Three years after welcoming in its inaugural class, Western Carolina University’s Doctor of Psychology program recently received accreditation from the American Psychological Association.

The APA granted the program accreditation in clinical and school psychology on contingency, meaning the program must provide outcome data for students in the program and program graduates within three years of receiving this status. APA is the only organization authorized by the U.S. Department of Education to accredit doctoral-level professional psychology programs.

“It’s a major milestone for the program,” said Jon Campbell, director of the Doctor of Psychology program at the Cullowhee-based university. “Basically, what accreditation communicates to the public is that our program meets the professional and scientific standards that are set forth by the American Psychological Association.”

The process for accreditation began in October 2020 when WCU submitted a self-study. Eventually, that was followed up by a site visit and then a vote by the commission on accreditation.

The initial class in the fall of 2019 consisted of five students. Three of those are currently completing their required yearlong internship in order to be eligible for initial licensure. This year, WCU will submit more than 20 students into the program, Campbell said.

Source: Western Carolina University