W&J partners with Chatham University to create a path to PsyD program for psychology students

Created: January 18, 2019  |  Last Updated: December 20, 2019  |  Category:   |  Tagged:

WASHINGTON, PA (Jan. 18, 2019)—Washington & Jefferson College (W&J) and Chatham University have partnered to offer two guaranteed seats in Chatham’s PsyD in Counseling program for W&J students.

Beginning in the fall of 2018, students completing their studies at W&J are eligible for the program.

“Doctoral programs in psychology are extremely competitive, and an agreement like this speaks to the quality of education students are getting at W&J,” said W&J Department Chair of Psychology Elizabeth Bennett, Ph.D. “The fact that this program was willing to give seats to students coming out of our major speaks volumes of W&J’s psychology program.”

Students interested in the program must meet Chatham’s admission requirements and have a successful interview in order to be accepted. W&J and Chatham have established previous articulation agreements for pre-health programs, but this is the first for a doctorate in psychology.

“Chatham approached us about the program,” Dr. Bennett said. “They have had the program for a while, but it has only just started admitting people out of a bachelor’s program. In the past, their program only admitted students coming out of graduate programs, but when they made program changes to begin admitting undergraduate students, they came straight to us to create this agreement guaranteeing our students a spot. We have previously sent students to this and other Chatham graduate programs, and they’ve liked the students we have sent them.”

W&J psychology students who have matriculated to Chatham in the past have seen success in their field. Amanda Halula ’16 went to a psychology graduate program at Chatham and was instrumental in Chatham receiving a grant from the NCAA to study student athlete well-being and mental health concerns.

Chatham also boasts many successful and well-rounded graduates of their psychology graduate program.

“Having served on the dissertation committee for one of their students who was using data collected by the Combat Stress Intervention Program (CSIP), I was very impressed with the quality of the student’s research,” Dr. Bennett said. “This is a program that we’re proud to send our students to.”

About Washington & Jefferson College

Washington & Jefferson College, located in Washington, Pa., is a selective liberal arts college founded in 1781. Committed to providing each of its students with the highest-quality undergraduate education available, W&J offers a traditional arts and sciences curriculum emphasizing interdisciplinary study and independent study work. For more information about W&J, visit washjeff.dev, or call 888-W-AND-JAY.