Hi.
My name is doctor Diane Graves, and I'm the assistant program director here at the Institute for Psychological Sciences at Divine Mercy University.
One of the questions that, protective applicants have is what is really the difference between a PhD degree and a PsyD degree?
Both of them are doctorates.
Both of them are in psychology.
Both of them work with developing people to become mental health professionals.
So how do I know what program is right for me?
A PhD degree, at its core, are primarily a research based degree.
Part of your earning that degree is contributing meaningfully to the research in that area and also learning to do the applied work.
A PsyD degree focuses on applied degree so that you can get out and really do that work out in the communities and out directly with people providing direct care.
Let me make you clear though, one of the things that's incredibly important in our program is the full length dissertation.
It can be qualitative, it might be quantitative, empirically based, but it will be a substantive part of your degree.
We offer small cohort classes, and in those small cohorts, you are research mentored.
So you will go through and learn all about research, how to contribute to research, how to be part of research, what is research all about.
You learn that at our program.
It's just not going to be the sole main focus of our degree.
Your focus will involve direct care and getting lots of applied experience, lots of role plays, lots of coursework, and lots of clinical hours as you learn to develop into the clinician that you'd like to become.