Doctor of Psychology in the field of Clinical Psychology
Clinical Psychology is a scientific discipline that aims to understand, prevent, and relieve psychological distress and dysfunctions, as well as to promote well-being and personal development. Clinical Psychologists are employed in hospitals, government sectors (e.g., Department of Health, Social Welfare Department etc.), counseling service units, and non-government organisations. Daily duties of clinical psychologists include conducting psychological assessments, delivering psychological interventions, giving public educational talks, providing staff training and consultation, and conducting scientific research. The Department of Psychology of HKU offers three postgraduate programmes in clinical psychology, including the Master of Social Science in the field of Clinical Psychology Programme, the Doctor of Psychology in the field of Clinical Psychology Programme, and the PhD with Specialization in Clinical Psychology Programme.
Doctor of Psychology (PsyD) in the field of Clinical Psychology programme, established in 2004, integrates research, coursework and clinical specialty training. It aims to train psychologists who will be competent researchers and clinical specialists. Graduates are expected to lead clinical and research development in the profession, and bridge applied research findings with evidence-based clinical practice.
We adopt a group-based supervision and consultation model of research training. Leveraging the diverse expertise of our teaching faculty, we provide students with varied perspectives on their research topics and diverse methods to conduct their research. Each student will receive feedback on their research from multiple faculty members during research seminars, in addition to primary, individual supervision by one faculty member.
The curriculum of Doctor of Psychology (PsyD) in the field of Clinical Psychology extends over a minimum of twenty-four months of full-time study or thirty-six months of part-time study. Candidates are expected to complete satisfactorily the required courses and a thesis as set out below. The courses cover theoretical and applied aspects of clinical psychology.
Doctoral candidates should attend all courses in List A and at least 1 course in List B:
List A
PSYC6100 – Supervised reading in research studies
PSYC6010 – Conceptual and methodological issues in psychological research I
PSYC6011 – Conceptual and methodological issues in psychological research II
PSYC6101 – Thesis
PSYC6102 – Clinical specialty training
GRSC6101 – Responsible conduct of research
GRSC6102 – Stream-based responsible conduct of research
List B
PSYC8002 – Community and health psychology
PSYC8001 – Clinical seminar II
PSYC8007 – Applied developmental psychology
PSYC6020 – Clinical seminar III
PSYC6026 – Seminar in neuroscience
PSYC6027 – Developmental neuroscience
PSYC6028 – Neurobiological basis of psychological issues
PSYC6025 – Postgraduate seminar in scientific writing for psychology
PSYC7021 – Postgraduate seminar in cognitive psychology
PSYC7022 – Postgraduate seminar in social psychology
PSYC7023 – Postgraduate seminar in developmental psychology
For the details of course description and syllabus of PsyD in the field of Clinical Psychology programmes, please click here
To be eligible for admission to the Doctor of Psychology (PsyD) in the field of Clinical Psychology programme, a candidate shall satisfy both the University admission requirement and the programme specific requirements as listed below:
- hold a Master of Social Sciences in Clinical Psychology degree of this University, or another qualification of an equivalent standard from this University or from another University or comparable institution accepted for this purpose;
- shall be eligible for membership in the Hong Kong Psychological Society, Division of Clinical Psychology, or in the Hong Kong Institute of Clinical Psychologists;
- preferably, shall have working experience in the field of Clinical Psychology, as appropriate;
- satisfying the examiners in a qualifying examination if required;
- candidate who is seeking admission on the basis of a qualification from a university or comparable institution outside Hong Kong of which the language of teaching and/or examination is not English, shall satisfy the University English language requirement applicable to higher degrees as prescribed under the General Regulation G2(b); and,
- compliance with the General Regulations.
Application for exemption from the above requirements shall be considered on a case-by-case basis.
The curriculum extends over two academic years of full-time study or three academic years of part-time study.
Full-time: HK$167,550 p.a.
Part-time: HK$111,700 p.a.
For the details of composition fees for the taught postgraduate programmes, please visit https://handbook.hku.hk/tpg/2023/fee/fee.html
Financial assistance is available for full-time postgraduate students. Enquiries should be made to the Student Financial Assistance Agency, 11/F & 12/F, Cheung Sha Wan Government Offices, 303 Cheung Sha Wan Road, Kowloon (http://www.wfsfaa.gov.hk/sfo/en/index.htm).
* The fees are for the 2024-25 academic year only.
The Doctor of Psychology (PsyD) in the field of Clinical Psychology programme admits students every year.
Applications shall be made online at the TPg Admissions Website (only on-line applications are accepted). Applicants are reminded to read carefully the Additional Information, Regulations and Syllabuses and Supporting Documents before submitting the application. If you encounter any application difficulties, please first read the FAQ of the TPg admission website. For additional enquiries, please send an email to cwfung@hku.hk and quote your full name in English and application number in the email.
Applications are now invited for admission in September 2024. The closing date is 12:00 noon (GMT +8), 31 May 2024. All applicants will be notified of the application results by July 31, 2024 at the latest.
Applicants are required to provide both hard and soft copies of supporting documents on or before 31 May 2024.
Each applicant is required to provide contact information of two referees (academic/ professional) during the online application. The referees will then receive an email invitation to complete an online referee survey. Applicants should remind their referees to complete the referee survey on or before 31 May 2024.
Each applicant is required to list three research topics you are interested in pursuing. One of them shall be the topic of your research proposal.
Please provide both soft and hard copies of Supporting Documents to our department.
Soft Copy
You will receive an email invitation with a link to upload your supporting document after your submission of online application. Please upload all supporting document within one month starting from the date you receive the email notification, or by 23:59 on 31 May 2024, whichever is earlier. Transcripts, diplomas, certificates and other submitted documents which are not in English should be accompanied by a certified translation in English. Certified translation may be provided by your home institution. Only PDF files are accepted.
Hard copy
Please send the supporting document (including the checklist) by post/courier/in person to the following address on or before 31 May 2024:
Department of Psychology
Room 627, 6/F, The Jockey Club Tower
Centennial Campus
The University of Hong Kong
Pokfulam Road, Hong Kong
(Ref.: PsyD(Clinical Psychology))
Please use registered post / courier if you would like to track the status of delivery. The department will not be able to check the receipt of document for individual applicant.
If you submit the document in person, please visit the Department website for our office hours.
For submission of hard copies, your application number should be marked on each document. Transcripts, diplomas, certificates and other submitted documents which are not in English should be accompanied by a certified translation in English. Certified translation may be provided by your home institution.
Please note that documents once submitted will not be returned, and will be destroyed if the application is unsuccessful.
For further information about programme admissions for September 2024 entry, please read through the materials in the below hyperlinks which are also available for viewing at the homepage of Taught Postgraduate Admissions of The University of Hong Kong.
Application procedure and admission-related enquiries:
Ms. Doris FUNG (Tel: (852) 3917 5866; Email: cwfung@hku.hk).
Programme and professional-related enquires:
Dr. Wai Sze CHAN (E-mail: chanwais@hku.hk)
Answers to frequently asked questions about admissions into postgraduate programmes at The University of Hong Kong can be found here.
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