Can I obtain a Psy.D. degree at UT?
A. The University of Texas Psychology Department does not offer a Psy.D. degree. We only have the Ph.D. A Psy.D. program is designed particularly for individuals seeking to become clinicians (to do future work in private practice, for instance). The Psy.D. was developed about 20 years ago as an alternate track to Ph.D. programs in clinical psychology, when there was an interest on the part of some institutions in distinguishing between programs mainly intended to train academics and researchers (Ph.D.) from those mainly intended to train clinicians (Psy.D.). The Psy.D. today is often offered through professional schools. There is some variety in the definitions of training models, but the UT Ph.D. program in Clinical Psychology understands itself to follow a “clinical science” model, focused on research, while many Psy.D. programs call their approach a “practitioner scholar” model.
