Admissions Requirements
The Reiss-Davis Graduate School PsyD program is designed for mental health professionals at all stages of their career and from varied disciplines who aspire to earn a doctoral degree in Psychology. Specific entry requirements include:
- A master’s degree in a mental health field that can lead towards licensure. Students enrolled in the PsyD typically hold one of the following degrees: MA, MS, or MSc in Psychology, School Psychology, Educational Psychology, Clinical Counseling, or Marriage and Family Therapy; MEd; or MSW.
- Some institutions offer relevant degrees with different titles or abbreviations. Potential applicants are encouraged to contact the Admissions Office to verify the appropriateness of your particular master’s degree.
- Admissions interview. Applicants participate in an interview with two members of the faculty and academic administration. The interview, which is conducted virtually, is an opportunity for applicants and Reiss-Davis staff to meet each other and assess the fit between the candidate’s interests and goals and the doctoral program’s curriculum and format.
- English-language proficiency. All courses and educational activities associated with the PsyD are conducted in English. English language remediation services and/or language-specific translation materials are not provided. As a consequence, applicants will be asked to demonstrate a level of written and spoken language skills appropriate to doctoral learning. This typically occurs through the admissions essay and interview.
- All international applicants must demonstrate proficiency in English through the completion of an English-language master’s degree or passing TOEFL test scores. Students who hold degrees from institutions outside the United States will be asked to submit a credential evaluation from an agency recognized by the National Association of Credential Evaluation Services (NACES).
Transfer Credit Policy
The Transfer Credit Policy is part of the Reiss-Davis Graduate School admission requirements and procedures. RDGS uses the following criteria in determining whether academic credit is transferable to the PsyD program:
Applicants are encouraged to indicate their intention to request transfer credit at the time of application to the PsyD, but in all cases the official request must be completed within the first term of matriculation. Students apply to the Registrar’s Office for transfer credits by submitting:
The review of transfer credit requests must meet the expectations of the Dean and advising faculty who are familiar with the content of each course under consideration. There is no cost to the student for this process. Transfer of academic coursework taken after the student has matriculated in the PsyD is not permitted without prior approval of the Dean and Registrar. The student must complete and submit the Transfer Credit Request Form prior to enrolling in coursework at another institution. The criteria for review of possible transfer credit are identical to those for coursework taken prior to matriculation with the additional provision that students must be in good academic standing in the Reiss-Davis program at the time of the request.
In no case may students transfer in more than 24 quarter units (or the equivalent) either through coursework completed prior to or concurrent with enrollment at RDGS towards the completion of the 104 units of the PsyD. Dissertation development classes cannot be transferred. Academic units used to fulfill the requirements of an earned degree may not transfer to the RDGS PsyD.
Students who receive transfer credit for one or more courses may, as a result, register for less than a full course load during the term when the equivalent course(s) are offered. This may affect students’ full-time status and financial aid (both scholarship and external grants and loans). RDGS will make reasonable efforts to assist students, but it should be noted that the program operates on a cohort model. In general, students are expected to enroll in all courses in a given term for their particular cohort.
- Doctoral level credits may be accepted for transfer to the RDGS program if earned from an institution of higher education accredited by a regional or national accrediting agency recognized by the United States Department of Education.
- The courses requested for credit review must support the PsyD program and fulfill similar learning objectives of an existing course as determined by the Dean or faculty designee.
- To be considered for transfer credit, the transferring course must have been completed with a grade of “B” or better. (Coursework completed at an institution with pass/fail grading will be required to present information from the catalog or transcript that passing is equivalent to a letter grade of “B” or better.) Grades below a “B,” such as a “B-,” do not meet this criterion.
- Transfer credit is awarded for academic coursework completed no more than 10 years prior to student matriculation in the PsyD.
Applicants are encouraged to indicate their intention to request transfer credit at the time of application to the PsyD, but in all cases the official request must be completed within the first term of matriculation. Students apply to the Registrar’s Office for transfer credits by submitting:
- Transfer Credit Request Form as part of the application process,
- An official transcript(s) stating the course(s) to be considered and grade(s) received, and
- An official course description, which may be obtained from the university’s catalog or website. It is preferred, but not required, that a syllabus of the course accompany the request form.
The review of transfer credit requests must meet the expectations of the Dean and advising faculty who are familiar with the content of each course under consideration. There is no cost to the student for this process. Transfer of academic coursework taken after the student has matriculated in the PsyD is not permitted without prior approval of the Dean and Registrar. The student must complete and submit the Transfer Credit Request Form prior to enrolling in coursework at another institution. The criteria for review of possible transfer credit are identical to those for coursework taken prior to matriculation with the additional provision that students must be in good academic standing in the Reiss-Davis program at the time of the request.
In no case may students transfer in more than 24 quarter units (or the equivalent) either through coursework completed prior to or concurrent with enrollment at RDGS towards the completion of the 104 units of the PsyD. Dissertation development classes cannot be transferred. Academic units used to fulfill the requirements of an earned degree may not transfer to the RDGS PsyD.
Students who receive transfer credit for one or more courses may, as a result, register for less than a full course load during the term when the equivalent course(s) are offered. This may affect students’ full-time status and financial aid (both scholarship and external grants and loans). RDGS will make reasonable efforts to assist students, but it should be noted that the program operates on a cohort model. In general, students are expected to enroll in all courses in a given term for their particular cohort.
TRANSFERABILITY OF CREDITS EARNED AT THE REISS-DAVIS GRADUATE SCHOOL
NOTICE CONCERNING TRANSFERABILITY OF CREDITS AND CREDENTIALS EARNED AT OUR INSTITUTION
The transferability of credits earned at the Reiss-Davis Graduate School is at the discretion of the institution to which students may seek to transfer. Acceptance of the credits earned at the Reiss-Davis Graduate School are at the discretion of the institution to which students may seek to transfer. If the credits earned at the Reiss-Davis Graduate School are not accepted at the institution to which students seek to transfer, they may be required to repeat some or all the coursework at that institution.
The transferability of credits earned at the Reiss-Davis Graduate School is at the discretion of the institution to which students may seek to transfer. Acceptance of the credits earned at the Reiss-Davis Graduate School are at the discretion of the institution to which students may seek to transfer. If the credits earned at the Reiss-Davis Graduate School are not accepted at the institution to which students seek to transfer, they may be required to repeat some or all the coursework at that institution.
EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING POLICY
Due to the unique nature of the Reiss-Davis Graduate School's program and curriculum, its intensity, and the importance of continuity, it is the practice of the Reiss-Davis Graduate School that no credit towards completion of our degree program will be granted for prior experiential learning.
