Psychology, Doctorate in Canada at UOttawa Canada

Program Overview for Psychology, Doctorate in Canada:

The School of Psychology offers graduate programs leading to the degree of Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.). Specializations are offered in Clinical Psychology and Experimental Psychology in the following fields approved by the Ontario Council on Graduate Studies:

• Clinical Psychology
• Social Psychology
• Developmental Psychology
• Cognition
• Behavioral Neurosciences

Only students who intend to complete a doctorate are admitted. Students may be requested to complete the MA program after their first year of enrollment in special circumstances.

The School participates in a collaborative program in Canadian Studies at the Ph.D. level. 

MA - Ph.D. with Specialization in Experimental Psychology

The objective of this program is to train researchers in experimental psychology with an emphasis on one of the following areas: behavioral neurophysiology, psychopharmacology, psychophysiology, human and animal cognition, learning, language, sleep and dreams, social, cognitive, and emotional development, perception, intergroup relations, motivation, and the social psychology of health and work.

MA - Ph.D. with Specialization in Clinical Psychology

The clinical psychology program is fully accredited by the Canadian Psychological Association (CPA). The purpose of this generalist program is to provide doctoral training in the area of clinical psychology. Students are prepared to work with adults and/or children, youth, and families. Professional training includes exposure to cognitive-behavioral, process-experiential, interpersonal, systemic, and community consultation approaches.

Thesis supervisors within the clinical program have expertise in several research areas related to mental health.

These include, but are not limited to, the following: anxiety and affective disorders; child and youth attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder; child behavioral difficulties and child-parent relationships; childhood trauma and trauma-related disorders in children, youth, and adults; psychotherapy process; relationship science and couple therapy; sexuality and sexual health; health psychology and coping with chronic illness; forensic psychology; community psychology; program evaluation; technology and media.

The eligibility for Psychology, Doctorate in Canada for both domestic and international student is:

The normal minimum requirement for admission into either of the two programs (MA - Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology or MA - Ph.D. in Experimental Psychology) is the Honours Bachelor in Psychology, or its equivalent, including Honour's thesis or an equivalent individual research project. In addition, course requirements include a course in History and Systems of Psychology (or its equivalent) and two courses in statistical analysis (or their equivalents).

If these course requirements are not met at admission, the candidates will be required to complete them within the first two years of graduate studies. (For the clinical psychology program, to meet a component of the academic requirements for enrollment with the College of Psychologists of Ontario, a minimum of twenty undergraduate psychology courses is required for admission.)

Each file is assessed to determine whether equivalences will be granted based on courses completed at the master’s level. Candidates for the clinical program with fewer than 21 units of equivalencies will be admitted to the MA level. In comparison, those with 21 or more units of equivalencies will be admitted directly to the Ph.D.

Exceptionally, admission to the Experimental Psychology program is possible based on a four-year Honour's degree in another discipline relevant to Psychology, with a letter of support from the prospective supervisor.

The degree must include a thesis or an equivalent individual research project and the equivalent of at least 36 units (12 one-term courses) in Psychology, including statistics and some research experience.

Note: Students with a strong background in mathematics, physical sciences, biological science, or computer science are encouraged to apply.

Only students who intend to complete the doctorate are admitted. Those holding an Honours Bachelor in Psychology are admitted to the MA program and are permitted to transfer to the Ph.D. after one year, provided their performance in courses and research is satisfactory.

Those already holding a master’s in psychology are admitted directly to the Ph.D. program.

An Admissions Committee examines requests for admission by the admissions policy of the Council of the School of Psychology.

Other Documents:

• Letter of intent
• Resumé
• Additional admission procedure
• Please note that non-required admission documents will not be consulted, conserved, or returned to the student. These documents will be destroyed according to our administrative procedures.

These are the test eligibilities for the Psychology, Doctorate to qualify.

The international student tuition fees and costs for Psychology, Doctorate in Canada.

Applicants may apply to only one psychology program. The admission application must be received no later than December 15th and the file must be complete with all required documents at the latest January 8th. Based on availability in the program, strong applications will continue to be examined and admission scholarships will be available for all eligible candidates.

All students must meet certain second language requirements (in English or in French) in order to obtain their doctoral degree.