Doctor of Philosophy in Counseling Psychology

The doctoral program in counseling psychology is based on a philosophy that theory, research, and practice are interdependent and complementary dimensions of professional education in a scientist-practitioner training model. The educational curriculum and practical experiences of the program are designed to ensure competency in all three dimensions and to facilitate their integration in the development of a professional identity. Consistent with these goals, the curriculum in counseling psychology consists of course work and related experiences in four broad areas: 1) the science of psychology, 2) specialization in counseling psychology, 3) counseling and psychotherapy, and 4) research. The program recognizes that counseling psychologists may be employed in a variety of professional settings such as academic departments, college and university counseling centers, mental health agencies, private practices, and business and industry. Consequently, the program provides broad-based training appropriate to accommodate the potentially diverse career interests of its graduates.

Training typically fulfills expectations for psychologist licensure/certification eligibility. The program is accredited by the American Psychological Association and is designated as a doctoral program in psychology by the Council for the National Register of Health Service Providers in Psychology.

Program Requirements

The credit hour requirements and the course work for the Counseling Psychology Program include:

Basic scientific core (30 hrs.)
1. Research methods (6 hrs.)
2. Statistics (6 hrs.)
3. Biological basis of behavior (3 hrs.)
4. Cognitive-affective basis of behavior (3 hrs.)
5. Social basis of behavior (3 hrs.)
6. Individual behavior and human development (6 hrs.)
7. History and systems of psychology (3 hrs.)
Specialization in Counseling Psychology (42 hrs.)
1. Counseling Psychology (24 hrs.)
2. Human Assessment (6 hrs.)
3. Supervised Practica (12 hrs.)
Recommended Electives (3 hrs.)
Doctoral Dissertation (12 hrs.)
Pre-doctoral Internship (4 hrs.)

Total Hours 91

Counseling Psychology students are expected to demonstrate competencies in psychological theory, practice, and research by passing a series of doctoral comprehensive examinations in the following areas: 1) counseling psychology information and knowledge and 2) professional work sample. Students must also meet the general residency requirement for doctoral students of one academic year (two consecutive semesters) of full-time study on campus.