Dean: Heidi Bostic, Ph.D.
Counseling Psychology website

Degree Offered

Doctor of Philosophy

Program Description

Our doctoral program in counseling psychology is based on a scientist-practitioner model for training professional psychologists and is fully accredited by the American Psychological Association. Students acquire a solid foundation of knowledge in the biological, cognitive, affective, individual and social bases of human behavior. Through course work in research design, measurement and statistics, students develop the skills needed to critically evaluate psychological research and to conduct their own independent research. Training in diagnosis, assessment, psychotherapy, consultation, practica, internship and ethics provides students with the necessary professional skills to practice as competent and ethical counseling psychologists. Supervised practica experiences are available through local hospitals, private and community agencies, the Veterans Affairs, and university counseling centers. Graduates are prepared to practice as psychologists, professors, consultants, administrators and researchers.

Counseling Psychology Doctorate

The counseling psychology program consists of 27 credits of course work in psychological foundations, 52 credits of course work in the counseling psychology professional core, a minimum of 1000 hours of doctoral practicum, a collaborative research project and a 12-credit dissertation, as well as an approved 2000-hour internship typically completed in one calendar year. Students are required to participate in faculty research teams throughout the program and are also required to participate in department seminars and colloquia. 

Students who have completed relevant graduate course work prior to entry into the program may have some of their requirements waived if the previous course work is equivalent to the courses currently required by the program.

Course Requirements

Examination Requirements

• Master’s Comprehensive Examination: Students who do not enter the program with an appropriate master's degree are required to pass the Counselor Preparation and Comprehensive Examination (CPCE). 
• Doctoral Qualifying Examination (DQE): For students to pass the DQE, they must receive a satisfactory rating on the Comprehensive Integrated Critical Literature Review (CICLR) and the Internship Readiness Exam (IRE). Details for these program requirements may be found in the program handbook. To be advanced to candidacy, students must complete all program course work, pass the DQE, have their dissertation proposal accepted, and have met the Graduate School’s residency requirement.

University Policies

Graduate School Policies