The Counseling Psychology Program requires courses in the discipline of Educational Psychology and the specialization of Counseling Psychology. In addition to training in research, intervention, and assessment, students engage in practicum and internship experiences in educational, community, and/or medical settings; workshops and informal seminars are also provided for professional growth. Participation in research and scholarly writing is an important component of the doctoral program and emphasized throughout all levels of training.
Please note required coursework may vary from year to year. Current students should always defer to their Program of Work for course requirements and consult with their faculty advisor / Graduate Advisor for any needed clarifications.
Counseling Psychology doctoral students are required to complete:
- EDP Foundation Courses,
- Counseling Psychology Program courses,
- Professional Interest Component (PIC) courses,
- Out-of-Specialization courses, and
- Qualifying Process and Dissertation Coursework.
Student coursework may vary depending on prior graduate coursework and waivers. Required courses are designed to meet relevant APA and licensure requirements. All required courses must be completed with a grade of at least B-.
Note: the first digit in a Course Number denotes the number of credit hours of the course. Example: EDP 480C Correlation & Regression Methods = 4 credit hours.
EDP Foundation Courses (26 credit hours)
Educational Psychology Foundation courses represent core knowledge in educational psychology and reflect APA guidelines consistent with the Standards of Accreditation (SoA) and eligibility for licensure as a Psychologist in the State of Texas, requiring doctoral-level psychologists to have basic knowledge in the breadth of scientific psychology, its history of thought and development, research methods, and applications. Foundation courses must be completed prior to the Qualifying Process.
Methods Core (17 hours)
- Prerequisite Course: EDP 380C.2 Fundamental Statistics: prerequisite for all Methods courses.
- EDP 480C.6 Statistical Analysis for Experimental Data
- EDP 380D.4 Psychometric Theory and Methods
- EDP 480C.4 Correlation & Regression Methods
- EDP 381C.2 Research Design & Methods for Psychology and Education
CP students are encouraged to take additional courses in this area; additional courses in Methods may be taken as an Out-of-Specialization Requirement.
Development & Learning Foundation (9 hours)
- EDP 382C.2 Social Psychology
- EDP 382F.3 Life Span Development
- EDP 382D.6 Motivation and Emotion
- EDP 382D.4 Psychology of Learning
Counseling Psychology Program Courses (30 credit hours)
Students are encouraged to take additional EDP counseling-related courses as well.
- EDP 384C.2 Theories in Counseling
- EDP 383C.30 Developmental Psychopathology
- EDP 384C.6 Helping and Counseling Skills
- EDP 383C.12 Assessment in Counseling
- EDP 385C.5 Professional Orientation / Ethics in Counseling
- EDP 384C.18 Multicultural Counseling
- EDP 384C.24 Cognitive Behavioral Therapy with Adults
- EDP 382D.2 History and Systems of Psychology
- EDP 382E.2 Biological Bases of Behavior
- EDP 385C Advanced Consultation, Collaboration, Supervision
Professional Interest Component Courses (9 credit hours)
Counseling Psychology students must complete at least 3 courses to meet the Professional Interest Component (PIC) course requirement, one from each of the clusters described below. Required Program or Department Core courses cannot count toward this requirement.
- EDP 384C.6 Career Development
- EDP 384D Group Counseling
- EDP 384C.32 Integrated Behavioral Health
- EDP 384C.14 Addiction Counseling
- EDP 384C Motivational Interviewing
- EDP 381C.10 Issues in Multicultural Research
- EDP 382C.6 Psychology of Race, Prejudice, and Stereotypes
Out-of-Specialization Courses (9 credit hours)
The Graduate School requires doctoral students to complete 9 hours of coursework outside of their area of specialization. These courses are an opportunity to enhance research/clinical interests and form relationships with out-of-area faculty; course choice must be approved by a faculty adviser.
- 1 course (minimum 3 hours) taken outside of the EDP department
- 2 courses (minimum 6 hours) taken either in an EDP program area outside CP or outside of the department
- Note: the required course EDP 382E.2 Biological Bases of Behavior may be counted towards this requirement.
Qualifying Process & Dissertation (12+ credit hours)
- Qualifying Process: EDP 395R Qualifying Process Research (2 semesters, no later than the semester in which turn in qualifying document)
- Dissertation: EDP 3/6/999W Dissertation, beginning the semester following advancement to candidacy.
Collaborative Research Project
The Collaborative Research Project is required of Counseling Psychology doctoral students to advance to Candidacy. To fulfill the requirement, students must submit research in which they have played a substantial role (i.e., their own research or a collaboration in which they have been particularly active) at a professional conference and/or submit their research for publication. This must be submitted before the student submits paperwork for advancement to candidacy.
The objective of this requirement is to provide students with experience and skills necessary for professional scholarship (e.g., research, writing, presenting a conference paper) and to further students’ identities as scholars/scientists. It is completed under the supervision of the student’s advisor, typically during the first two years of the program.
Often students will not be the primary or sole author on a resulting publication but should be involved to a significant degree. In the rare situation where a project/paper was submitted but not accepted for presentation or publication, this part of the requirement (acceptance) may be waived with approval by the faculty adviser, Area Chair and Department Chair.
Doctoral Portfolio Programs (Optional)
Portfolio programs are optional opportunities for doctoral graduate students to obtain credentials in a cross-disciplinary academic area of inquiry while they are completing the requirements for a degree in a particular discipline. A portfolio program usually consists of four thematically related graduate courses and a research presentation.
En-Route Masters
EDP doctoral students admitted without a master’s in the field must complete an en-route master’s degree before receiving the doctoral degree. See the En-Route Master’s page for requirements.
Sample Course Sequence
Course sequencing and requirements are subject to change. Students must refer to their individual Program of Work and semester advising for course requirements and sequence.
Year 1
Course | Requirement Fulfilled |
---|---|
EDP 380C.2 Fundamental Statistics |
Discipline-Specific Knowledge (DSK) – Category IV |
EDP 384C.2 Theories in Counseling |
CP Professional Coursework |
EDP 382D.4 Psychology or Learning OR |
DSK Category II |
EDP 384C.6 Helping and Counseling Skills |
CP Professional Coursework |
EDP 385C.5 Professional Orientation / Ethics in Counseling |
CP Professional Coursework |
EDP 383C.12 Assessment in Counseling |
CP Professional Coursework |
EDP 384C.18 Multicultural Counseling |
CP Professional Coursework |
EDP 480C.6 Statistical Analysis of Experimental Data |
DSK – Category IV |
Year 2
Course | Requirement Fulfilled |
---|---|
EDP 380D.4 Psychometric Theory and Methods |
DSK – Category IV |
Choose 1 from Counseling Foundation:
|
PIC Cluster 1 |
EDP 382F.3 Life Span Development |
DSK – Category II |
EDP 384Q Practicum in Counseling (Fall and Spring) |
CP Professional Coursework |
EDP 384C.24 Cognitive Behavioral Therapy with Adults |
CP Professional Coursework |
EDP 381C.2 Research Design & Methods for Psychology and Education |
DSK – Category IV |
EDP 382D.2 History & Systems of Psychology | DSK – Category I |
EDP 480C.4 Correlation and Regression Methods |
DSK – Category IV |
Year 3
Course | Requirement Fulfilled |
---|---|
EDP 385C Advanced Consultation, Collaboration, Supervision |
CP Professional Coursework |
Choose 1 from Diversity:
|
PIC Cluster 3 |
EDP 382C.2 Social Psychology |
DSK – Category II |
Out-of-specialization (1 of 3) |
EDP – Graduate School Requirement |
EDP 384Q Practicum in Counseling (Fall and Spring) |
CP Professional Coursework |
EDP 395R Qualifying Process Research (2 semesters) |
DSK – Category III |
Choose 1 from Intervention:
|
PIC Cluster 2 |
EDP 398R En-Route Master’s Report |
1 semester required for all doctoral students who entered without a Master’s degree |
Year 4
Course | Requirement Fulfilled |
---|---|
Out-of-Specialization (2 of 3) |
EDP – Graduate School Requirement |
EDP 382E.2 Biological Bases of Behavior (also counts as Out-of-Specialization course 3 of 3) |
DSK – Category II |
EDP 3/6/999R Dissertation (minimum 2 semesters) |
EDP – Graduate School Requirement |
EDP 194.16 Internship Colloquium |
CP Professional Coursework |
EDP 384V Advanced Practicum (optional) |
Year 5
Course | Requirement Fulfilled |
---|---|
EDP 3/6/999W Dissertation |
EDP – Graduate School Requirement |
EDP 1/394N Internship in Counseling Psychology |
CP Professional Coursework |