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Academic Catalog 2024-2025

Program Specific Policies

Return to: Academic Policies and Procedures  

 

Academic Progress Requirements - School of Psychology Doctoral Programs & RCP

Students in the doctoral/postdoctoral programs in the School of Psychology are reviewed annually to ensure program requirements are being met in a timely manner. There are two cycles of annual review, which are based on the time of year the student entered their program. The deadlines are fixed and no extensions will be granted.

IECD PhD Requirements for Students in their First Year

Students matriculating into the IECD PhD program must complete the following in their first year:

  • IECD-519 Doctoral Level Competencies, 4 semester credits
  • IECD-520 Human Development, 4 semester credits
  • IECD-521 Infant Mental Health, 4 semester credits
  • IECD-537 Research and Design, 4 semester credits
  • IECD-580 Developmental, Individual Differences, Relationships, 4 semester credits

IECD students must successfully complete the required first year curriculum by the end of their first review year. Students who do not successfully complete the NSO, and first year curriculum will be placed on academic probation for the following year and clear objectives and timelines will be set. If at the subsequent review, the outlined objectives and timelines have not been met, the student will be withdrawn from the program.

Media Psychology PhD Requirements for Students in their First and Second Years

Students matriculating into the media psychology program must complete the following in their first year:

Media students must successfully complete the required first year curriculum by the end of their first review year. Media students who do not successfully complete the NSO, first year curriculum and meet the minimum required units will be placed on academic probation for the following year and clear objectives and timelines are set. If at the subsequent review, the outlined objectives and timelines have not been met, the student will be withdrawn.

It is recommended that Media students follow the suggested curriculum sequence provided by the program and the Office of Student Advising, and not deviate from it without careful consultation with either/both their Faculty Advisor or Graduate Program Advisor.

Clinical Psychology PhD Requirements for Students in Their First and Second Years

Students who matriculated into the clinical psychology program Fall 2018 or after must complete the following 38 credits in their first year:

Clinical students must successfully complete the required first year curriculum (coursework and activities) by the end of their first year of enrollment. Clinical students who do not successfully complete the NSO-Santa Barbara and the first year curriculum will be dismissed from the program.

Students who matriculated into the clinical psychology program must complete the following 48 credits in their second year:

Clinical students must successfully complete the required second year curriculum (coursework and activities) by the end of their second year of enrollment. Students who do not successfully complete the second year curriculum will be placed on academic probation. If second year requirements are not successfully completed after one additional term, the student will be dismissed from the program.

After the second year, we highly recommend that students follow the model curriculum sequence provided by the program, and not deviate from it without careful consultation with either/both their Faculty Advisor or Graduate Program Advisor. Deviations from the model curriculum sequence may impact a student’s ability to start certain aspects of the program on time due to required pre-requisites, and thus negatively affect the student’s length of study. Please see the Time to Degree policy .

Spring Annual Review - Clinical/RCP/Media Students Entered at March or May Orientation

  • Review period: May 1 to April 30 of following year
  • Review terms: Summer, Fall, Spring respectively as shown on student’s tracking sheet/transcript

Fall Annual Review - Clinical/RCP/Media Students Entered at September Orientation

  • Review period: September 1 to August 31 of following year
  • Review terms: Fall, Spring, Summer respectively as shown on student’s tracking sheet/transcript

All students will receive an email letter with the results of the annual program review. Students who have met or exceeded the annual program requirements will receive a congratulatory email letter with instructions on completing the one-page Annual Student Progress Report. It is due to the Santa Barbara office 45 days from the date the letter was sent.

Students who do not meet minimum SAP requirements for an academic year will be required to complete a one-year Progress Improvement Plan (PIP) and must complete the minimum requirements (in addition to any new requirements) by the following year’s review deadline. The link to the PIP form is provided in the SAP email notification. The form must be completed by the student, then reviewed and approved by the student’s faculty advisor, and the Director of Advising or the Director of Clinical Training for Clinical Psychology students. The PIP is due to the Santa Barbara office by the deadline on the SAP notification message.  Failure to provide a PIP within the required time frame will be grounds for dismissal.  

Students who do not complete their PIP as written, and/or do not regain SAP status at the time of their next review, at the discretion of the school, may be given another opportunity to demonstrate they can achieve satisfactory progress with an additional PIP for one year. Students must complete a new PIP form and receive approval from their faculty advisor and the Director of Advising (The Director of Clinical Training approves plans for Clinical Psychology students). The PIP is due to the Santa Barbara office by the deadline on the SAP notification message or 20 days after the notification, whichever is later.  Failure to provide a PIP within the required time frame will be grounds for dismissal.  

If a student is unable to make SAP a third year in a row, they will be withdrawn from the program for lack of academic progress. The withdrawal decision is not subject to appeal.

Policy Revised 05/01/2021

 

 

Changing Degree Track - HOD

Students in the Human & Organizational Development doctoral program choose from one of two degree designation tracks upon matriculation: Human Development, or Organizational Development & Change [formerly Human & Organizational Systems]. Each track has a master’s degree credential earned along the way to the conclusion of the PhD. Pathway master’s requirements for each track can be viewed in the catalog and in the student’s degree audit online.

Upon matriculation it is assumed the student’s chosen master degree designation is the same as the PhD designation they have chosen. However, students may choose different designations at the master’s level versus the one they have chosen for the PhD level. The student may change the master’s degree designation prior to the master’s degree being conferred or 10 business days after being notified by the Registrar’s office that it has been conferred. Ten business days after the master’s conferral, this change can no longer be made.

Students on catalog year 2013 or later, or students on earlier catalogs who choose to do a Dissertation Seminar as an elective, must finalize their doctoral degree designation as either Human Development or Organizational Development & Change [Human & Organizational Systems for catalogs prior to Fall 2016] prior to registering for the Dissertation Seminar associated with that designation. All other students may make that change prior to PhD degree conferral.

Policy Revised 09/01/2022

 

 

First-Year Student Leaves of Absence - CLIN PSY

The School of Psychology does not grant leaves of absence to clinical psychology doctoral students until they complete their first term of enrollment. If a student’s circumstances require time away from the doctoral program during this period, the student must withdraw from the program. The student may reapply for reenrollment to the program, however reenrollment is not guaranteed.

Clinical psychology doctoral students in the second or third term of the first year are discouraged from taking a leave of absence. However, if extraordinary circumstances arise (e.g., a significant change in health, family, or finances), a student may take a leave.

Students should contact their Graduate Program Advisor in the Office of Student Advising for assistance with leaves of absence or withdrawal and re-enrollment policies/procedures.

Policy Revised 11/01/2015

 

 

Licensure - CLIN PSY

The Clinical Psychology PhD program curriculum is designed to be consistent with APA accreditation guidelines. The postdoctoral Respecialization Certificate program curriculum is a subset of the Clinical Psychology curriculum. Requirements for licensure usually are similar to APA accreditation guidelines. For specific information about whether either program’s curriculum meets licensure standards in each U.S. state, see our published information at: https://www.fielding.edu/about/professional-licensure/

Please note that Clinical Psychology students may not advertise themselves as psychologists (in the yellow pages, on business cards, or otherwise make public statements offering services) until they have received their license.

Other Fielding programs are not intended or designed to meet licensure requirements in any specific field or profession.

Location Definitions for Disclosure Purposes

Institutions are required to determine the states in which its students and prospective students are located for the purpose of disclosing state-specific professional licensure information. The University has established the following student location policy:

  • For enrolled students, location is the state where a student resides and is based on the current home/residential address entered into the University’s Colleague student information system as submitted by the student (via WebAdvisor Self-Service).
  • For prospective students, location is the state of the applicant’s residency at the time the applicant applied for admission. The state of residency is disclosed by the applicant and entered into the University’s customer relationship management system (Salesforce).
  • For students whose residential address does not include a U.S. State or territory (e.g., students living outside the United States), location will be considered the state of California.

The student location designation will remain in effect unless and until a student changes the U.S. state or territory listed in the student’s residential address using the online WebAdvisor Self-Service portal. Once a student enters a new U.S. State or territory, the University will consider that date of entry as the effective date of a student’s revised location for the purposes of this policy.

Policy Revised 09/01/2024

 

 

Rewrite and Dismissal Policy: School of Psychology Doctoral Programs

Rewrite Policy: IECD/PSY Courses

A faculty member teaching an IECD/PSY prefix course who determines that a student’s initial assignment submission is not acceptable at the doctoral/postdoctoral level may afford that student one opportunity to revise and resubmit when feasible. The syllabus for the course will specify assignments for which a re-write is/is not permissible.

The faculty member will assign an associated failing letter (‘C’ or ‘F’) grade to work that remains unacceptable after revision. As with all assessments, the faculty member will provide written feedback on the student’s performance. If the grading of such assignments leads to a failing grade in the course overall, and the course was a required course, the student will need to retake the course.

Consequences of Failing Multiple Courses

Clinical PhD Program

Academic Remediation Plan (ARP) and Letter of Concern:

  • A student who receives two or more ‘NC’s (No Credit) in required courses OR two or more ‘C’s, ‘F’s (Failing; competence has not been demonstrated), or ‘NC’s (No Credit) in electives would create an Academic Remediation Plan (ARP) with their faculty advisor and with support from the Graduate Program Advisor. The Program Director will initiate the process. Program leadership (the Program Director or DCT) will approve and monitor the plan. 

Program Dismissal:

  • A student who receives two ‘C’ or ‘F‘  grades in the same course or in two different required courses, will be dismissed from the program.
  • Students for whom multiple failing grades results in a grade point average (GPA) lower than 3.0 will be dismissed from the program. GPAs will be reviewed each term. In addition, students whose GPA falls below 3.2 will receive warning letters regarding the potential for dismissal should their GPA fall below 3.0

IECD PhD Program

Academic Remediation Plan (ARP) and Letter of Concern:

  • A student who receives an ‘NC’ (No Credit) or failing letter grade (‘C’ or ‘F’) in any required course, or receives two ‘B’s in required coursework, must create an Academic Remediation Plan (ARP) with their faculty advisor and with support from the Graduate Program Advisor. The Program Director will initiate the process and approve the plan once developed. The faculty advisor will monitor the plan in coordination with the student. 
  • A student whose grade point average (GPA) falls below 3.2 will receive a letter of concern regarding the potential for dismissal should their GPA fall below 3.0. For students who receive a letter, their GPA will be reviewed each term until their GPA is above 3.2.

Program Dismissal:

The following are grounds for dismissal:

  • Receiving two or more failing grades (‘NC’, ‘C’ or ‘F’) grades in the same required course or in two different required courses
  • A grade point average of lower than 3.0
  • Failure to complete a required Academic Remediation Plan

Media PhD Program

Supplemental Academic Skills Development Plan:

A student whose skills are deemed to be in need of development based on a combination of Certificate of Completion forms, course grades and review of the Student Success Committee will be required to develop, in collaboration with their Faculty Advisor, a Supplemental Academic Skills Development Plan.  The plan may consist of such activities as seeking assistance from a Writing Coach, taking a Writing course, completing specific RSS courses, and re-taking required or elective courses and will require a timeline for completion.  The Program Director will initiate the process. The Faculty Advisor will document the plan and provide copies to the student, the Graduate Program Advisor, and the Program Director.  The student will be responsible for fulfilling the plan requirements in the timeline specified in the plan and documenting that the plan has been completed.  Once the requirements of the plan are fulfilled, the student will send evidence of the plan completion to the Faculty Advisor.  If the Faculty Advisor agrees that the requirements have been met, the Faculty Advisor will send the evidence of completion along with a note or approval to the Graduate Program Advisor and Program Director.

Program Dismissal:

The following are grounds for dismissal:

  • Receiving two failing grades (‘NC’, ‘C’ or ‘F’) grades in the same course or in two different required courses
  • A grade point average of lower than 3.0
  • Failure to complete a required Supplemental Academic Skills Development Plan

Psychology PhD Program

Academic Remediation Plan (ARP) and Letter of Concern:

  • A student who receives an ‘NC’ (No Credit) or failing letter grade (‘C’ or ‘F’) in any course, or receives two ‘B’s in required coursework, must create an Academic Remediation Plan (ARP) with their faculty advisor and with support from the Graduate Program Advisor. The Program Director will initiate the process and approve the plan once developed. The plan may consist of such activities as seeking assistance from a Writing Coach, taking a Writing course, an assigned course for remediation purposes, and re-taking required or elective courses and will require a timeline for completion. The faculty advisor will monitor the plan in coordination with the student. If the Faculty Advisor agrees that the requirements have been met, the Faculty Advisor will send the evidence of completion along with a note or approval to the Graduate Program Advisor and Program Director.
  • A student whose grade point average (GPA) falls below 3.2 will receive a letter of concern regarding the potential for dismissal should their GPA fall below 3.0. For students who receive a letter, their GPA will be reviewed each term until their GPA is above 3.2.

Program Dismissal:

The following are grounds for dismissal:

  • Receiving two failing grades (‘NC’, ‘C’ or ‘F’) grades in the same course or in two different courses
  • A grade point average of lower than 3.0
  • Failure to complete a required Academic Remediation Plan

Readmission Conditions - All School of Psychology Doctoral Programs:

A student who has been dismissed under this policy may apply for readmission. A reapplication under these circumstances must clearly document (using external, objective sources), those events or situations that directly affected the student’s academic performance and how those have been resolved. Students may be required to complete additional coursework or meet specified criteria in order to be readmitted. Readmitting students may be placed on a Progress Improvement Plan (PIP) for one term. Readmission is not automatic.

Policy Revised 04/01/2024

 

 

Students who Relocate Geographically - CLIN PSY

For doctoral/postdoctoral students who relocate geographically while in the School of Psychology clinical programs, the program will make every effort, but cannot guarantee, to offer them a place in the professional development seminar location nearest to where they live. Students may only join a professional development seminar location with the permission of the location’s faculty advisor.

Policy Effective 05/01/2018