertation - Doctoral in the semester they propose their dissertations
Clinical Psychology Student Handbook
6-2 Continuous enrollment and deadlines
(as well as the semester they defend their dissertations). So in the fall of the fourth year, if the student is
applying for internship and has not yet proposed his or her dissertation, the student must register for PSY
997 (the course number is 998 in the spring), Dissertation - Doctoral. This course does not have credits
attached but is charged as if it is three credits. (There is no other version of this course with fewer
credits.) If the student is doing ACT (e.g., a second externship or other training), the student must also
register for PSY 970, Advanced Clinical Training, which is 0 credits (and fill out the ACT form and get it
approved by the Director of Clinical Training).
In the spring of the fourth year, if the student has proposed his or her dissertation, is collecting
data or otherwise fairly independently working on the dissertation, and is doing Advanced Clinical
Training, the student can register for only PSY 971, Advanced Clinical Training for 1 credit (and again
fill out the form and get it approved). (Note: it is not permitted to register solely for the 0-credit version
of ACT.) If the student is taking the Practicum in Assessment, he or she may register for that (1 credit)
plus PSY 970, the 0-credit version of ACT.
Students may take PSY 971 (the 1-credit version of ACT) as their sole registration for up to two
semesters (assuming they are not on internship and also not defending their dissertation).
When the student does internship, he or she must register for Internship each semester (922 in
Fall and 923 in Spring). Internship is 1 credit each semester.
When the student is finishing dissertation and plans to take the oral exam, the student must
register for PSY 997 or 998, Dissertation - Doctoral. If the student is on internship, he or she must
register for both Dissertation and Internship that semester. In the semester the student defends his or her
dissertation, he or she must also register for the oral examination, which is usually ORAL 998,
Dissertation Defense - with classes (i.e., with Dissertation; no extra tuition for the oral exam in that case).
If the student is prepared for orals right at the beginning of the following semester, he or she can register
just for ORAL 999, Dissertation Defense - no classes (orals only), which is 1 credit of tuition, provided
the student was registered for Dissertation the previous semester. See below for further explanation of
orals only.
Further details on various aspects of advanced-student registration are below.
Dissertation Guidance
After course requirements are completed and the written Doctoral Comprehensive Examination
has been passed, doctoral students are expected to register for PSY 997/998 Dissertation - Doctoral (no
credits, but with a fee equal to three credit hours per semester) each semester they are using faculty time
to work on the dissertation until the final dissertation has been approved and the Doctoral Oral
Examination has been passed.
Students are expected to be enrolled in Dissertation - Doctoral (which is often called Dissertation
Guidance) for all semesters they are working on their dissertation and using committee member
resources. It is important to note the University rule that a student MUST be enrolled in
Dissertation - Doctoral during the semester in which he or she submits a dissertation proposal for
University approval and the semester in which the student sits for the final doctoral oral
examination. If the student gets committee signatures that he or she is ready to take the final oral
Clinical Psychology Student Handbook
6-3 Continuous enrollment and deadlines
examination at the beginning of a semester, he or she may then register for orals only for one credit (see
Orals Only below), providing the student was registered for Dissertation the previous semester. A
minimum of two semesters of Dissertation - Doctoral is required.
Dissertation Deadlines
Doctoral candidates are admitted to candidacy the first day of the semester after they pass the
doctoral comprehensive examination. The program expects students to propose their dissertations within
1 year of admission to candidacy, and students are required by the School of Arts and Sciences to
have a dissertation proposal approved 2 years after passing comps/admission to candidacy. Thus,
for students who pass comps in the fall, the deadline for the proposal is December, 2 years later. For
students who pass comps in the spring, the deadline for the proposal is May, 2 years later.
Students may not apply for internship (and get the required form from the Director of
Clinical Training attesting to the student’s readiness for internship) until the dissertation proposal
has been submitted to the department faculty. Specifically, the 2-page summary of the proposal must
be submitted to the department faculty by Oct. 1 of the year in which the student wishes to apply for
internship. Only if the proposal has been submitted by Oct. 1 will the Director of Clinical Training fill
out the form for internship eligibility required for application to all internships.
The department deadline for completion of dissertation and the oral examination is 4 years
from the end of the semester of admission to candidacy. In other words, the deadline for students who
pass comps in the Fall semester is May, 4.5 years after comps; the deadline for students who pass comps
in the Spring semester is December, 4.5 years after comps.
If a doctoral candidate does not complete the dissertation and take the final oral examination by
his or her deadline, the candidate will be subject to dismissal from the degree program. An extension may
be requested prior to the deadline by writing a letter of explanation to the Department Chair and
submitting it and a Student Request Form (available from the department office) to the faculty advisor.
The student should begin the process of requesting an extension at least 2 months before his or her
deadline. If the faculty advisor, the Director of Clinical Training, and the Chair approve the extension,
the Chair will then recommend approval to the Dean. An extension must be approved by the Dean and
will normally not exceed 1 year.
Oral Examination
Students must register for the oral exam in the semester in which they take it. Generally this is
EXAM 998, Dissertation Defense - With Classes (if it is with Dissertation - Doctoral). See below for
orals only registration. (Note: the “department” for registering for this course is not PSY but is EXAM.)
See further information on orals in the Dissertation chapter.
Orals Only (Dissertation Defense - Without Classes)
Doctoral students who have (1) completed all dissertation work prior to the beginning of a
semester, and (2) were registered for PSY 997/998 Dissertation - Doctoral the previous semester, may
register for orals only (EXAM 999, Dissertation Defense - Without Classes) during the semester in which
they will sit for the final doctoral oral examination, provided that all dissertation committee members
Clinical Psychology Student Handbook
6-4 Continuous enrollment and deadlines
have signed their approval of the dissertation in the Dean's office. (Note: the “department” for registering
for this course is not PSY but is EXAM.) The current date by which these signatures must be obtained is
the Wednesday of the second week of classes for that semester. The signatures will indicate that the
dissertation committee members have found the dissertation to be complete and in satisfactory form,
subject only to minor changes. The fee is one credit hour of tuition.
If a clinical student is eligible to register for orals only during a semester of Internship and wants
to defend during that semester, he or she must register for the one-credit hour PSY 922/923 Internship and
zero-credit Dissertation Defense - With Classes. Only one credit hour of tuition for both will be assessed.
However, per University regulations, the student must have been registered for PSY 997/998 Dissertation
the semester prior to registering for orals only. A successful oral defense does not relieve the student
from the obligation to register the following semester(s) for Internship until the requirement of two
semesters of full-time Internship or four semesters of half-time Internship has been met.
Internship
While on internship, students must register for PSY 922/923 Internship in both Fall and Spring
semester (one credit hour of tuition each semester). It is possible for a student to defend his/her
dissertation while on internship; this requires registration for PSY 997/998 Dissertation - Doctoral (three
credit hours of tuition) as well as Internship. If a student meets the requirements to register for orals only
(see above), he or she may register for orals only in addition to registering for Internship and pay only one
credit hour of tuition.
Leave of Absence (LOA)
Approval for an LOA requires documentation of sustained ill health, required military service, or
other circumstances resulting in involuntary interruption of graduate studies. The cumulative total
period may not normally exceed 1 year. Academic pressures, employment conflicts, and geographical
moves are usually insufficient reasons.
LOA must be requested by letter addressed to the Chair and submitted with a Student Request
Form (available from the department office) to the student's faculty advisor before the beginning of the
registration period for that semester. If the leave is approved by the student's faculty advisor, the Director
of Clinical Training, and the Chair, the Chair will then forward the request to the Dean, who makes the
final decision.
During LOA the student pays no fees, receives no credit, and the period is not counted as
part of the time allowed for the completion of residence or other degree requirements (i.e., the
deadline date gets extended by the period of time the student is on LOA). It must be noted that
the student on LOA does not have access to University facilities nor to faculty consultation.
Clinical Psychology Student Handbook
6-5 Continuous enrollment and deadlines
In Absentia
Students who have completed all course requirements may request In Absentia status when they
are required to be away from campus or for other compelling reasons not sufficient for a full leave of
absence. Doctoral students may request In Absentia status after they have received approval of their
doctoral dissertation proposal and will not be using the assistance of their faculty dissertation committee
(example: data collection) and also not doing clinical training (for which they would register for
Advanced Clinical Training instead). The total number of semesters a student may register for In
Absentia is two.
In Absentia status must be requested by letter addressed to the Chair and submitted with a Student
Request Form (available from the department office) to the student's dissertation advisor well before the
beginning of semester. If In Absentia is approved by the major professor, the Director of Clinical
Training, and the Chair, the Chair will then forward the request to the Dean for approval. Upon receiving
permission from dean for In Absentia status, a student may then register.
Clinical Psychology Student Handbook
6-6 Continuous enrollment and deadlines
This option is not available for the semester in which the dissertation topic is submitted, nor for
the semester in which the final oral is scheduled.
In Absentia is counted as zero credit; however, one credit hour of tuition is assessed. During the
semester(s) of Im Absentia registration, the student is entitled to use library, research subject pool, and
computer facilities. The student may consult with the dissertation advisor and/or committee members
only occasionally during the semester(s) of In Absentia, but he or she should not expect the chair or
others on the dissertation committee to read and criticize major drafts of the dissertation.
A semester in which the student is registered In Absentia counts toward the time period available
for completion of the dissertation (see above).
8/04