Counseling Psychology Ph.D.

The Counseling Psychology Program adheres to the scientist–practitioner model. The Program aims to devote approximately equal effort to research and clinical training, and to integrating the two pursuits.

Doctoral students typically obtain a graduate assistantship. The assistantship requires approximately 20 hours of work per week. It carries both a stipend and a tuition remission benefit. The monthly stipend for this varies, but the current stipend for a graduate assistant in the School of Education who works 20 hs./week for 9 months is $20,250. This funding includes a full tuition waiver for required courses. Additional funding in smaller amounts is also available through scholarships, the Graduate Student Association, and a variety of other funding sources. Students can also apply for loans through the Office of Financial Aid.

December 1st of the year prior to entrance; however, it is recommended that materials are submitted as soon as possible to ensure the file is complete in advance of review. Applications are only considered once a year for the program beginning in the Fall semester. International applicants should send their completed application to the EPS Graduate Admissions office by October 15 of the year prior to entrance.

There are no absolute minimum scores required for admission. There are seven admissions criteria including: (a) the Graduate Record Examination Verbal and Quantitative scores, (b) undergraduate and graduate grade point averages, (c) the relevance of the applicant’s academic background, (d) previous experience in counseling, (e) previous experience in research, (f) a personal statement, and (g) three letters of recommendation. Individual applications are considered as a whole and applicants may be able to compensate for relative weakness in one area with strengths in other areas. The more strengths the applicant has, the better are the chances for acceptance.

A master’s degree is not required for admission. Keep in mind, however, that a master’s degree in counseling or a closely related field is a valuable asset for admission. Applicants who do not have such a degree will need to have other strengths to compensate for the absence of training in counseling. We frequently accept students without a master’s in counseling degree who are otherwise highly qualified.

No. This program is quite demanding and thus part-time enrollment is not possible. Our philosophy is that training in a professional discipline involves a significant degree of socialization into the profession. In other words, students learn a great deal from spending significant amounts of time with faculty and with other psychologists on campus in classes, research settings, and practicum. This can only be accomplished in a full-time program.

Yes! The Program strongly encourages students’ participation in presentations and publications. Many students present papers with the faculty leader of their research group. Most students have already co-authored publications by the time they graduate from our Program.

As our program is individualized for each student, this will vary. However, if you enter the program with all the prerequisites and work at the typical pace, you will complete the coursework in 4 years followed by a 1 year internship. Students complete their dissertations on varying schedules depending on the topic, their ability to focus their efforts, their motivation, and other contingencies. It is not unusual for students to complete their dissertations before they complete their internships, which results in completing the degree in 5 years. The average length of time for obtaining the degree is 6 years.

Graduates from the Program work in a variety of settings. These settings include academic positions, clinical research positions, private practice, Veteran’s Affairs Medical Centers, hospitals, college counseling centers, business positions, and others.

The program prepares you to obtain licensure as a doctoral-level Psychologist. However, every state has different requirements in terms of exams and years of postdoctoral experience required for licensure. Postdoctoral experience required is usually 1 -2 years. All states require that applicants take a national licensing exam, and most require a state exam as well.