Psychology, School Psychology Concentration, Ph.D.

Psychology Major

The doctoral program offered by the Department of Psychology includes two concentrations: Counseling Psychology and School Psychology. Both concentrations seek to prepare graduates for licensure as Counseling Psychologists and School Psychologists as established by the State Board of Examiners in Psychology - Division of Health Related Boards and the Tennessee Board of Education, respectively. 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:

1. Have an advanced knowledge of psychology.
2. Demonstrate knowledge of human behavior with a multicultural perspective.
3. 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.
4. Acquire knowledge of and experience with information sources and technology relevant to psychological practice,research, and education.
5. 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.
6. 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.
7. 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. There is a ceiling on the number of students admitted to the program in a given year. All applicants must submit the following materials to the Graduate School Office by December 1st for admission in the Fall:

1. An application for admission to the Graduate School.
2. Transcripts of all undergraduate and graduate course work. A minimum grade point average of 3.25 at the Master’s level is required.
3. 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 minimal 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.
4. A work history, that is a curriculum vitae that includes work experience and research experience.
5. Three letters of recommendation submitted on the doctoral recommendations forms distributed by the Graduate School.
6. 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. 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 coursework 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 to 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.

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.

Program of Study

• EDCI 5300/6300 - Multicultural Education (3)
• PSYC 6130 - Social Bases of Behavior (3)
• PSYC 6430 - History and Systems of Psychology (3)
• PSYC 6900 - Role and Function of the School Psychologist (3)
• PSYC 7050 - Ethics & Professional Issues in Counseling Psychology (3)
• PSYC 7136 - Statistics & Computer Applications to Research (3)
• PSYC 7137 - Advanced Statistics & Research Methods (3)
• PSYC 7150 - Change Processes: Theory, Research & Efficacy (3)
• PSYC 7160 - Pre-Practicum (1)
• PSYC 7255 - Psychopathology (3)
• PSYC 7256 - Assessment of Psychopathology (3)
• PSYC 7260 - Practicum (1)
• PSYC 7465 - Doctoral Practicum in School Psychology (2)
• PSYC 7466 - Doctoral Practicum in School Psychology (2)
• PSYC 7555 - Assessment, Theory & Interventions with Individuals (3)
• PSYC 7557 - Assessment, Theory & Interventions in Supervision (3)

•  

• PSYC 7535 - Consultation and Program Evaluation (3)

• or

• PSYC 7730 - Qualitative Research (3)

•  

• PSYC 7710 - Psychoeducational Assessment (3)