ULusófona’s PhD programme in Psychology receives top accreditation from A3ES
The programme has been awarded a six-year accreditation and has been recognised for its scientific, teaching and international standards
Sustainable Development Goals (SDG)
The School of Psychology and Life Sciences at Lusófona University has seen its PhD programme in Clinical Psychology, with a cognitive-behavioural orientation, accredited by A3ES with the highest rating: 6 years of accreditation without conditions.
The decision is based on a highly positive opinion from the External Evaluation Committee (CAE), which highlights the programme’s significant progress since its last evaluation in 2020, when it had been granted conditional accreditation.
According to the report, the doctoral programme is described as “scientifically well-founded, operationally consolidated and pedagogically coherent”, with emphasis placed on the strengthening of its overall quality over recent years.
The CAE highlights the scientific identity of the PhD programme, based on Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), transdiagnostic approaches and technology-mediated clinical intervention, considering it to be clearly defined, up-to-date and distinctive within Portuguese higher education.
The curriculum structure is also considered to be aligned with international standards, namely with the European Association for Behavioural and Cognitive Therapies and with training models from the United Kingdom, Germany and Scandinavia.
The report emphasises the programme’s strong scientific dimension, highlighting:
- Publications mainly in first- and second-quartile international journals.
- 25 research projects led since the last evaluation.
- Significant competitive funding, including a Horizon Europe grant of over 6 million euros.
The CAE considers these indicators “exceptional for a programme of this scale”.
The PhD programme has seen consistent demand, with more applicants than available places in several intakes. The integration of students into the scientific environment through the HEI-Lab is also highlighted as a key structural asset.
Internal indicators reinforce the programme’s quality:
- 45% of students receive a grant.
- 86% retention rate.
The teaching staff is described as highly qualified, with 84% of lecturers specialising in the programme’s core area and all integrated into research units classified as “Very Good” or “Excellent”.
The report also praises the quality of the self-assessment, which is considered rigorous, critical and geared towards concrete improvements.
In light of these indicators, the CAE concludes that the programme demonstrates high quality in all assessed dimensions, recommending its unconditional accreditation for 6 years.
