Psychology Major
The doctoral program offered by the Department of Psychology includes two concentrations: Counseling Psychology and School Psychology. The Counseling Psychology concentration is accredited by the American Psychological Association (APA). Prior graduate course work and the student’s goals and objectives are considered in determining annual admissions and the individual student’s program of study.
Student Learning Outcomes:
Students will:
- Have advanced knowledge of psychology.
- Demonstrate knowledge of human behavior with a multicultural perspective.
- Have knowledge of research, statistics, and evaluation methods that will enable them to conduct research, publish, present research, and use research to improve psychological knowledge, practice, and understanding.
- Acquire knowledge of and experience with information sources and technology relevant to psychological practice, research, and education.
- Be prepared to be ethical scientist-practitioners by demonstrating knowledge of ethical standards, legal mandates, laws, and professional standards in practice, service, and personal endeavors.
- Effectively integrate formal academic knowledge, theory, and research with the delivery of psychological services and education in a variety of professional settings and to a multicultural clientele.
- Value personal and professional growth, cultural diversity, societal awareness and respect for others.
Admissions Requirements
A master’s degree in psychology, counseling, school psychology, or a related area is required. For the Counseling concentration, the master’s degree must be in Counseling Psychology or a closely related area such as Clinical Psychology or Mental Health Counseling. There is a ceiling on the number of students admitted to the program in a given year. All applicants must submit the following materials via the web-based PSYCAS system by December 1st for admission in the Fall:
- Official transcripts of all undergraduate and graduate course work. A minimum grade point average of 3.25 at the Master’s level is required.
- Quantitative and Verbal Scores on the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) or Millers Analogy Test (MAT) are required. While both the GRE and MAT are acceptable, the GRE is strongly preferred. The minimum acceptable standards for admission are 3.25 Master’s GPA. A typical GRE score for students in the program is 150 (Verbal) and 147 (Quantitative). However, the program does recognize that multiple factors impact scores and that scores do not represent all of a student’s unique abilities. Students with scores below these averages are welcome to apply. Exceptions may be considered for applicants with extraordinary qualities who have demonstrated excellence in the field of work or research, and who add diversity to the program. However, a student whose GRE scores are significantly lower than others in the program or whose MAT is less than 425 is not normally considered for admission. Conditional admission is not offered at the Doctoral level.
- A work history, that is a curriculum vitae that includes work experience and research experience.
- Three letters of recommendation submitted on the doctoral recommendations forms distributed by the Graduate School.
- A supplemental application to the Counseling Psychology (Ph.D.)program.
Selection of students for the Doctoral Program in Psychology is highly competitive. Applicants whose materials are received by the December 1st deadline will be evaluated by the respective program committees that will select the applicants to be interviewed on the campus in early February. An interview is required for admission. In keeping with the Uniform Notification Date established by the American Psychological Association, if selected for admission, the applicant will be notified and must respond not later than April 15th to the offer. Admissions are based upon the following criteria:
1. Past academic performance as indicated by undergraduate and graduate grade point average, test scores, and course work at the undergraduate and graduate levels in Psychology.
2. Research and scholarly pursuits as demonstrated by research involvement, presentations, publications, and writing sample.
3. Counseling and interpersonal skills as demonstrated by work experiences including practicum and internships as well as work in the fields of counseling, school psychology, other professional activities, and supervised experiences.
4. A goodness of fit between the goals of the applicant and the goals of the program.
5. Commitment to the field as evidenced by licensure or certification in Psychology or Education as well as involvement in professional associations.
6. Experience with diverse populations.
General Departmental Requirements
In order to obtain the Doctorate of Philosophy in Psychology in Counseling or School Psychology a student must successfully complete the following:
1. A minimum of sixty-six (66) semester hours of approved course work for either the Counseling Psychology concentration or School Psychology concentration beyond the master’s degree.
2. A residency consisting of two (2) consecutive semesters of full-time enrollment (a minimum of 9 credit hours per semester).
3. A written qualifying examination.
4. A written comprehensive examination and an oral examination.
5. An approved internship (explained below).
6. A dissertation (explained below).
Internship
A 2000 hour (minimum) pre-doctoral internship is required of the Ph. D.in both Counseling and School Psychology concentrations. Placement of our students in acceptable internships has traditionally occurred, however, obtaining an internship is based upon a national selection process and the University does not guarantee the availability of or selection for an internship. APA approved internships are mandatory for students in the Counseling Psychology concentration except in extenuating circumstances (e.g. geographically bound, family circumstances, etc.). Students seeking this exception must make their desire known in writing to the Program Coordinator as soon as they become aware of the need for such an alternative. In this case, the internship must be listed in the Association of pre- and Post-Doctoral Internship Center (APPIC) directory. In order to fulfill the internship requirement, out-of-state relocation maybe necessary.
Dissertation
A student may not enroll in Dissertation until the semester after s/he has successfully completed the comprehensive examination. Once enrolled, the student must continuously re-enroll each semester until the dissertation is successfully completed and defended. Only research that is of an original nature will be accepted. It is required that the dissertation proposal be approved prior to application for internship.
Counseling Psychology Concentration
The doctoral concentration in Counseling Psychology is accredited by the American Psychological Association. It is also a designated Doctoral Program in Psychology of the American Association of State Psychology Boards (AASPB) and is listed in the Council for the National Register of Health Service Providers in Psychology. The Counseling Psychology concentration is designed for students seeking training as Scientist-Professionals. The Concentration requires a minimum of sixty-six (66) semester hours. These hours include core courses in education, psychology, specialty electives, practicum, and dissertation.
Typically students complete the following prerequisite course work in their master’s program prior to entry into the doctoral program: statistics, theories of counseling, counseling techniques, social psychology, career counseling, physiological psychology, intelligence testing, history and systems of psychology, psychometrics, developmental psychology, and theories of personality. It is the doctoral student’s responsibility, upon acceptance of an offer, to forward to the Program Coordinator a copy of the student’s official transcripts and other materials such as syllabi so that the Department can review the student’s prior work to ensure that such graduate work has been completed and to recommend needed courses.
A student enrolled in the Counseling Psychology concentration may take the Qualifying Examination for the doctoral degree only after completing all prerequisite master’s level courses, and Statistics and Computer Applications for Research (PSYC 7136 and PSYC 7137). Additionally, the student may not have more than 2 outstanding prerequisite courses in need of completion.
