Characteristics of the Program

We are one of the few doctoral programs in Japan specializing in clinical psychology, and our objective is to nurture both independent researchers and highly skilled professionals in psychology and related fields. The program is designed for working people who wish to obtain a doctoral degree while working in their current jobs.

Characteristics of the Curriculum and Methods of Completion

In the doctoral program, the courses are designed to deepen the education and research in the master’s program and to specialize the expertise of the students, with the aim of fostering researchers who can further advance academic research in clinical psychology, and training instructors for Certified Public Psychologists and Clinical Psychologists. We offer 6 compulsory courses with 12 credits and 8 elective courses with a total of 16 credits.
To complete the program, students are required to take 6 compulsory courses with 12 credits and 2 elective courses with 4 credits, a total of 8 courses with 16 credits.

Compulsory Courses
The compulsory courses consist of: “Advanced Study in Research Methodology in Clinical Psychology I & II” for acquiring research methodology in clinical psychology; “Advanced Study in Clinical Assessment and Interviews I & II” for cultivating clinical research skills through case studies; and “Advanced Study in Clinical Psychology I & II” for developing the ability to publish research results in journals, papers, etc.

Elective Courses
We offer 8 elective courses with 16 credits in both the basic research and field research areas. Students are required to select 2 elective courses across both areas.

<Basic Research Area>
“Advanced Study in Personality Psychology”,“Educational Psychology Research” and “Advanced Study in Abnormal Psychology”

<Field Research Area>
There are 5 courses under “Advanced Study in Psychotherapy(I -V)” with the following sub-titles:
Play Therapy; Sand Play; Cognitive Behavior Therapy; Integrative Therapy; and Supervision Strategies.

ResearchSupervision
Onenrollment in the program, students first choose a research supervisor from among the lecturers in charge of research supervision. During the first year, they take the compulsory and elective courses listed above under the advice of their research supervisor. They conduct research and experiments as necessary to prepare their doctoral dissertation.
A mid-term review is held in the second half of the second year. At the same time, students are required to submit a paper in the field of clinical psychology to a peer-reviewed journal and have it accepted for publication. Once the mid-term review is approved, they will submit a draft of their thesis.
During the third year, while continuing to work on clinical psychology, students must carefully address the issues raised in the mid-term review and the draft review, and complete their doctoral dissertation. An oral examination will be held on the dissertation submitted on the designated date.

Degree

To complete the program, students must have earned 16 credits in courses specified by the program, received the necessary research supervision, and passed the doctoral thesis examination. Students who have satisfied these requirements are awarded a Doctor of Philosophy (Psychology).