Predoctoral Internship

All doctoral students are required to complete a full-time Predoctoral Internship, the application process to which is coordinated by the National Matching Service. Students must have a successful dissertation proposal approved by October 15th prior to applying for internship. Students are strongly urged to complete their dissertation research before leaving for internship. Students should be prepared to travel outside the state for their internship experience. Though students may apply and match to a non-accredited internship, this may present potential adverse implication for licensing. Accordingly, students are strongly encouraged to complete only APA-Accredited Predoctoral Internships. All program requirements and timelines must be adhered to regardless of the internship setting.

The process of applying for internships begins in spring and summer as students select sites and prepare application materials for submission. Students are required to participate in the predoctoral internship application workgroup. This workgroup meets weekly for one hour and focuses on helping students prepare their CVs and the four essays required for internship application. These meetings begin during the summer preceding the fall in which they apply for internship and are led by the A-DCT. The DCT and the student’s mentor also assist the student in selecting appropriate internship sites and in reviewing their application materials.

Students must submit their records of clinical practica hours for approval by the DCT by October 1st. The earliest submissions dates are typically in early November. Students receive notice of interviews in November and December, and typically attend interviews in December and January. The process culminates on Match Day in February (the day APPIC National Matching Services, Inc. match interns with participating programs). Students must be registered for the internship course (CCP797) during all semesters in which they are active on internship. This is usually only three semesters, but, depending on the internship schedule, may end up requiring four semesters of internship coursework. This course can be taken as a zero-credit course (university fees still apply). Students who wish to be enrolled in a certain number of credits (e.g., for financial aid purposes) can register for 1-3 credit hours of CCP797. Students cannot be on an assistantship with the university during their internship and are not eligible for a Tuition Scholarship. Students should be prepared to pay any tuition costs and fees during that time period.