The Psychology Graduate Handbook The Department of Psychology Graduate Program Handbook is intended to be a compilation and/or summary of relevant policies, requirements, procedures, or practices relating to the doctoral programs of the Psychology Department at Wichita State University. In case of conflict between this handbook and an actual policy statement, whether of the Board of Regents, the University, the Graduate School, the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, or the Psychology Department, the specific current policy statement should be considered controlling. This Handbook, and/or the policies cited in it, may be revised or changed at any time. The student or applicant bears responsibility for following up and complying with all applicable and controlling policies, requirements, procedures, or practices. The Department of Psychology offers the Ph.D. degree in Psychology with three programs: Human Factors Psychology, Clinical Psychology, and Community Psychology. Admission to a Doctoral Program at
Wichita State University requires a grade point average of at least 3.00 in
the last 60 hours or most recent two years of undergraduate work. Applicants
who have a Master’s Degree or have otherwise completed graduate course work
must have attained at least a 3.25 grade point average in such work. On the Wednesday before classes start in the Fall Semester, an orientation is conducted for all graduate students in the department. This orientation is planned by a committee of graduate students appointed by the Department Chair. Attendance at this orientation is mandatory for all students not on internship or on Academic Absence. The Department has five faculty coordinators: the Graduate Coordinator, three Program Coordinators, and an Undergraduate Coordinator. The Program Coordinators are responsible for day to day issues in their respective programs. The Undergraduate Coordinator supervises graduate students who have a direct teaching responsibility and is responsible for other undergraduate issues. The Graduate Coordinator is the principal liaison with the Graduate School. Faculty advisors have formal and informal responsibilities in working with students. The primary formal responsibility involves helping students develop their plan of study leading to the completion of their graduate degree. How a Student’s Faculty Advisor is Selected Initially, each student is assigned a Faculty Advisor based on areas of mutual interest. Students are free to change Faculty Advisors based on personal comfort, the ways in which their interests change, and other important factors. The Departmental Administrative Specialist should be notified in writing by the student when such a change is made. Students are urged to have regular contact with their Faculty Advisors, especially during their first year in the program, as well as at crucial points in their academic careers; i.e., choosing second year projects, planning qualifying exams, selecting dissertation topics, and making decisions about internships. Generally speaking, after the first year, a student’s Faculty Advisor is also the faculty member with whom she/he is working most closely on research. Formal Responsibilities The student’s Faculty Advisor 1. advises students about course selection and timing. Informal Responsibilities The Faculty Advisor’s informal responsibilities include orienting
students to the program, helping them to The Plan of Study is the student’s contract
with the Graduate School. It specifies what the student must complete in
order to receive your degree. To determine the courses the student must
take, refer to the requirements in force at the time you file the Plan of
Study, not those that might have preceded. It is to the students’s advantage
to complete the plan early, preferably in the first year of study. This may
be done for both the M.A. and Ph.D. at the same time. Otherwise the student
may be subject to new requirements The doctoral degree must be completed within nine years from the semester of admission to the program. If during this period, adequate progress has been made toward completion, the student may petition for additional time. However, any course work older than nine years must be validated either through repeating the course or by taking a special exam over the course’s contents. Courses older than ten years cannot be used even if previously validated. After successful completion of Qualifying Exams and approval of a Dissertation Plan (see appendices), the student becomes a “Candidate for the Degree.” From the point of passing qualifying exams through successful oral defense of the Dissertation, the student must be continuously enrolled each Fall and Spring Semester for a minimum of three credit hours of Dissertation research or Internship. If the student also works on his/her dissertation in the summer, he/she must be enrolled in 3 hours during the summer. A graduate student is required by the Department of Psychology to spend at least four semesters (eight for the clinical program) enrolled as a full-time student at Wichita State University not including summers. Relevant Graduate School Policies Graduate credit work at another university is not transferred and entered on a Wichita State transcript except in Degree Programs and only then after completion of all work for the degree, as defined on an approved Plan of Study. Students may transfer, with Departmental approval, graduate credit from an accredited graduate school under the following conditions: 1. The credit-offering institution is accredited by the regional accrediting association to offer graduate degree programs appropriate to the level of credit to be transferred, the credit is fully acceptable to the credit-offering institution in satisfaction of its advanced degree requirement, and the credit is applicable in terms of content to the student's Program of Study at Wichita State University. 1. With permission of the student’s department, a maximum of 1/3 of course work hours required, exclusive of acceptable hours in a master’s degree, may be transferred from an appropriately accredited institution. 1. Students assume responsibility for initiating the request for transfer of graduate credit on a Plan of Study. An official transcript containing the requested transfer work must be on file in the Graduate School. If such work is shown on the transcripts provided in support of the original admission to the Graduate School, no new record need be provided. Approval by the major department is necessary to ensure that the course work has been accepted as an integral part of the candidate's program. 1. Courses considered for transfer must have been completed at an accredited graduate school and must carry a minimum grade value of 3.00 on a 4.00 point scale. Grades lower than B, including B-, will not be accepted. 1. Transfer credit that is accepted must have been in
courses started six years or fewer before the Departmental Procedures If you wish courses taken at another university to transfer to your program of study at Wichita State University, you must submit copies of course outlines, sample exams or homework assignments, the titles of texts, and any other material that describes the content of the courses to your Program Coordinator. The materials you provide will be assessed by qualified faculty who will decide whether the course is acceptable for transfer credit. If you want to take courses at another university while enrolled in a Wichita State University Psychology Department graduate program and have those courses count for credit toward your degree, you must obtain prior approval after consulting with your Faculty Advisor by submitting a written request to your Program Coordinator. If the Faculty Advisor and Program Coordinator approve the request, the approved request is placed in the student’s file. Students who enter the program with a Master’s degree from another institution should submit their Master’s thesis to their Program Coordinator to be considered for replacement for the 2nd Year Project. If approved, a letter of approval is placed in the student’s file by the student’s Program Coordinator. On occasion, exceptions to Departmental or Graduate School policies may be necessary. All exceptions require the approval of the student’s Faculty Advisor, Program Coordinator, and Student Affairs Committee. For exceptions to Departmental policies, the decision of the Student Affairs Committee is all that is required. If a student is not satisfied with the decision of the Student Affairs Committee, he or she may follow the Grievance Procedures described later. For exceptions to Graduate School policies, after approval by the Student Affairs Committee, the student files a request for exception with the Graduate School. A terminal Master’s Degree in Psychology is not offered nor does the Department admit students to a master’s program. However, when the Foundation Courses, the Research Methods Courses, Predoctoral Research including a 2nd Year Project, and any additional six hours in your program are successfully completed, and a M.A. Plan of Study has been submitted to the Graduate School, the degree of Master of Arts will be awarded. All graduate students are required to successfully complete the following core curriculum: Foundations in Psychology (12 Hours) 812 Biological/Philosophical Foundations of Psychology 3 Research Methods (8 Hours) 810 Advanced Research Methods I 4 Research (22 Hours Minimum) 911 Predoctoral Research 10 Concentrated Specialty Each student will have at least one Concentrated Speciality. This Speciality consists of the elective courses chosen with the consent of the student’s Faculty Advisor. The intent is for the student to develop expertise in one or more specific areas; e.g., methodology, ergonomics, measurement, children’s issues, etc. The speciality(ies) is declared at the time the student requests to take Qualifying Exams. Other Required Courses 820 Seminar in Human Factors Psychology 3 Electives Students are required to take 24 hours of elective courses, 12 of which will be outside of the Human Factors Program selected in consultation with their Faculty Advisors. The electives lead to one or more concentrated specialty(ies). Internship 920 Internship 6 Students enrolled in the Human Factors Program are required to complete an internship which lasts a minimum of six months. The purpose of the internship is to provide students with experience which is relevant to their overall career objectives and which would not normally be obtainable on campus. It is expected that students on an internship will start the process of integrating their academic course work and experience with practical setting similar to where they will work upon completion of their graduate training. It is not uncommon for students to develop dissertation ideas while on an internship. While every effort is made to be flexible and satisfy the unique needs of each student, there are certain requirements that an approved internship site must meet to be approved. Each site should:
The Community-Clinical Curriculum The Community-Clinical Program offers two tracks, one for students who have a stronger interest in Community Psychology (Community Track) and one for students who have a stronger interest in Clinical Psychology (Clinical Track). Choosing Tracks As described in Departmental literature, the WSU Community-Clinical program offers genuine integration of these two traditions. In this spirit, the faculty urges all Community-Clinical students to enter the program with an attitude of openness regarding Community and Clinical Psychology. Specifically, students are discouraged from identifying prematurely with one or the other tradition and encouraged to actively pursue education and practice in both Community and Clinical Psychology in the early years of their graduate education. With adequate exposure to and experience with both traditions, the student will likely seek additional specialized education in one of the two tracks in the later years of graduate training. Normally, the student will elect his or her track some time after the end of the second year and prior to taking qualifying exams. Course Requirements The course requirements additional to the Core Curriculum for the two tracks follow:
Internship An internship is required of those in the Clinical Track for completion of the Ph.D. in Community-Clinical Psychology. The internship typically involves 12 months (2000 hours) of intensive training and supervised experience at a clinical service setting approved by the Community-Clinical Program Coordinator. Before applying for an internship, students must have successfully completed their 2nd Year project, and have written approval of both their Faculty Advisor and their Program Coordinator. Licensure as a Clinical Psychologist A number of students in the Community-Clinical doctoral program, as well as applicants, have expressed interest in securing licensure as practicing Clinical Psychologists. The goal of the Community-Clinical doctoral program is to educate graduate students in the basic principles and practices of both Community and Clinical Psychology. The program is intended to give a blend of educational experiences that provides our students with expertise in both fields. The core of the program is the integration of community and clinical approaches. It is important to emphasize that the program is not a Community Psychology program nor is it a Clinical Psychology program. It was intended to be an integration of Community and Clinical Psychology. Nevertheless, it is to be expected that there will be diversity in the interest patterns and inclinations of various students. Some will lean toward Community Psychology, some will seek a balanced blend of Community and Clinical Psychology, and still others will lean more in the direction of Clinical Psychology. Some of the second group and likely, most of the third group, will be interested in securing professional licensure in Kansas or some other state. The curriculum is not specifically designed to prepare students for clinical licensure in Kansas or any other state. That is not the purpose of the program. On the other hand, the Department is supportive of those students who wish to pursue licensure. In the state of Kansas, licensure for Clinical Psychologists is controlled by the State Behavioral Sciences Regulatory Board (BSRB). BSRB regulations require education in basic areas of Psychology; e.g., research methods, social foundations, etc. Additionally, BSRB regulations also require a number of additional clinical skill courses, such as treatment and assessment. The Wichita State University Psychology Department provides the basic science foundations required by the BSRB, but the Community-Clinical Program is somewhat short of the number of clinical skill courses required. The Department does not wish to modify the Community-Clinical program to be isomorphic with the BSRB requirements nor will this be done. However, the number of additional clinical courses required by the BSRB may be attainable with some additional course work over the student’s tenure in the program. The Department cannot affirm that all the necessary courses will be offered. However, efforts will be made to facilitate these offerings when possible. Students should contact the BSRB for specific information relating to licensure requirements. The 2nd Year Research Project is empirical research that can be reasonably started, conducted, and written during the first two years of a student’s time in the Department’s graduate programs. It is not to be of the scope nor of the independence of a dissertation, but it may serve as a pilot for a dissertation. While the scope of the 2nd Year Project is similar to that of a master’s thesis, it is written as a research article as guided by the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association. The 2nd Year Project needs to be finished in a timely manner. No student may apply to take Qualifying Exams until the project is complete, including binding. Role of Psychology 911 and the 911 Faculty Advisor The 2nd Year Research Faculty Advisor is responsible for the guidance of the 2nd Year Project. All students enroll in one hour of Psychology 911 in the first semester of their first year, and three hours of Psychology 911 in every subsequent semester until the completion of the 2nd Year Project. Students should formally notify their Program Coordinator in writing of their choice of their 2nd Year Research Advisor no later than the end of their first year and enroll in Psychology 911 with that professor until the 2nd Year Project is finished. It will not be unusual for a student to enroll in Psychology 911 with different professors during their first year in order to determine the best match of research interest and personality. Psychology 911 is a graded course (A-F). Grading is based upon progress and performance on the 2nd Year Research Project. Typically, the Second Reader will be a member of the Psychology Faculty. Occasionally, someone outside the Department or the University may serve as the Second Reader if that person has the proper credentials/expertise as determined by the Department. The role of the Second Reader is that of another resource for the student and Faculty 911 Advisor. Criteria for Completion of the 2nd Year Project Students are strongly encouraged to submit a manuscript based on the 2nd Year Research Project for publication in a refereed journal, if such a submission is determined appropriate by the Faculty Advisor and student. It is also understood that submission to a journal for publication may not be reasonable at times (e.g., unsupported hypotheses, more data needed). Authorship issues should be clarified early in the research process, in accordance with the American Psychological Association guidelines. The final document must be approved by the Advisor and Second Reader as indicated by their signatures on the cover page and submitted to the Psychology Office for binding. Monitoring Progress and Incentives to Complete 2nd Year Project Year 1 Students should be allowed enough time to determine which faculty they are best suited to work with in terms of interest and temperament. The Faculty Advisor will be selected no later than the end of the 2nd semester, Year 1. Year 2 2nd Year Projects must be completed no later than the end of the summer of a student’s second year. Year 3, Beginning of 1st Semester If the 2nd Year Project is not completed prior to the beginning of the 3rd year, a Warning (see Warning procedure found later in this document) is given by the Graduate Coordinator to the student and placed in the student’s file. Additionally, no further course work will be allowed except Psychology 911, and Community or Clinical Practica until the 2nd Year Project is complete. Year 3, Midterm of 2nd Semester If the 2nd Year Project is not complete prior to midterm of the 2nd semester, year 3, all funding, teaching responsibilities and Community and/or Clinical Practica will be discontinued at the end of the semester. No further funding, teaching or Practica will be allowed until 2nd Year Project is completed. On recommendation of the student’s Faculty Advisor and approval of the student’s Program Coordinator, the above consequences may be delayed if the reason for the student not completing the 2nd Year Project was beyond his/her control, or if the delay will increase the possibility of the project being published. Guidelines for Psychology Qualifying Exams All graduate students must demonstrate professional competence in major areas of specialty by earning satisfactory grades on a set of Qualifying Exams.
Scheduling of Qualifying Exams Qualifying Exams will be offered once in the Fall Semester and once in the Spring Semester. The Graduate Coordinator will submit a calendar for Qualifying Exams to the Chairperson by midterm of the Spring Semester with specific dates for the following academic year. The following schedule is only a guideline and may vary from semester to semester: Week 2 Students notify their Program Coordinator of their intention to take Qualifying Exams by the end of Week 2 of the semester in which they wish to take the exams. Each student provides his/her Program Coordinator with the Request to Take Qualifying Exams form signed by the student and the student's Faculty Advisor. This form is placed in the student’s file. Week 3 The Program Coordinator reviews student requests and submits a list of students approved to take the Qualifying Exams to the Program Faculty, Graduate Coordinator, and Chair no later than the end of Week 3. The student’s Program Coordinator requests questions from appropriate Program Faculty, Departmental Faculty and outside faculty based on the areas outlined by the student and the Faculty Advisor on the Request to Take Qualifying Exams form Week 5 Faculty return questions to the student’s Program Coordinator no later than the end of Week 5. Weeks 6-8 The Program Coordinator constructs exams in collaboration with each student's Faculty Advisor, program faculty and other faculty as designated by the student’s Program Coordinator. Week 8 The approval of each student's exam is completed by the program faculty no later than the end of Week 8. Week 9 The approved exam is submitted to the Graduate Coordinator no later than Week 9 for Departmental archives and review of procedures Week 10 Qualifying Exams are administered by the student’s Program Coordinator or the Program Coordinator’s designee. The exams are administered in the department. Week 11 Questions are distributed to faculty for grading by the student’s Program Coordinator at the beginning of Week 11. Weeks 12-13 Questions are graded and returned to the student’s Program Coordinator no later than the beginning of Week 13. The student’s Program Faculty meet no later than the end of Week 13 to make the final decision on the exam outcome (PASS/FAIL). Week 14 The results are officially communicated by the Graduate Coordinator to all appropriate persons including the student’s Faculty Advisor who informs the student of the results no later than the end of Week 14. Type and Extent The Qualifying Exams are closed book exams taken in the Department. The exams are taken on a departmentally provided word processor. The exams are scheduled for 15 to 16 hours over a period of three days. Nature of Areas and Questions The number of questions and nature of areas covered are recommended by the student and Faculty Advisor in the Request to Take Qualifying Exams form. Thus, there is no predetermined number of areas or of questions in the Qualifying Exams. General Areas of Psychology General areas of Psychology are covered but not simply as repeat questions from the Foundation courses. Instead, these "general" questions integrate Foundation material with broader Human Factors or Community-Clinical topics and topics in the student’s specialty area(s). Program Specific Areas Program specific areas are covered, but again, not simply as repeated questions from program required courses. Instead, program specific questions integrate course material with broader Human Factors or Community-Clinical topics and/or topics in the specialty areas of the student. Concentrated Specialt Every student will have at least one area of concentrated specialty which is covered by the exam. These questions will usually be written by the student's Faculty Advisor and other faculty directly related to the specialty area(s). Appropriate Faculty for Questions The content areas of each exam primarily dictate who writes questions. Faculty from outside the Department, who are involved in designated exam areas, may be asked to write questions. Care will be taken to assure that the faculty providing and grading questions meet with the approval of the student’s Program Faculty. Number of Attempts to Pass Qualifying Exams A student may sit for Qualifying Exams twice. It is counted as an attempt if a Request to Take Qualifying Exams form is filed and approved, and the student does not take the exams. If a "fail" is achieved the first time a student takes the Qualifying Exams, a second request to take the Qualifying Exams will be considered by Program Faculty. If a student does not pass the Qualifying Exams after two attempts, the Psychology Department will recommend to the Graduate school that the student be dismissed. Each question is graded by individual(s) designated by the student’s Program Coordinator. The following five point scale will act as a guideline in scoring individual questions:
The student’s Program Coordinator collects graded questions and makes a recommendation to the student’s Program Faculty regarding PASS/FAIL. The final judgment of PASS/FAIL is determined by the student’s Program Faculty. Only PASS/FAIL is reported to the student. Summary of Faculty Responsibilities Role of the Program Faculty
Role of Program Coordinator
Role of Graduate Coordinator
Doctoral candidates are required to complete an original research project that will be reviewed at the Dissertation Defense. The purpose of the dissertation is demonstrate the student’s ability to conduct an independent research project which makes a substantial contribution to the psychological literature. Dissertation Supervisory Committee The primary responsibility of the Dissertation Supervisory Committee, and particularly the Dissertation Supervisory Committee Chair, is to guide the student in completing the dissertation, including the conduct of the final Dissertation Defense. The Dissertation Supervisory Committee is appointed by the Dean of the Graduate School upon the recommendation of the Department’s Chairperson or Graduate Coordinator. The Committee must be identified upon submission of the Dissertation Plan. The Dissertation Supervisory Committee is comprised of a minimum of five graduate faculty, with at least four having full membership on the Graduate Faculty. The Dissertation Supervisory Committee Chair in addition to having full membership on the Graduate Faculty, must also have authorization by the Graduate Council to direct doctoral committees. At least one member, the Graduate Dean’s representative, must be outside the student’s department. It is encouraged that faculty from both the Human Factors and Community-Clinical Programs be represented on a student’s Dissertation Supervisory Committee. Typically, the initial choice of the Dissertation Supervisory Committee Chair is a mutual one between the student and a faculty member. This decision should be made prior to the selection of any other committee members. Notification of the composition of the Dissertation Supervisory Committee will be sent to the Graduate School on the Plan of Study prior to the Dissertation proposal meeting. Dissertation Proposal Guidelines There is a formal meeting for the proposal of the dissertation research. The primary goal of this meeting is for the student to obtain advice and suggestions from committee members on how to improve and strengthen the proposed research. All matters pertaining to the final design and plan of the dissertation must be reviewed by the committee prior to approval. A Dissertation Plan form must be signed by the Dissertation Supervisory Committee members and transmitted to the Graduate School. Proposal meetings may be open to faculty and students of the Department and other interested parties. The involvement of persons not on the Dissertation Supervisory Committee is at the discretion of the committee. At the time of submission of the proposal to the committee, the student will invite the faculty and graduate students of the Department to the proposal meeting. A written proposal which has been approved by the student’s Dissertation Supervisory Committee Chair will be provided to committee members at least two weeks prior to proposal meeting. This proposal will be in APA style and will include:
If changes occur in research conditions necessitating significant changes in the research as approved, committee members should be notified as soon as possible in order for the student to obtain advice on how to best proceed with the research and approval of changes. If funds are available, the department will provide students with up to $100 support for research expenses related to the student’s dissertation. To obtain this funding, a proposal stating how the funds are to be used should be submitted to the Department Chair. The funds may not be used to reproduce or bind the dissertation. The current Guide to the Preparation of Theses and Dissertations is available for purchase from the University Bookstore. This guide contains style required by the Graduate School and other useful information. The final Dissertation Defense is required of all candidates for doctoral degrees. This defense is a formal proceeding open to the public. It must be scheduled when classes are in session. An invitation to attend the Dissertation Defense written by the student and approved by her/his Faculty Advisor, will be distributed to all Departmental Faculty and graduate students, all department chairs and directors on campus, the Dean of Liberal Arts and Sciences, the Dean of the Graduate School and all members of the Graduate Faculty at least three weeks prior to the scheduled date of the Dissertation Defense. The form for this invitation should be obtained from the Departmental Secretary. Additionally, a Request to Defend form must be filed with the Graduate School at least three weeks before the exam. The final draft of the dissertation (understanding that the Dissertation Supervisory Committee will inevitably provide suggestions at the Dissertation Defense for further changes) shall be distributed to all faculty on the Dissertation Supervisory Committee no later than three weeks prior to the scheduled date of the Dissertation Defense. While the form of the Dissertation Defense will vary from committee to committee, each Dissertation Defense will include:
The above is simply a suggested order. The actual structure, as long as it includes the above, is at the discretion of the Dissertation Supervisory Committee.
The Graduate Teaching Assistant either has full responsibility for teaching a course, assists a faculty member in her/his teaching or carries out other teaching activities as assigned by the Assistant Chair. Assisting teaching may include grading papers and exams, conducting laboratory sections in undergraduate research methods, conducting tutorial sections for students enrolled in psychology courses, etc. Most students teach one or more sections of General Psychology. Experienced students may teach sections of other courses. Graduate Teaching Assistants are not paid to assist faculty in their research or for doing their own research. All students who teach are required to use the S.P.T.E. course evaluation instrument in all classes they teach. A copy of the standardized results is reproduced by the Departmental Secretary before the results are returned to the student. Normally, students will not be allowed to teach until they have completed the Graduate School’s Graduate Teaching Assistant orientation and Departmental ethics training. Graduate Research Assistants and Graduate Assistants Graduate Research Assistants and Graduate Assistants are funded for various activities including assisting faculty members in their research, working for the Social Science Research Laboratory, designated Departmental tasks, etc. Non-resident graduate assistants working sixteen hours or more per week are charged the tuition of a Kansas resident. Only Graduate Teaching Assistants receive an additional tuition waiver. Those involved in direct teaching receive a larger waiver than those assisting teaching. If a student has had an assistantship of any kind for both the Fall and Spring Semesters, then during the summer, the student will pay tuition at the Kansas resident rate whether or not the student has summer assistantship funding. Additional tuition reduction follows same rules as during a Fall or Spring Semester. The Psychology Graduate Student Organization The Psychology Graduate Student Organization (PGSO) is a student organization formed specifically for the graduate students within the Psychology Department, and it is strongly supported by the Department. Membership is automatic and participation in organizational activities is encouraged, but voluntary. There are no fees charged to be a member of PGSO. PGSO was formed in 1972 for the purpose of promoting excellence in the Psychology Graduate Programs at Wichita State University. Since then, the organization has focused its attention on two main goals: 1) to promote professional advancement and 2) to provide a support network for graduate students within both programs. To meet the goal of professional advancement, the organization encourages involvement in research, invites professionals to speak about issues relevant to Psychology, and encourages students to attend professional conferences. When funds are available, PGSO promotes attendance at professional conferences by providing support for a maximum of two conferences per student each year. With assistance from the Student Government Association and other funding sources, PGSO helps fund guest speakers within related fields to speak during Departmental colloquiums. PGSO also serves as a support network for graduate students. It is the intent of the organization to unite and strengthen the comradery between graduate students within the Psychology Department. The organization hosts several socials throughout the year in order for the students to socialize with one another as well as enjoy a break from the stress of graduate school. PGSO also serves as liaison between the students and the faculty on departmental issues. PGSO has continuously facilitated social interaction and promoted informal relationships between psychology graduate students and faculty. Each year a committee is elected by the psychology graduate student body to maintain primary responsibility for operating and maintaining the mission of PGSO. The committee consists of a President, a Vice-President, a Treasurer, and a Newsletter Editor. To promote participation in PGSO, one in-coming student from each doctoral program (Human Factors and Community-Clinical) is asked to serve on the committee for that year. These students are recruited during the Departmental Orientation held the Wednesday prior to the start of classes in the Fall. Special Awards and Fellowships for Graduate Students Student Funding for Conference Presentations The department provides, when possible, funds for professional development to the Psychology Graduate Student Organization (PGSO). Students may apply to PGSO for travel funds. Equal Opportunity Fund (EOF) Amount of Award: $350 per semester Application Deadline: June 1 Financial support for new and continuing part-time students. Eligibility: Full-standing, degree bound graduate student not enrolled in more than six hours and qualifying for financial assistance based upon submission of Financial Need Planning Form and letter explaining reasons assistance is necessary. Applicants may not hold remunerative employment at Wichita State University. Delano Maggard, Jr. Graduate Student Loan Fund Amount of Award: $300 loan, Application Deadline: October 1 for Fall Semester -- February 7 for Spring Semester Forgivable loan to support graduate students in the conduct of their independent research and investigation in their field of major interest. Eligibility: Full-standing in a degree program, academic good standing. Enrollment in semester prior to semester of award. Satisfactory academic record in course work related to proposed course of study. The loan is forgiven if the activity is carried through to conclusion and a written report is submitted to Graduate School. Special Research Scholarships and Travel Awards Award Amounts: Single Authors: $200, Co-authors: $150 each, Multiple authors: $100 each Participant without a presentation: variable Application Deadline: Ongoing. Students may receive only one such award per calendar year. In order to encourage research among graduate students and to recognize their superior achievement, the Graduate School awards special scholarships to graduate students who present the results of their scholarly research at professional meetings and conferences. Successful applicants must: 1)be in good academic standing, 2)have an approved Plan of Study on file (unless fewer than 12 hours have been accumulated), 3)submit proof that the presentation has been accepted for presentation at a professional meeting, 4)not have received another special research scholarship within the calendar year. An application by letter or memo must be submitted to the Graduate Coordinator for forwarding to the Dean of the Graduate School at least four weeks prior to the meeting. The application must include proof of acceptance, such as a copy of the conference program showing the applicant’s name and presentation title or a letter of acceptance from the conference or session organizer. Graduate students who do not present their own work, but for whom the experience of participating in a professional meeting is in itself an important research activity, may also apply. In this case, the importance of the meeting for the student’s research must be documented by letter from the major Faculty Advisor. Dora Wallace Hodgson Outstanding Doctoral Dissertation Award Amount of Award: $700 Application Deadline: February 7 The student must have completed doctoral dissertation work at Wichita State University within past academic year. Students are nominated by faculty. Dora Wallace Hodgson Outstanding Doctoral Level Graduate Student Award Amount of Award: $500 Application Deadline: February 7 Currently enrolled graduate students who are candidates for the degree are eligible . Students are nominated by faculty. Dora Wallace Hodgson Outstanding 1st Year Graduate Fellowships Amount of Award: $1000 Application Deadline: February 7 This fellowship is awarded to one master's student and one graduate student completing his/her first year of graduate study at Wichita State. To be eligible, the student must be currently enrolled and in good standing in a degree bound program. Nominated by faculty. Michael P. Tilford Graduate Fellowship Amount of Award: Determined Annually Deadline: February 7 This fellowship was established in memory of Dr. Michael P. Tilford, Dean of the Graduate School. Any currently enrolled full-time graduate students in good academic standing in any graduate degree program are eligible. Preference is given for a minority student who is a US citizen. Financial need will be considered. Nominations come from faculty. Dr. Laiten L. and Verna Nye Camien Fellowship Amount of Award: Determined Annually Deadline: February 7 This award is for a graduate student in the social sciences, foreign languages, or education. The student must be in good academic standing and making satisfactory progress toward the degree. Nominations come from faculty. Academic and Professional Performance Standards The faculty of the doctoral programs in the Psychology Department has a responsibility to
These skills are acquired in the classroom, in the laboratory, and in practicum, internship or research experiences that are intended to provide practice in integrating academic foundations with application. Applied experiences are gained in actual field settings. Hence, it is the faculty’s responsibility to enable the graduate students to engage in activities which reflect the current best ethical practices in Psychology and cause no harm to students, consultees, clients, research participants, agencies and organizations. It is the responsibility of the faculty to:
Authorship of Papers with Faculty The Department adheres to the guidelines outlined in the APA publication manual. When students collaborate with faculty on publications and presentations (including 2nd Year Projects and dissertations), it is expected that these guidelines will be respected. A student must maintain an overall grade point average of at least 3.0 ("B") to remain in good standing in the program. If a student’s GPA drops below 3.0, he/she will be placed on academic probation by the Graduate School. Such a student will have one semester to increase the average to 3.0 or better. Failure to do so constitutes grounds for a Departmental recommendation to the Graduate School of dismissal for inadequate academic progress. A letter grade of "C" or lower indicates unsatisfactory work for a graduate student. Such a grade is not acceptable. Should a grade of "C" be made in any of the foundations courses or the advanced methods courses, the student must retake the course and earn a grade of "B" or better. Failure to do so constitutes grounds for a Departmental recommendation to the Graduate School of dismissal for inadequate academic progress. Earning the grade of "C" or lower in any three graduate level psychology courses constitutes grounds for a recommendation of dismissal to the Graduate School for inadequate academic progress. The record will first be reviewed by the student’s Program Faculty, who will make a recommendation to the full faculty. All students are evaluated on professional skills as well as their rate of progress and classroom performance. The particular skills depend upon the program area within the Department. Students are required to participate in their evaluations to whatever extent the faculty deem necessary as a condition for remaining in good standing in the program. Evaluation Procedure All graduate students will be evaluated by the faculty during the Spring Semester. Students holding graduate assistantships will have their performance in their assistantship evaluated towards the end of both the Fall and the Spring Semesters.
Graduate Assistant Evaluation A graduate assistant evaluation will be done towards the end of the Fall and Spring Semesters. Each student’s performance in their assistantship activities will be evaluated as either satisfactory or unsatisfactory. If the result is "unsatisfactory", the student will either be given a formal Warning as described below or, if their poor performance is chronic, have their assistantship removed. Professional Behavior of Students Appropriate standards of conduct are covered in courses in the student’s graduate program. It is, however, the student’s responsibility to know the standards and apply them. Definition of Problem Behaviors A student is not exhibiting behavior appropriate to the role of a doctoral level psychology student if any (although not limited to) of the behaviors listed below are present:
Departmental Assessment In cases in which a student exhibits any of the above characteristics, the following questions are considered:
Departmental Action The faculty is in agreement with the American Psychological Association that "Students who experience continued serious difficulties and do not function effectively in academic and/or interpersonal situations should be counseled early, made aware of career alternatives, and if necessary, dropped from the program." Reasonable efforts will be made to help the student overcome any problems that impair her/his ability to develop into a competent, ethical psychologist. While these efforts are underway, the department may restrict the student’s activities or grant Academic Absence. Efforts toward remediation may include but are not limited to the following:
If reasonable means of ameliorating the problem have been explored and exhausted without acceptable progress, the faculty will recommend to the Graduate Dean that the student be terminated from the program and from the Graduate School.
There may be cases where the department has concern about progress, ethical matters, academic or applied performance, research, etc., sufficient to justify issuing a written warning to the student which is also placed in the student’s file. This should occur only after consultation with the student concerning the issue. Written feedback will contain:
A warning is recommended to the Departmental Faculty by the student’s Program Faculty. Upon approval by the Departmental Faculty, the warning is communicated to the student by the Graduate Coordinator. Academic Absence up to one calendar year may be granted by the Department. This requires a written request which is signed application by the student, the student’s Faculty Advisor and the student’s Program Coordinator to be submitted to the Student Affairs Committee. The request must include the reason for the Academic Absence and when the student wishes to return. A record of the approved Academic Absence is placed in student’s file. It should be noted that time on leave "counts" towards the time limit for completion of the doctoral degree. Under unusual circumstances and upon application to the Student Affairs Committee, the Academic Absence may be renewed. If a graduate student fails to enroll in a course approved by his/her Faculty Advisor for a semester without written permission of the Department, that student will be said to have "dropped out" and will be notified of this in writing. Any student who "drops out" must formally reapply for admittance to graduate work in the Department. Grievance Procedures for Graduate Students Grievance procedures are designed to provide guidance to graduate students in protesting an actual or supposed circumstance in which they feel they have been wronged. Limitations Conflicts eligible for resolution under these procedures are restricted to academic matters other than grades. Disputes about grades are resolved through the Student Court of Academic Appeals. Grievances can be initiated for circumstances which are within one year from the time of the events in question. Steps in the Process
Role of the Graduate Dean The Dean of the Graduate School or his/her designee receives complaints or protests and decides whether to take direct administrative action to resolve the conflict or refer the grievance to the Graduate Council. A decision of the Graduate Dean may be appealed to the Graduate Council [see below]. The decision of the Dean of the Graduate School on recommendations received from the Graduate Council is final. Role of the Graduate Council In addition to being the elected representative of the Graduate Faculty, the Graduate Council serves as the Committee on Exceptions in an advisory capacity to the Dean of the Graduate School. This responsibility may be discharged by the Council acting as a Committee of the Whole, through Subcommittees, or Ad Hoc Committees consisting of selected members of the Graduate Faculty and Graduate Student Body. Conclusions reached by the Graduate Council will be transmitted as recommendations to the Dean of the Graduate School. The Graduate Council also serves as a Committee of Appeals if the student is dissatisfied with direct administrative action taken by the Graduate Dean. In such cases, the judgement of the Council is final.
Policy Prohibiting Sexual Harassment
It is the policy of Wichita State University to prohibit discrimination against individuals or groups of individuals based on race, sex, religion, national origin, age or disability in all aspects of University life. To prevent discrimination, the University has adopted a variety of policy statements to educate and advise University constituencies. In addition, the University has adopted a comprehensive Affirmative action Plan which outlines procedures that are aimed at eliminating discrimination. In addition to being illegal, sexual harassment runs counter to the objectives of this University. When people, whether student, faculty, unclassified professional or classified staff feel coerced, threatened, intimidated, or otherwise pressured by others into granting sexual favors, their academic and work performance is likely to suffer. In addition, such actions violate not only the dignity of the individual, but also the integrity of the University as an institution for learning. Academic freedom flourishes when all are free to pursue ideas in a non threatening, non-coercive atmosphere of mutual respect. Sexual harassment is thus harmful not only to persons involved, but also to the entire University community. With the adoption of this policy on sexual harassment, Wichita State University reaffirms its commitment to maintaining an environment free of intimidation, fear, reprisal and coercion—one in which students, faculty, unclassified professionals and classified staff can develop intellectually, professionally, personally and socially.
All members of the University community are responsible for promoting a positive working and learning environment where all persons are free to discuss any problems or questions they may have concerning sexual harassment at the University, without fear of intimidation or retaliation. To that end., the University administration shall widely disseminate this policy and procedures prohibiting sexual harassment so that all members of the University community are fully informed of their rights and responsibilities.
Sexual harassment involves behaviors which interfere with an individual’s work or the learning environment through unwelcome sexual advances, requests for sexual favors, or other verbal or physical conduct which unreasonably interferes with an individual’s work performance or educational experience, or creates an intimidating, hostile or offensive working or learning environment. To the extent that individuals are protected from a "hostile environment," it must be understood that the University cannot protect its constituents from verbal conduct which is upsetting, rude, or uncivil. A hostile environment complaint under this policy requires that a reasonable person in the complainant’s circumstances experiences conduct which is severe and/or pervasive enough that the conditions of such persons’ work or educational environment are altered. In determining whether alleged conduct constitutes sexual harassment, it is necessary to look at the entire context and pattern of behavior. The clearest example of sexual harassment is an attempt to coerce an unwilling person into a sexual relationship by using an employment or educational relationship. However, any behavior, whether verbal or physical, constitutes sexual harassment if:
The procedures for dealing with sexual harassment issues and complaints are essentially similar for all persons at Wichita State University. The levels or types of procedures, namely Counsel and Advice, Informal procedure and Formal Procedure, are consistent across all employment categories. An intent of this policy is to have the procedures of this policy compatible with existing related policies such as grievance procedures. Therefore, some differences in procedures exist among the major employment categories of classified, faculty, and unclassified professional. For students, existing established procedures are also recognized and utilized in this policy. The Counsel and Advice procedures are exactly the same for all categories. The informal and formal procedures for classified staff, unclassified professionals and students are presented with a combined set of procedures. The faculty procedures, while essentially parallel, are presented separately.
Regardless of an individual’s personal responsibility to deal with grievances directly and informally, this is not always practical in cases of perceived sexual harassment. The person may fear retaliation from the perceived harasser. Further, the perceived harassment may be of such a nature that engaging in such conduct violates no only reasonable standards of personal conduct, but the standards of professional conduct that the University expects and requires its professional employees to observe. Individuals may, therefore, seek counsel and advice from various campus offices, such as the Counseling Center, or from trusted individuals in order to clarify in their own mind the situation they find themselves in, or to explore various means available for redressing their grievance. When seeking counsel and advice, persons should keep in mind that:
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