Three of these new courses are also acceptable electives for psychology majors (at least at USD): Psychological First Aid, Children and Trauma, and Introduction to Disaster Mental Health.

Since the undergraduate Minor in Disaster Response is a psychology minor, psychology majors may not use it as a minor. The USD Department of Psychology will allow undergraduate psychology majors to complete a Specialization in Disaster Response. (Psychology departments at other campuses are also welcome to offer this specialization if they choose.) This specialization requires six hours beyond the 31 hours which is the minimum requirement for psychology majors at USD.

PSYC 255, Introduction to Disaster Response, 3 credit hours
PSYC 256, Psychological First Aid, 3 credit hours
PSYC 258, Children and Trauma, 3 credit hours
PSYC 359, Practicum in Disaster Response, 3 credit hours, and
PSYC 456, Introduction to Disaster Psychology, 3 credit hours.

PSYC 455, Advanced Disaster Response, 1-3 credit hours
PSYC 457, Directed Readings in Disaster, 1-3 credit hours
PSYC 458, Directed Research in Disaster, 1-3 credit hours
PSYC 459, Advanced Seminar: Selected Topics in Disaster, 1-3 credit hours
SOC 100, Introduction to Sociology, 3 credit hours
PSYC 241, Social Psychology, 3 credit hours
PSYC 429, Psychology of Safety, 3 credit hours

Students completing the Psychology Specialization in Disaster Response are required to also complete all requirements for the Psychology Major. Therefore, psychology majors wishing to complete the specialization need to complete six hours beyond the 29 hours which is the minimum requirement for psychology majors at USD.

Students completing the Psychology Major Specialization in Disaster Response are required to maintain a "B" average in courses applied to the Specialization. Students are required to successfully perform a capstone exercise to complete the Specialization. They are also required to complete the Graduate Record Examination subject test in psychology and submit their scores to the DMHI.

The capstone exercise will be judged by an external team composed of disaster response personnel who are members of the DSHR, the ARC national disaster team. These examiners will be asked to compare the performance of these students on a practical disaster response examination with the skills and knowledge of entry level disaster response personnel with whom they have worked in disaster.

Alumni of the psychology major Specialization in Disaster Response will be tracked to determine if they continue participation in disaster response and community service, and whether they pursue graduate training in mental health fields.

Within the USD American Psychological Association-accredited doctoral Clinical Training Program in psychology, a Doctoral Specialty Track in Clinical/Disaster Psychology is offered.

Total semester credit hours: 21

PSYC 655, Crisis Intervention, 3 credit hours
PSYC 656, Disaster Mental Health, 3 credit hours
PSYC 657, Posttraumatic Stress Disorder, 3 credit hours
PSYC 658, Serving the Diverse Community in Disaster, 3 credit hours
PSYC 754, Introduction to Behavior Therapy, 3 credit hours
PSYC 780, Rural Community Mental Health (a required Clinical Training Program Course)

PSYC 659, International Disaster Psychology, 3 credit hours
PSYC 755, Management in Disaster Mental Health, 3 credit hours
PSYC 757, Directed Readings in Disaster Psychology, 3 credit hours
PSYC 758, Directed Research in Disaster Psychology, 3 credit hours
PSYC 759, Selected Topics in Disaster Psychology, 3 credit hours

If a student chooses all her or his elective courses from this pool of disaster courses, he or she only needs to take nine hours beyond the minimum courses required for the doctoral clinical degree. All students in the specialty track are required to complete all requirements for the clinical doctoral degree as well as the requirements for the Doctoral Specialty Track in Clinical/Disaster Psychology. Doctoral students pursuing this specialty track are required to complete their theses and/or their dissertations in a trauma- or disaster-related field of psychology.

A grade of "C" or lower in any course required for the Doctoral Specialty Track in Clinical/Disaster Psychology will be unacceptable and will necessitate the student repeating the course if he/she wishes to complete the specialty track.

Students in the Doctoral Specialty Track in Clinical/Disaster Psychology are required to complete a tabletop disaster response scenario simulation for the DMHI faculty and national figures in the field at the annual DMHI conference. This will provide a capstone measure of the student's mastery of Clinical/Disaster Psychology. The goal for this assessment is that all students will be evaluated by the national team members as superior to entry level disaster mental health personnel.

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The DMHI offers a Graduate Certificate in Disaster Mental Health to graduate students in the USD and SDSU counseling programs, the SDSU graduate nursing program, and the USD psychiatric residency program. This certificate is also available to existing licensed mental health professionals.

Total semester credit hours: 12

PSYC 655, Crisis Intervention, 3 credit hours
PSYC 656, Disaster Mental Health, 3 credit hours
PSYC 658, Serving the Diverse Community in Disaster, 3 credit hours

PSYC 657, Posttraumatic Stress Disorder, 3 credit hours
PSYC 659, International Disaster Psychology, 3 credit hours
PSYC 755, Management in Disaster Mental Health, 3 credit hours
PSYC 757, Directed Readings in Disaster Psychology, 3 credit hours
PSYC 758, Directed Research in Disaster Psychology, 3 credit hours
PSYC 759, Selected Topics in Disaster Psychology, 3 credit hours

All graduate students enrolled in mental health programs who wish to receive the Graduate Certificate in Disaster Mental Health are required to complete all requirements for their degrees in addition to the requirements for the proposed certificate.

A grade of "C" or lower in any course required for the graduate certificate is unacceptable and necessitates the student repeating the course if she/he wish to complete the certificate.

Students in the Graduate Certificate program are required to complete a tabletop disaster response scenario for the DMHI faculty and national figures in the field at the annual DMHI conference. This provides a capstone measure of the success of the graduate certificate program. The goal for this assessment is that all students will be evaluated by the national team members as superior to entry level disaster mental health personnel.