PhD in the field of Clinical Psychological Sciences

The Department of Psychology offers a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) programme in the field of clinical psychological sciences. This programme is for students seeking excellence in academic, scientific and clinical training. It aims to train outstanding students and prepare them for increasingly complicated, demanding and independent roles as clinical scientists. The ultimate goal of this programme is to produce future faculty, scientist-practitioners, and leaders in clinical sciences, well prepared for research, university-level teaching, and clinical service delivery.​ Candidates in this programme will engage with faculty in research activities in field of clinical psychological sciences and are expected to develop an independent line of research under individualized supervision.

In addition to the one-to-one mode of supervision, candidates will be required to complete the general coursework components of the PhD programme as required by the Graduate school and the Faculty/Department/School. Please click here for details.

Applicants who have a good Bachelor’s degree with honours and/or a taught Master’s degree will be considered for admission to a 4-year PhD programme, whereas those who already hold a research Master’s degree (e.g. MPhil) will be considered for admission to a 3-year PhD programme.

Upon the completion of the PhD in the field of Clinical Psychological Sciences, candidates in this research track will be offered the option of further pursuing training in Clinical Psychology by completing the Master of Social Sciences in the field of Clinical Psychology, offered by the Department of Psychology, The University of Hong Kong. The progression to the MSocSc in the field of Clinical Psychology Programme is subject to 1) the successful completion of the PhD programme; 2) meeting the entrance requirement of MSocSc in field of Clinical Psychology; 3) passing a qualifying examination prior to admission, if required; and taking other tests as may be prescribed, and have the score reports of such tests sent to the Programme Director.

The programme admits students every year.

To be eligible for admission to the programme, a candidate shall

  1. meet the general qualifications for admission to PhD studies at The University of Hong Kong; Please click here for details.
  2. hold an honour’s degree in psychology or a recognized equivalent qualification;
  3. pass a qualifying examination prior to admission, if required; and take other tests as may be prescribed, and have the score reports of such tests sent to the Programme Director.

Please refer to the website Graduate School and click “Prospective Students” and “Fees, Scholarships & Financial Support” for more details.

Candidates under this research track should be working on a research area relevant to clinical psychological sciences. Candidates shall look for their interested research areas and search for potential supervisor in the Department of Psychology. Candidates shall indicate their proposed field of study as ‘Clinical Psychological Sciences’ when completing the online application form. Candidates can click here for details of potential supervisors’ profiles.


Details of application procedure at the Graduate School:
https://gradsch.hku.hk/prospective_students/application/how_to_apply

Information for RPg admission
Please refer to the website Graduate School and click “Prospective Students” and “Application” for more details.

Enquiries regarding the application process should be directed to General Office (Tel: 3917 2376, E-mail: rpsyc@hku.hk )

Programme Booklet - Doctor of Psychology in the field of Clinical Psychology
Please click here for more details
HKU Psychology