Program Flowchart for the PhD Degree in
Counseling Psychology

Admission
(GPA, letters of recommendation, GRE scores, and personal interview)
 
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Development of a “Doctoral Program of Study”
 (first or second semester of study).  The Program of Study must be typed on
the appropriate form, and an Advisory Committee of three faculty members
must approve and sign.  
 
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Portfolio Review
The portfolio Review is conducted annually.  The Counseling Psychology Doctoral Faculty evaluates students on the program goals to assess their adherence to the program objectives and progress towards the Ph.D. in Counseling Psychology.  The purpose of the Portfolio Review is to (a) ensure that students are on course
for completing the requirements of the Counseling Psychology Program, (b) redress any concerns that the faculty may have with students’ academic development, and (c) reflect on students’ individual accomplishments and construct ways to overcome any obstacles that have arisen on the path to becoming a Counseling Psychologist.
 
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Comprehensive Examination
(a 12-hour examination over 2 days).  The Comprehensive Examiniations are typically scheduled during the fall and spring semesters of each year.  Apply
for the Comprehensive Examination on the proper form through your
academic advisor. The Doctoral Comprehensive Examination is taken after
the completion of course work or near completion of coursework.  In exceptional cases only, a follow-up oral examination may also be required if the examination committee determines that there is a need to clarify the student’s written answers. Areas of examination are: 1) theories of
counseling and psychotherapy; b) psychological evaluation and diagnosis;
c) professional ethics, practices, concepts and issues; and d) research
design and statistics.

 
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Dissertation Proposal
(approval of a proposal for dissertation research) A dissertation advisor is designated by the department with input from the student, and the
dissertation proposal is developed in conjunction with the student’s
dissertation advisor and three additional dissertation committee members.
A fifth member (from outside the University) is assigned to the dissertation committee upon scheduling the Final Oral Examination or defense of the dissertation.  The dissertation advisor, as well as other members of the dissertation committee, must be members of the Graduate School. (The
full-year Internship often follows completion of the dissertation proposal).
 
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Application for Admission to Candidacy
  Admission to candidacy requires (a) passing the majority of required core courses (b) passing the comprehensive examination, (c) satisfying the Expository Writing Examination requirement, (d) securing the approval of the Institutional Review Board, and (e) securing an approved dissertation proposal. 
 
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Internship
A year long internship at an APA or APPIC approved facility.
 
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Dissertation Defense
This is the Final Oral Examination or the defense of the dissertation research.  The examination committee shall consist of a minimum of five members, at least one of whom shall be from outside the University. All committee
members internal to the University must be members of the Graduate Faculty and the external member(s) must also be of comparable stature.