Marshall University’s Psy.D. program is ranked 38th nationally among 77 American Psychological Association (APA)-accredited Psy.D. programs, according to the Best Counseling Degrees website, Dr. Keith Beard, director, has announced.
“We are very pleased with our ranking,” Beard said. “Since the rankings were based on performance by our current students and alumni, it speaks to the impressive quality of students we have and have had in the Psy.D. program. We are also very proud of our faculty, supervisors and staff. They have played a significant part in training our students and this ranking speaks to their dedication to Marshall University and the doctoral program.”
The Psy.D. program admitted the first class in 2002 and was accredited by the American Psychological Association in 2006. “To be as ‘young’ of a program and to be ranked so well is a major accomplishment,” Beard said.
The ranking was based on the program’s pass rate on the Examination for Professional Practice in Psychology (EPPP), internship match rate, completion rate and cost of the program. The EPPP, the national licensing exam for the field, is overseen by The Association of State and Provincial Psychology Boards. All psychologists must take and pass this exam as part of the licensing process, much like a lawyer must pass the bar exam.
Marshall has an EPPP pass rate of 67.74 percent. Its students who obtained APA/CPA Accredited Internship is 48.29 percent and its licensure rate is 84 percent.
The primary objective of Marshall’s program is to prepare doctoral-level professional psychologists to develop, provide, supervise and evaluate high quality mental health services for citizens of rural and other under-served communities. Through coursework, extensive field training and research experience, Marshall is preparing highly skilled generalists who are sensitive to the psychological and health-related issues confronting this area and are prepared to serve the communities in this region.
“It’s nice to be recognized,” Beard said. “Congrats to all current and past students, staff, supervisors, and faculty who have made the program the success it is.”
