UMD Clinical Psychology PhD Program Guide 2026

UMD Clinical Psychology PhD Program Overview

The University of Maryland Department of Psychology operates one of the nation’s most established doctoral programs in clinical psychology. Continuously APA-accredited since 1963, the program holds the distinction of being among the longest-accredited clinical psychology doctoral programs in the United States, reflecting decades of sustained excellence in training clinical scientists.

The program operates on a clinical science model, meaning that research and evidence-based practice are deeply integrated throughout the training sequence. Students are expected not merely to consume research but to actively produce it — presenting at conferences, publishing in peer-reviewed journals, and conducting clinically relevant research from their first year through dissertation completion. This model is formalized through the program’s membership in the Academy of Psychological Clinical Science and its additional PCSAS accreditation (since 2017).

UMD’s Clinical Psychology PhD is a full-time, 12-month program. Unlike many graduate programs that operate on an academic calendar, clinical and research obligations extend through the full calendar year, including summers and university breaks. This year-round commitment reflects the reality of clinical training and research productivity, preparing students for careers where professional responsibilities do not pause for holidays. Students exploring other psychology doctoral programs may also find our University of Illinois PhD in Psychology Guide valuable for comparison.

Program Structure and Research Milestones

The UMD Clinical Psychology PhD is organized around a carefully sequenced set of research and clinical milestones that structure the student’s progression from entering graduate student to independent clinical scientist. Each milestone must be completed before advancing to the next stage, ensuring that students build competencies systematically.

The milestone sequence begins with establishing research competence — a formal requirement that demonstrates the student’s ability to conduct independent research. This is followed by the Master’s thesis, which requires both a proposal stage and a defense stage, with the student’s primary mentor serving as committee chair. The Master’s thesis committee must include the mentor plus at least one additional Clinical Faculty member and one other departmental faculty member.

After the Master’s thesis, students face the Qualifying Examination, known at UMD as the Transition to Independence and Expertise (TIE) Project. The TIE represents a unique approach to the qualifying exam that emphasizes the student’s transition from supervised researcher to emerging independent scholar. Successful completion leads to admission to doctoral candidacy, after which students pursue their dissertation research and defense.

Throughout this research trajectory, students must submit a Clinical PhD Curriculum Worksheet and Cumulative and Annual Student Report Form with an updated CV by August 30 each year. This annual tracking system ensures that both students and faculty maintain clear visibility on progress, identifying potential delays early enough to address them.

Clinical Training and On-Campus Practicum

Clinical training at UMD follows a progressive model that begins with intensive supervised work in the on-campus Psychology Clinic and gradually expands to external settings as students demonstrate competence. During approximately the first three years, students complete required practica in the Psychology Clinic under direct Clinical Faculty supervision through PSYC 629 Clinical Laboratory courses.

The Psychology Clinic, directed by Dr. M. Colleen Byrne, serves as the primary training site where students develop foundational clinical skills in assessment, diagnosis, and evidence-based intervention. The clinic provides a controlled environment where faculty can directly observe and shape clinical competencies, ensuring that students meet the rigorous standards expected of a clinical science program.

Students are expected to maintain active engagement with the Clinic throughout their enrollment in clinical practicum courses. This includes checking clinic mailboxes weekly when registered for Clinical Lab or actively seeing clients, and understanding that the Clinic typically follows the university calendar for closures during holidays and inclement weather. The year-round nature of the program means clinical responsibilities extend beyond the traditional academic semester.

The internal practicum structure provides a critical foundation for later external placements. Students must demonstrate competence in the Psychology Clinic and complete their Master’s thesis defense and research competence requirements before they become eligible for external practica, typically in years four and five of the program. This progression ensures that students bring strong clinical skills and research sophistication to their externship experiences.

External Practicum and Predoctoral Internship

After establishing clinical competence through internal practica, UMD Clinical Psychology PhD students advance to external practicum placements (externships) at approved off-campus clinical sites. These externships typically occur in years four and five and must be approved through a formal application process outlined in the program’s Externship Application Guide.

External practicum sites must meet specific criteria established by the program, ensuring that the training quality and supervision standards align with UMD’s clinical science orientation. The externship selection involves a structured timeline and application steps, with exceptions to the typical Year 4-5 timing requiring explicit approval from the Director of Clinical Training (DCT). Students interested in placements at Veterans Affairs (VA) Medical Centers must consult additional program guidance, as VA sites have specific requirements and procedures.

The program culminates with the predoctoral internship — a required milestone completed through the APPIC (Association of Psychology Postdoctoral and Internship Centers) match system. The internship year represents the final stage of clinical training where students function with increasing independence under the supervision of licensed psychologists at accredited internship sites across the country.

Students should plan their financial obligations carefully for the internship year, as they are required to pay tuition and fees during this period. The program handbook emphasizes proactive planning for internship-year costs, including exploring options for funding support and understanding the timeline for applications, interviews, and the match process. For students also considering clinical programs at other research-intensive universities, our Duke University PhD Genetics and Genomics Guide illustrates how another top program structures its doctoral training.

Faculty Research Areas and Mentoring Model

The UMD Clinical Psychology faculty conduct research across a diverse range of clinically relevant areas, each bringing methodological sophistication and translational impact to their work. Students are matched with a primary research mentor early in the program — often during the application and interview process — and this mentor serves as committee chair for both the Master’s thesis and doctoral dissertation.

Neurophysiology and Cognitive Processes

Dr. Edward Bernat specializes in EEG/MEG methods and time-frequency decomposition, investigating the neural mechanisms underlying cognitive and affective processes related to impulsivity, substance use, antisocial behavior, and psychopathy. His work integrates neuroimaging approaches with behavioral measures to advance understanding of clinical conditions at the neural level.

Psychotic Disorders and Assessment

Dr. Jack J. Blanchard’s research program focuses on the psychopathology of schizophrenia and other psychotic disorders, with particular emphasis on emotion, interpersonal behavior, and affiliative deficits. His work employs fMRI and behavioral correlates to understand the mechanisms underlying paranoia and social withdrawal, with implications for clinical assessment and intervention development.

ADHD Across the Lifespan

Dr. Andrea Chronis-Tuscano directs the Maryland ADHD Program and the SUCCEEDS College ADHD Clinic, investigating early predictors and developmental outcomes in children with ADHD. Her research examines parent factors including maternal psychopathology, and develops innovative intervention delivery models in schools, pediatric settings, and through telehealth platforms.

Clinical Assessment Methodology

Dr. Andres De Los Reyes’s research on informant discrepancies in mental health research addresses a fundamental challenge in psychological assessment — how to integrate information from multiple informants (parents, teachers, clinicians, the patient themselves) when their reports diverge. His work on adolescent social anxiety and family relationships advances both methodological and clinical understanding.

The mentoring model is structured and formalized. Each student works closely with their primary mentor from admission through graduation. The doctoral committee must include the mentor plus at least one additional Clinical Faculty member and one other departmental faculty member, ensuring multiple perspectives on the student’s research development. Students submit annual progress reports that are reviewed by the Graduate Education Committee, providing systematic oversight of the mentoring relationship.

Funding, Assistantships, and Fellowships

The UMD Clinical Psychology PhD provides departmental funding for the first five years, covering stipend and tuition support. This commitment is contingent on good academic standing and timely progress through program milestones. After year five, students become responsible for their own tuition and fees, creating a clear incentive for efficient progression through the degree requirements.

Funding comes through multiple mechanisms. Teaching Assistantships (TAs) provide a full stipend plus tuition remission and typically involve approximately ten hours per week of teaching-related duties. Research Assistantships (RAs) vary depending on faculty grant funding and may or may not include tuition remission and benefits. Department Fellowships are competitive awards that can provide tuition remission and stipend for up to two years.

The program actively encourages students to pursue external fellowship funding from sources including NIH (particularly NRSA fellowships), NSF Graduate Research Fellowships, and APA Minority Fellowships. The handbook provides detailed guidance on how external fellowships interact with departmental funding, noting that NRSA tuition caps may cover only approximately 60% of tuition, with the Graduate School covering the remaining 40% during fall and spring semesters.

Additional financial resources include the Jacob K. Goldhaber Travel Grant, the International Conference Student Support Award (ICSSA), and Ann G. Wylie Dissertation Fellowships through the Graduate School. Small training support requests of up to $400 are also available for clinical science training activities such as outside workshops, requiring approval from both the student’s mentor and the DCT.

APA and PCSAS Accreditation

The UMD Clinical Psychology PhD program holds dual accreditation — a distinction that signals its standing at the highest levels of clinical psychology education. The program’s APA accreditation dates to 1963, representing over six decades of continuous recognition by the field’s primary accrediting body, the American Psychological Association‘s Office of Program Consultation and Accreditation.

The program’s additional PCSAS (Psychological Clinical Science Accreditation System) accreditation, obtained in 2017, specifically recognizes the program’s commitment to the clinical science training model. PCSAS accreditation evaluates programs on their integration of psychological science into clinical training, the research productivity of faculty and students, and the placement of graduates in positions that emphasize clinical science. This dual accreditation positions UMD among an elite group of clinical psychology programs nationally.

Membership in the Academy of Psychological Clinical Science further underscores the program’s orientation toward producing graduates who advance the science of clinical psychology. This affiliation connects students to a network of programs and training sites that share the clinical science philosophy, facilitating externship and internship placements at like-minded institutions.

Qualifying Exam and Dissertation Process

The Qualifying Examination at UMD is structured as the Transition to Independence and Expertise (TIE) Project — a format that reflects the program’s emphasis on developing independent clinical scientists rather than simply testing accumulated knowledge. The TIE requires students to demonstrate their capacity for independent scholarly work that integrates research methodology with clinical significance.

Successful completion of the TIE leads to admission to doctoral candidacy, a formal milestone that requires specific Graduate School paperwork and represents the student’s transition from pre-candidate to candidate status. Post-candidacy, students focus primarily on their dissertation research while continuing clinical training activities.

The dissertation committee composition follows the same structure as the Master’s thesis committee: the primary mentor serves as chair, with at least one additional Clinical Faculty member and one other departmental faculty member. The dissertation must represent an original contribution to clinical science, reflecting the program’s emphasis on research that advances both theoretical understanding and clinical application.

Students who encounter delays or challenges can take advantage of support mechanisms including consultation with the DCT and their mentor. The program’s annual review process helps identify students who may be falling behind milestones, allowing for early intervention and support planning. For comparison with how other doctoral programs structure their qualifying and dissertation processes, see our guide to Boston University’s PhD in Bioinformatics.

Career Outcomes and Professional Development

The UMD Clinical Psychology PhD program prepares graduates for careers that integrate clinical science research with evidence-based practice. The clinical science training model produces graduates equipped for academic positions at research universities, research scientist positions at government agencies and research institutes, clinical practice informed by the latest evidence, and hybrid roles that combine research, teaching, and clinical work.

The predoctoral internship experience provides the final intensive clinical training needed for licensure as a psychologist. Through the APPIC match system, students secure internship placements at accredited sites across the country, including academic medical centers, VA hospitals, community mental health centers, and specialty clinics. The program’s dual APA and PCSAS accreditation and its strong research reputation position students competitively for the most sought-after internship sites.

Professional development is embedded throughout the training sequence. The teaching assistantship requirement builds pedagogical skills valued by academic institutions. Research presentations at conferences, supported by departmental and Graduate School travel funding, develop the communication and networking skills essential for academic careers. The structured mentoring model ensures that career planning discussions occur regularly throughout the student’s training.

The program’s proximity to Washington, D.C. provides unique career-related opportunities, including connections to NIH, NIMH, and other federal agencies that employ clinical psychologists in research and policy roles. The concentration of policy organizations, advocacy groups, and national professional associations in the DC area means that UMD students have access to career pathways that are difficult to replicate at programs in other locations.

Student Support and Program Resources

The UMD Clinical Psychology PhD program provides comprehensive administrative and academic support through the Graduate Studies Office, accessible via PSYCPhD@umd.edu. The program maintains an organized system of forms and procedures for every milestone — from research competence evaluation to committee nominations to examination reports — ensuring transparency and consistency in program administration.

Health insurance coverage is mandatory for all full-time graduate students at UMD, providing a safety net that supports student wellbeing during the demanding years of clinical training. International students receive additional support through International Student and Scholar Services (ISSS) for visa requirements and related matters.

The program’s leave policies reflect awareness that doctoral training spans many years and that life events occur during this period. Students may request leaves of absence for up to two semesters for circumstances including childbearing, adoption, illness, or dependent care, with leave time excluded from degree completion deadlines. The parental accommodation policy provides up to 12 weeks total (6 from the Graduate School plus 6 from the department) while maintaining full-time registered status and eligibility for student benefits.

The broader University of Maryland campus provides additional resources including extensive library holdings, computing facilities, health services, and professional development programming through the Graduate School. The TerpTax free tax preparation service helps students navigate the tax implications of their funding packages, which can be complex when combining stipends, fellowships, and external awards.