|
Wheaton College Doctor of Psychology Program
Costs and Outcomes Report
1. Time to Completion
The following table reports mean and median time students take to complete the Doctor of Psychology Program over the last 7 years.
|
Number of Students |
Years to Completion |
| Mean |
Median |
B.A./B.S. (students who enter the Psy.D. program without an M.A. degree) |
50 |
5.4 |
5 |
M.A. (Students who enter the Psy.D. program with a completed M.A. degree) |
54 |
5.9 |
5 |
TOTAL |
104 |
5.7 |
5 |
The following table reports the time taken in years by number and percentage of students to complete the Doctor of Psychology Program over the last 7 years.
Number of years to complete the Program |
Number of Students |
Percentage |
< 5 years |
7 |
6.7% |
5 years |
49 |
47.2% |
6 years |
28 |
26.9% |
7 years |
12 |
11.5% |
> 7 years |
8 |
7.7% |
Total |
104 |
100% |
2. Program Costs
Tuition and Fees:
The current rate of tuition for the Doctor of Psychology Program for the 2007-08 academic year is $760 per credit hour. The Doctor of Psychology Program, from matriculation to degree, is 120 credit hours.
A schedule of current fees is listed below:
| Fee Type |
Cost |
Frequency |
| Psy.D. Application |
$50 |
Once |
| Vehicle Parking Permit |
$150 |
Annually |
| Late Registration |
$50 |
Per Occurrence |
| Dissertation Continuation |
$50 |
Once |
| Late Payment |
$75 |
Per Occurrence |
Financial Assistance:
Scholarships/Program Aid
The Doctor of Psychology Program has a substantial budget line dedicated to direct scholarship aid to students. Historically, all students have received scholarship support every year while on campus, typically ranging from $2,000 to $5,000 a year.
Financial Aid
Many students find it necessary to incur debt to complete the Doctor of Psychology Program at Wheaton College Graduate School. A survey of alumni for the 2007 APA Self-Study indicates that the average Psy.D.-related debt of students upon completion of the degree was approximately $72,000 for survey respondents. Various subsidized and unsubsidized loans are available based upon need through the financial aid office.
Graduate Assistantships
A limited number of Assistantships are available. Current pay rates for assistantships start at $11.30/hour.
3. Internships
The following table communicates the number of Doctor of Psychology students that have applied for internship and related outcomes over the last 7 years.
Internship Year |
2001-02 |
2002-03 |
2003-04 |
2004-05 |
2005-06 |
2006-07 |
2007-08 |
Total Applicants |
21 |
16 |
10 |
17 |
14 |
21 |
17 |
| Obtained internships |
21/100% |
16/100% |
10/100% |
17/100% |
11/79% |
20/95% |
12/71% |
| Obtained paid internships |
20/95% |
16/100% |
9/90% |
17/100% |
10/71% |
20/95% |
12/71% |
| Obtained APPIC-approved internships |
19/90% |
12/75% |
9/90% |
16/94% |
11/79% |
18/86% |
10/59% |
| Obtained APA/CPA-approved internships |
15/71% |
8/50% |
6/60% |
10/59% |
7/50% |
11/52% |
9/53% |
| Obtained two year half-time internships |
0/0% |
0/0% |
0/0% |
0/0% |
0/0% |
0/0% |
2/12% |
4. Attrition
13 of 134 (9.7%) matriculated students have disenrolled from the Program without completing the Doctorate degree in the past 7 years. Reasons for disenrollment vary, but are primarily due to voluntary withdrawals. The following table illustrates enrollment data by year of enrollment:
Year of Enrollment |
# Enrolled |
# Graduated with Doctorate |
# Still Currently Enrolled |
# No Longer Enrolled |
2000 |
16 |
13 |
1 |
2 |
2001 |
23 |
13 |
8 |
2 |
2002 |
21 |
7 |
11 |
3 |
2003 |
19 |
- |
17 |
2 |
2004 |
13 |
- |
11 |
2 |
2005 |
19 |
- |
19 |
- |
2006 |
23 |
- |
21 |
2 |
5. Licensure and Employment Outcomes
In the eight year period from 1997 to 2005, a total of 114 individuals earned the doctoral degree from the Wheaton College Psy.D. program. At a minimum, 73 of these indivudals or 64 percent currently are licensed. However, because we have lost contact with a few graduates, this percentage is probably an underestimate of the percentage of licensed psychologists.
We believe a more accurate perspective on licensure rates is offered from our 2007 Self-Study, in which we tallied licensure rates as a function of graduation dates among the 82 respondents to our alumni survey:
Graduated in calendar 2001 or earlier |
36 of 41 |
88% licensed |
| Graduated in calendar 2002 or 2003 |
18 of 25 |
72% licensed |
| Graduated in calendar 2004 or 2005 |
11 of 16 |
69% licensed |
Licensure rates are highly affirmative, with an 88% licensure rate for earlier graduates of the program. Specifically, 36 of 41 respondents who graduated in calendar year 2001 or earlier are now fully licensed. Although we did not ask for specific reasons for non-licensure, the most likely explanations involve alternative career paths such as college teaching, practice outside the United States where licensure may not be available, or organizational positions where licensure is not imperative.
|
