Doctor of Philosophy in School & Clinical Child Psychology
Doctor of Philosophy in School & Clinical Child Psychology Overview
Supporting mental health and well-being throughout the lifespan
Pursue professional training in psychological assessment, therapy and other psychosocial and instructional interventions, professional consultation and prevention.
The PhD in School and Clinical Child Psychology (SCCP) program continues the training provided in the MA program. Find a career working with children, adolescents and families in school, mental health, private practice and research settings.
The PhD is intended to meet the academic requirements of the College of Psychologists of Ontario (CPO) for registration as a Psychologist.
As well as course work this program includes 91±¬ÁÏ Psychology Clinic placements; a 500-hour field-based external practicum; 1600 hour internship; thesis; and clinical training under supervision of licensed psychologists.
For detailed information about this program, please consult the
Each year the Department of Applied Psychology and Human Development only accepts into its doctoral programs, one international student who is not a Canadian citizen or permanent resident of Canada. This applicant must have a Master degree by the time of registration into the doctoral program. Although we typically admit international students to the Developmental Psychology and Education doctoral program, the Clinical and Counselling and School and Clinical Child Psychology Programs may on occasion accept an international doctoral student where the student has a Master’s degree that meets the admissions requirements.
Under very special circumstances, the department will accept an international student into the Developmental Psychology and Education doctoral program as a Flex PhD student with the approval of the chair of the department.
The department does not accept any international students at the MA level.
At a Glance
Study Requirements
Full-time (5 years)
Coursework & Comprehensive Exam
Clinic Placement & Internship
Doctoral Dissertation
Funding and Tuition
For information about tuition fees, funding, and financial support, visit Tuition & Financial Support.
Deadlines
Applications are now closed for a Fall 2025 start.
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Why I Chose Applied Psychology & Human Development
Brittany Burek (Doctor of Philosophy, 2022)
School & Clinical Child Psychology
"At 91±¬ÁÏ, we get the opportunity to blur the lines between the disciplines of psychology and education. I found it particularly valuable to be in a learning community with teacher candidates and trained educators, developmental psychologists, and clinicians specializing in adult populations alongside my SCCP peers. The interdisciplinary opportunities enriched my clinical, research, and teaching practices. 91±¬ÁÏ has consistently attracted brave, radical, and kind learners and I’ve been grateful to learn alongside them inside and outside of the classroom."
Doctor of Philosophy in School & Clinical Child Psychology Admission Requirements
General Admission Requirements
Please visit the 91±¬ÁÏ Admissions website for detailed information about the application process, including general minimum admission requirements and supporting documents.
Program-Specific Information (Minimum Admission Requirements)
- Applicants are admitted under the .
- An appropriate bachelor's degree in psychology or equivalent and MA in psychology or equivalent from a recognized university, with a standing grade equivalent to a University of Toronto A- or better in the final year.
- Cognate course requirements. 1.0 full-course equivalent (FCE) at the senior undergraduate level, or 0.5 FCE at the graduate level, in each of the following cognate areas: Biological Bases of Behaviour, Cognitive/Affective Bases of Behaviour, Social Bases of Behaviour, and History and Systems of Psychology.
Required Supporting Documents
All applicants must submit:
- Transcript(s) from each post-secondary institution attended
- Resume or Curriculum Vitae
- Three letters of reference (two academic and one professional) including contact emails.
- Applicants are asked to answer questions explaining their experiences and how they relate to the program during the application submission process. Questions include:
- ​​Why are you interested in the school and clinical child psychology program?
- What experience have you had working with child and youth?
- Please provide details on your research experience.
- What research topic are you interested in pursuing during your program?
- What faculty are you interested in working with and why?
- NOTE: Although designed as a cohesive program, continuation from the MA to the PhD is not automatic; graduates from the MA must be in good academic standing and demonstrate preparedness for the SCCP PhD program when applying.
Additional Program Information
Program Requirements
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Students must complete 5.5 FCEs, including a doctoral practicum course and an internship course, as follows:
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APD3202H A Foundation of Program Evaluation in Social Sciences (RM) (0.5 FCE).
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APD3222H Approaches to Psychotherapy with Children, Youth, and Families (0.5 FCE), normally taken in Year 1.
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APD3241H+ Seminar and Practicum in Clinical Assessment and Intervention, normally taken in Year 2. The practicum portion of APD3241H+ consists of 500 hours (two days a week from September to June) and is normally taken in a clinical setting. Students must complete APD3241H+ in order to remain in good standing and be permitted to continue in the program.
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APD3260H Psychodiagnostic Systems (0.5 FCE).
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APD5284Y+ Assessment and Intervention with Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Children, Youth, and Families (1.0 FCE).
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0.5 FCE from the Psychosocial Interventions course menu:
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APD3224H Advanced Proactive Behavioural and Cognitive-Behavioural Interventions* or
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APD3231H Psychodynamic Bases of Therapy*.
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* Note: the course is offered every other year. Students interested in other courses that may fulfil the Psychosocial Interventions requirement must receive approval from the SCCP Program Coordinator.
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0.5 elective FCE.
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APD3240H+ Advanced Social and Emotional Assessment Techniques (0.5 FCE).
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APD3242Y Internship in School and Clinical Child Psychology (1.0 FCE). The internship consists of a 1,600-hour placement, normally taken on a full-time basis over the course of a year in the final year of the student's program.
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A comprehensive examination. The purpose of the SCCP comprehensive examination is to:
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Ensure an adequate level of psychological knowledge for professional functioning as a practitioner, academic, and/or researcher.
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Demonstrate an ability to integrate information at the accepted standard for a doctoral student.
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A doctoral dissertation.
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Students must have successfully completed all coursework, passed the comprehensive examination, and have their dissertation completed or well underway, prior to commencing their internship.
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For each missing cognate course requirement (see Cognitive/Affective, Social, or Biological Bases of Behaviour; Admission Requirements above), students are required to take a 0.5 FCE course from the applicable course menu, which can be found on the departmental website and in the Applied Psychology and Human Development program guidelines. Students may use their elective course to cover one of these requirements.
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In addition to the above course requirements, students who have not taken a previous child development course must take APD1201H Childhood and Adolescent Development. Students who have not taken a previous statistics course or its equivalent must take JOI1287H Introduction to Applied Statistics (RM).
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Students must complete APD3241H+ Seminar and Practicum in Clinical Assessment and Intervention in order to remain in good standing and be permitted to continue in the program.
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Students who are required to take APD1215H, APD1216H, and APD1218H in addition to other courses in the PhD (which is the case for most students coming into the program from elsewhere) must achieve a minimum of A- in at least one of APD1215H Psychological Assessment of School-Aged Children and APD1216H Psychoeducational Assessment, and must complete APD1218H+ Seminar and Practicum in School-Based Assessment, Consultation, and Intervention in order to remain in good standing and be permitted to continue in the program. Failure to meet these criteria will normally result in a recommendation to the School of Graduate Studies to terminate the student’s registration in the program.
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Students must register continuously and pay the full-time fee until all degree requirements have been fulfilled.
The School and Clinical Child Psychology is accredited by the Canadian Psychological Association (CPA) as a combined program in school and clinical child psychology. (Next site visit due* 2025-2026)
Accreditation Office
Canadian Psychological Association (CPA)
141 Laurier Avenue West, Suite 702
Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, K1P 5J3
accreditationoffice@cpa.ca
613-237-2144 x 328
1-888-472-0657 x 328
The PhD degree is intended to meet the academic requirements of the College of Psychologists of Ontario for registration as a Psychologist.
The program was first accredited as a combined program in school psychology and clinical psychology by the American Psychological Association in 2001, and by the Canadian Psychological Association in 2008.
To learn more about this program, see About SCCP.
Program Chair: Dr. Todd Cunningham
Program Faculty: Dr. Todd Cunningham, Dr. Esther Geva; Dr. Linda Iwenofu; Dr. Mary Caravias; Dr. Anne-Claude Bedard; Dr. Mark Wade; Dr. Chloe Hamza; Dr. Naomi Slonim
Questions? Please email us at oise.aphd@utoronto.ca
Program Coordinator:
Puja Variawa
puja.variawa@utoronto.ca
Ready to join one of the world’s top universities?
Take the next step in your academic journey and start your application to graduate studies at 91±¬ÁÏ.
