Why does it take so long to get a Ph.D?

<p>Four years of full loads...or it's going to take you four years?</p>

<p>4 years are long?
why no one asked why it took so long to complete 4 years in high school? or maybe a BS degree. </p>

<p>those are averages. Some people are below / above average.</p>

<p>Jaso9n2, if you look more fully at the site you yourself linked to, you will see the previous paragraph:</p>

<p>"Students are required to complete their Ph.D. oral and written
exams at the end of their fourth semester in the program (not
including summer). Students will be expected to prepare the
prospectus of their dissertation and defend it to their dissertation
committee before the beginning of the next semester (typically
before the end of registration for fall semester). </p>

<p>There is a five-year time limit for the completion of the Ph.D.;
this period begins with the defense of the prospectus...."</p>

<p>As you can see, I hope, this indicates that the five year limit you mention is <em>following</em> two years of coursework, which would make a maximum of seven years total, after having enrolled in the program.</p>

<p>for clinical psychology:
-full course load (for first 2 years, then it gets less)
-be a TA at least one class per semester
-be a lab instructor for at least 1 class per semester
-Be involved with professors research in your mentors lab
-do your own empirical research for masters degree
-get clinical hours- need 2,000 hours before you can apply for internship
-dissertation- takes 1-2 years
and then a year of internship</p>

<p>Boo, Yale E&EB! Princeton E&EB is better. <a href="http://www.eeb.princeton.edu%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.eeb.princeton.edu&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

<p>(I know this is totally irrelevant but I just had to do it.)</p>

<p>^-get clinical hours- need 2,000 hours before you can apply for internship</p>

<p>Not so. My mom is a psychologist, and she needs 2000 supervised hours before she can get her license (not intership).</p>

<p>^^schools i looked at all had that requirement for clinical hours.</p>