1:18 p.m., Jan. 29, 2016--The University of Delaware’s doctoral program in clinical psychology has been ranked No. 4 in the nation by the website Best Counseling Degrees.

The site evaluated programs offering a Ph.D. in clinical psychology, not those with programs leading to a Psy.D., or doctor of psychology degree. Ph.D. programs, which the site notes are highly selective, are generally focused on research.

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To create the new rankings, Best Counseling Degrees says it began with a list of more than 175 schools with programs accredited by the American Psychological Association and evaluated them according to four criteria: their graduates’ rates of passing the Examination for Professional Practice of Psychology (EPPP); the percentage of students who obtained accredited internships; the number of graduates who became professionally licensed; and the average number of years to complete the program.

UD, where the Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences offers a Ph.D., in clinical science, ranked fourth, following the University of Iowa (which ranked first), Yale University and the University of Pittsburgh.

The listing says that UD faculty members “are involved in ongoing rigorous and well-funded research projects, including some in connection with a variety of partners across a variety of disciplines at the local, state and national level.”

The program’s EPPP pass rate and the percentage of students obtaining accredited internships are both listed as 100 percent and the licensure rate as 61 percent. All student tuition and fees are covered by assistantships or fellowships, the site notes.

The University’s Clinical Science Program, established in 1968, has been continuously accredited by the American Psychological Association since 1975 and was accredited by the Psychological Clinical Science Accreditation System in 2011.