The documents and information below are for students in the JFK School of Psychology and Social Sciences - PhD programs with a five-chapter dissertation. These resources are for students in the PhD-Psy and PhD-MFT.

Dissertation Policies

Dissertation Proposal/Manuscript Template

Dissertation Proposal Presentation Decks

Oral Defense Slide Decks

The documents and information below are for students in the JFK School of Psychology and Social Sciences - DMFT program with a three-section Doctoral Project. These resources are for the DMFT only.

What is a DMFT Doctoral Project?

Both MFT doctoral programs have a capstone experience. Students complete a basic research dissertation in the PhD program. They find a gap in the literature that matters, meaning there are implications for communities, families, individuals, and/or professions if that gap isn’t filled, and design a theoretically informed study to fill that gap. Thus, the PhD dissertation is not an applied study (like conducting a treatment outcome study or collecting and analyzing post-services satisfaction surveys for a community agency). 

In contrast, students in the DMFT complete a doctoral project. The project is intellectually equivalent to the dissertation, but has an applied, real-world element to it. Students identify a need, whether local, regional, or national, and design a project to begin addressing that need. For example, students might design or evaluate a program, develop a strategic plan for an organization, or evaluate the initiatives of a state MFT organization. Many DMFT students often select a project in their current workplace that can demonstrate their administrative and doctoral level systemic training to improve or advance needs of their current organization. 

Applied Doctoral Project Policies

Applied Doctoral Project Proposal/Manuscript Template

Professional Presentation Defense Slide Decks