Program Overview:
The University of Utah's Counseling Psychology Doctoral Program is an organized sequence of study in scientific and professional psychology that follows a scientist-practitioner model. The program has received continuous accreditation from the American Psychological Association since 1957. For more information about what accreditation means, please visit:
Office of Program Consultation & Accreditation
American Psychological Association
750 First Street NE, Washington, DC 20002-4242
(T) 202-374- 2721; TDD/TTY: 202-336-6123; (F) 202-336-5978;
http://www.apa.org/ed/accreditation/; apaaccred@apa.org
The Ph.D. Program in Counseling Psychology is offered through the Department of Educational Psychology in the College of Education at the University of Utah. Students who complete the Counseling Psychology Program develop comprehensive knowledge and skills in core areas of scientific psychology, psychological inquiry, and the professional practice of psychology. Upon graduation, students accept a wide variety of entry-level positions in higher education (academic departments or counseling centers), hospital and medical settings, community mental health centers and agencies, managed care organizations, departments of corrections, private agencies, and business and organizational settings with diverse clientele. Students graduating from our program will have completed all requirements to apply for licensure as a psychologist, with the exception of states that require additional coursework or postdoctoral supervised hours for licensure.
Students entering the Counseling Psychology Program can expect to spend 5 or more years (slightly less if entering with a master’s degree in counseling) in the program, including a full-year pre-doctoral internship. Program requirements include:
- Coursework in the behavioral sciences, research and statistics, counseling and psychotherapy, and a special proficiency identified by the student
- Counseling practice, including an introductory counseling practicum, a 1-year intensive core practicum at the University Counseling Center, approximately 2 years of advanced field practicum, and a 1-year pre-doctoral internship
- Presentation at a regional/ national conference
- Submission of a scholarly article or chapter to a peer-reviewed journal
- Completion of a Pre-dissertation Research Project
- Successful completion of the Doctoral Qualifying Examination
- Completion of a Ph.D. Dissertation Research project
For a more complete description of the Counseling Psychology Program, please continue to peruse the website, and be sure to look at the most recent Program Handbook.