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 clinical or counseling psychology, mental health counseling, school psychology, social work, or a related area is required. Clinical practicum training at the Master’s level is also required.
All applicants must submit the following materials via the web-based PSYCAS system by December 1st for admission in the Fall of the following year:
- Official transcripts of all undergraduate and graduate course work. A minimum grade point average of 3.25 at the Master’s level is strongly recommended.
- The GRE has been waived due to the pandemic and other factors. Historically, 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. 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 in February. An interview is required for admission. Admissions are based upon the following criteria:
1. Past academic performance as indicated by undergraduate and graduate grade point average, 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 a student must successfully complete the following:
1. A minimum of seventy five (75) semester hours of approved course work for the Counseling 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.
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. serious medical concerns, 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 they have 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.
School Psychology Concentration
The doctoral concentration in School Psychology provides advanced training to work as a professional school psychologist in schools. The program utilizes an ecological-contextual orientation in working with children, schools and families.
The doctoral concentration in School Psychology requires a minimum of sixty-six (66) semester hours. These hours include core courses in education, psychology, guided specialty electives, practicum and dissertation.
A student admitted to the Ph.D. degree program in School Psychology who have been awarded the Ed.S. degree in school psychology from accredited institutions may be granted full credit for a maximum of thirty hours if the hours are acceptable to the students program.
A student enrolled in the School Psychology concentration may take the qualifying examination for the doctoral degree only after graduate courses in the following areas have been completed: statistics, psychometrics, theories of counseling, individual intelligence testing and learning theory. Typically students complete the above graduate work in their master’s program prior to entry into the doctoral program. It is the doctoral student’s responsibility during the first semester of enrollment to meet with the assigned faculty advisor to review the student’s work to insure that such graduate work has been completed and to recommend needed courses.
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