Doctoral Student Resources

The Psychology Department at Suffolk University offers an array of resources to inform and help students at the doctoral level.

Program Documents

Program documents have been made available for download. Unless indicated, all documents are either in PDF or Microsoft Word format and are under 50 KB. Copies of all clinical doctoral program forms can be found in the appendix of the Clinical Doctoral Psychology Program Manual. Downloadable versions of these forms can be found on the Psychology Departmental Doctoral Program Canvas page.

Change Notice

The rules, regulations, policies, fees and other charges, courses of study, and academic requirements that appear in the Doctoral Program Documents were in effect at the time of publication. They are published for informational purposes only, and they do not constitute a contract between the Psychology Department/the University and any student, applicant for admission, or other persons.

Teaching Apprentice Program

The Psychology Department offers teaching certification for students currently enrolled in the Clinical Psychology Ph.D. program at Suffolk University. The Graduate Teaching Certification Program will make use of multiple teaching training opportunities. A Graduate Teaching Certificate will be made available to students, depending upon their engagement and interest in teaching training.

Teaching Apprenticeship Program Goals

  1. To prepare graduate students for a career in college-level teaching.
  2. To teach students how to critically examine their own teaching, and make effective adaptations to their teaching and courses to meet student needs.
  3. To build strong teaching skills through mentored teaching experiences in undergraduate classes.
  4. To have students design and execute a well-conceived undergraduate course in Psychology. (Advanced Level only)
  5. To complete a thoughtful Teaching Portfolio in support of the student’s own career. (Advanced Level only)

Teaching Apprenticeship Program Elements

To support each of the program goals above, the Teaching Apprenticeship Program will:

  1. Provide one year (two-semesters) of mentored teaching training, through the TA program, coursework, and CTSE workshops. For Graduate Teaching Certification, mentorship will continue while teaching an undergraduate psychology course.
  2. Seek and respond to student’s self-reflections on teaching via TA program surveys and faculty mentorship. For students pursuing Graduate Teaching Certification, mentorship will also occur in the Teaching of Psychology course.
  3. Offer the Teaching of Psychology elective for students in their 2nd or 3rd years of the program as an elective course, including in-classroom teaching observations in a General Psychology course. Successful completion of the course will include selecting text and designing a syllabus for an introductory-level psychology course. The faculty teaching the course provides mentorship and review of all materials generated by the student, as well as a written teaching evaluation for each student. Students also receive mentored opportunities for lecturing each semester during the TA program, and support while teaching their own course for the Advanced Level certificate.
  4. The Psychology Department and CTSE will provide materials, examples and workshops on how to build the teaching portfolio. The Director of Teaching Training and Inclusivity will also review the finished portfolio, offering suggestions for revision.

Program requirements include:

  • Successful completion of the two-semester Teaching Apprenticeship program in year 1
  • Attendance and participation in at least 3 teaching workshops offered by the Center for Teaching Excellence
  • Engage in at least 1 "lecture-like" experience (e.g. lecture, workshop, active learning session, other independent teaching moment)

Graduate Teaching Certification requirements include:

All of the above, plus:

  • Taking and completing the course the Teaching of Psychology (Psych 772)
  • • Teaching at least one undergraduate course as a Graduate Student Lecturer either in the Psychology Department at Suffolk University or at another institution
  • Submission of a Teaching Portfolio to the department (for review by the Director of Teaching Training and Inclusivity) upon completion of the Graduate Student Lecturer position

Students seeking the Graduate Teaching Certification may find more information on the creation of a Teaching Portfolio at the Center for Teaching & Scholarly Excellence website.

To apply for the teaching certification, please fill out the appropriate forms found on the Doctoral Program Resources Canvas page. The completed forms should be submitted directly to the Program Coordinator for the Psychology Department.

Links

Suffolk Resources

Clinical Training Resources