Clinical Psychology

Clinical Psychology

Doctor of Psychology in Clinical Psychology (PsyD)

Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine (PCOM) admits students of any race, color, national and ethnic origin to all the rights, privileges, programs, and activities generally accorded or made available to students at the school. It does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national and ethnic origin in administration of its educational policies, admissions policies, scholarship and loan programs, and athletic and other school-administered programs.

Admission to PCOM is not open to applicants who are not U.S. citizens or permanent residents for the 2027-2028 academic year.

Degree Requirements
A bachelor’s degree from a regionally accredited institution is required to apply to PCOM's Clinical PsyD Program. A major in psychology is preferred. We will consider exceptional applicants who possess only a bachelor’s degree.

Most applicants to PCOM’s Clinical PsyD Program also possess a master's degree from a regionally accredited institution in addition to a bachelor’s degree. A major in mental health counseling, psychology, social work, nursing, counseling, school psychology, family therapy, or pastoral counseling is preferred.

Individuals with degrees in other fields will be considered on a case-by-case basis.

GPA Requirements for Bachelor's Level Applicants
Students with exceptional performance at the bachelor's level may apply to the program without having completed a master's degree. Bachelor's level applicants must have a minimum cumulative undergraduate GPA of 3.0 or higher, and a psychology GPA of 3.5 or higher. A major in psychology is preferred.

GPA Requirements for Master's Level Applicants
Students who have completed both a bachelor's and master's degree in a related field may apply to the program. Competitive applicants at the master's level will have a minimum cumulative undergraduate GPA of 3.0 or higher, and a minimum cumulative graduate GPA of 3.3 or higher. Competitive post-master’s students also earn an undergraduate psychology major GPA of 3.5 or better from a regionally accredited college or university.

Coursework Requirements
In order to ensure that program courses are taught at the highest possible level, applicants must have completed the following courses during undergraduate or graduate education prior to admission:

  • Statistics/Research
  • Abnormal Psychology or Psychopathology
  • Theories of Personality
  • Developmental Psychology
The Admissions Committee evaluates applicants on a number of factors. These include past academic performance, letters of recommendation (at least one letter of recommendation must be from a doctoral-level psychologist), the content and writing style of autobiographical essays, prior work history and volunteer experiences, research activities and publications, presentations at workshops or conferences in psychology or a related field, membership in professional organizations and personal and professional presentation in the interview. Intellectual ability, academic potential, strong writing skills, emotional stability, maturity, integrity, motivation and high ethical standards are necessary for successful program completion and acceptance into the professional community.
 

Application Process

This academic program operates on a rolling admissions basis. The application closes in August 2027; however, an early application is highly recommended.

The Faculty Committee on Admissions uses two priority deadlines to evaluate completed applications. The deadlines are December 30, 2026 and March 31, 2027. New students will be accepted into the program until the desired class size is achieved.

How to Apply
Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine (PCOM) participates in PsychologyCAS, the centralized application service for graduate study in psychology.

Beginning in September, prospective graduate and doctoral students in psychology may submit their application through a secure web service, PsychologyCAS.

In order to be considered for admission to PCOM, your full PsychologyCAS application must be:

  1. e-submitted;
  2. completed; and
  3. verified in the PsychologyCAS application.

Please read the PsychologyCAS website regarding application status and verification to ensure you have given your PsychologyCAS application ample time to be verified.

Need help using PsychologyCAS?
Instructions on how to use PsychologyCAS can be found here.

Next Steps
Once PCOM has received your application from PsychologyCAS, you will be contacted via email with a confirmation of its receipt including reminders of the appropriate steps to complete the application process. Note that there is no institutional application fee to PCOM. Please note that there is a fee associated with the submission of an application through PsychologyCAS.

Note that in order to be verified in PsychologyCAS, official college transcripts from all colleges/universities/schools attended must be sent directly to:

PsychologyCAS
P.O. Box 9138
Watertown, MA 02471

Letters of Recommendation
Three letters of recommendation can be sent through the evaluator portal on PsychologyCAS or directly to PCOM Admissions in PDF format to recommend@pcom.edu. At least one letter of recommendation must be from a doctoral-level psychologist.

Additional PsyD program requirements
Your application will be processed and assessed by the Faculty Committee on Admissions only after the receipt of:

  • Three letters of recommendation (if not already submitted through PsychologyCAS; At least one letter of recommendation must be from a doctoral-level psychologist.)
  • A general autobiographical statement explaining your interest in this academic program as it relates to your career goals (in 500 words or less) should be uploaded to your PCOM application portal.
  • Graded writing sample or redacted professional report or evaluation (APA-style research paper preferred.)

Interviews for this program will be offered both virtually and in-person for the 2026-2027 application cycle.

As an applicant to PCOM's Doctor of Psychology in Clinical Psychology program, you are responsible for ensuring that all admissions materials are completed accurately and submitted in a timely manner.

Should you have any questions, please contact us via email at admissions@pcom.edu.