The doctoral program in counseling psychology trains generalists who are able to engage in a variety of activities ranging from clinical treatment to academic research. Reflecting a "scientist-practitioner" model, the curriculum prepares clinicians who apply the best and most current theory and research to their practice, and academicians who are grounded in the realities of practice. Although preparing students to be able to assess and treat the full range of disorders that psychologists address, our emphasis as counseling psychologists is upon personal, social, and career development of the whole person, and upon enhancing the environments in which people learn and work.
Students learn to critically evaluate major approaches to counseling, to evaluate, design, and conduct research, and to gain clinical experience working with people of diverse cultural backgrounds and worldviews. The program is intended for full-time students.
Since 1955, the Ph.D.program in Counseling Psychology has been accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of the American Psychological Association. If you have questions about our program's accreditation status, please contact: American Psychological Association, 750 1st Street, NE , Washington, DC 20002-4242 Phone:(202) 336-5979.
Admission
For admission requirements, please see the Counseling Psychology Ph.D. page. International admission requirements, including English language proficiency requirements, can be found on the Graduate Admissions page.
Counseling Psychology Ph.D. Degree Requirements
Required Major Courses:
Course List | Code | Title | Hours |
| ABSC 857 | Biological Bases of Behavior (OR) | 3 |
| Behavioral & Systems Neuroscience in Education | |
| EPSY 880 | Ethical and Legal Issues in Psychology and Counseling | 3 |
| EPSY 740 | Counseling and Interviewing Skills | 3 |
| EPSY 742 | Counseling Theory and Techniques | 3 |
| EPSY 830 | Individual and Group Assessment | 3 |
| EPSY 844 | Theory of Group Counseling | 3 |
| EPSY 846 | Career Development | 3 |
| EPSY 951 | Psychodiagnostic Assessment | 3 |
| EPSY 952 | Advanced Counseling Theory and Research | 3 |
| EPSY 954 | Vocational Psychology | 3 |
| EPSY 945 | Clinical Supervision and Consultation | 3 |
| EPSY 918 | Seminar in Current Issues in Counseling Psychology | 1 |
| EPSY 842 | Counseling Practicum (Elementary, Secondary, Counseling Psychology) (2 semesters =12 hrs.) | 6 |
| EPSY 948 | Advanced Practicum I (2 semesters = 6 hrs.) | 3 |
| EPSY 949 | Advanced Practicum II (2 semesters=6 hrs.) | 3 |
| EPSY 996 | College Teaching Experience in: _____ | 2 |
| EPSY 990 | Internship in Counseling Psychology (three semesters =3 hrs.) | 1 |
| EPSY 807 | Theories and Research in Human Learning | 3 |
| EPSY 808 | Advanced Social Psychology: Theory, Research, and Professional Applications (OR) | 3 |
| Advanced Social Psychology II | |
| PSYC 805 | History of Psychology (OR) | 3 |
| History and Systems of Psychology | |
| EPSY 705 | Human Development through the Lifespan | 3 |
| EPSY 890 | Diagnosis and Psychopathology (OR) | 3 |
| Advanced Psychopathology | |
| EPSY 875 | Understanding Cultural & Individual Differences in Professional Psychology | 3 |
| 3 |
| 3 |
| EPSY 999 | Doctoral Dissertation | 1-15 |
Required Research Skills:
Course List | Code | Title | Hours |
| EPSY 810 | Regression and ANOVA: General Linear Models | 3 |
| EPSY 905 | Fundamentals of Multivariate Modeling | 3 |
| EPSY 955 | Research Methods in Counseling Psychology | 3 |
| EPSY 822 | Educational Scales, Questionnaires, and Sampling (OR) | 3 |
| Advanced Measurement Theory and Practice | |
| EPSY 901 | Research Practicum in: _____ | 3 |
Timing of Comprehensive Exams.
Given the timing of internship placements through the national match process, School Psychology and Counseling Psychology Ph.D. students may be allowed to take comprehensive exams with up to 6 hours of non-required coursework remaining, so long as the remaining courses are not considered part of the research skills requirement, or part of the program core that will be the subject of examination. These remaining hours can count towards the required 18 post-comp hours although students are still required to enroll in dissertation hours each term until the dissertation is successfully defended and completed.
