Research Requirements for Doctoral Students in Counseling Psychology Program

Purdue University's doctoral program in Counseling Psychology adheres to the scientist-practitioner training model of the American Psychology Association. As such, faculty members seek to provide a training environment in which students are shown how science and practice can be wedded (Gelso, Mallinkrodt, & Judge, 1996). For research training, students complete core courses related to Counseling Psychology research (i.e., EDPS 61800, EDPS 61900) and methodology (i.e., EDPS 53300; EDPS 63000). In addition, students are expected to complete a minimum of 200 hours of research activities under faculty supervision and mentoring. Completion of the 200 research hours is one of the prerequisites for the written preliminary examination.

The 200 research hours requirement is intended to enable students to acquire, develop, and have skills that are related to various aspects of the research process. The training environment recognizes that the development of research skills can partly be a social experience. Since faculty-student research match is one of the key elements for admission, students are typically able to participate in faculty's research team or project early in training. To facilitate timely progress, students are strongly advised to complete the 200 hours in the first two years in the program (i.e., approximately 50 hours per semester for the first four consecutive semesters). Research hours can be accrued only when students (a) participate as a regular and core contributing member in faculty's research team or project; and/or (b) conduct independent research of Counseling Psychology and related topics under the guidance of a faculty advisor in the Counseling Psychology Program.

To document research experiences and hours, students (a) will register for credits (e.g., EDPS 69900 and (b) must submit at the end of each semester a "Research Log" that is approved and signed by the respective faculty research mentor. Typically, students engage in approximately three hours of research activities per week for one credit hour. Research Log is designed as a reflective self-assessment in which students record the number of research hours completed, the nature of research tasks performed, and the research skills developed and to be honed. Students can use only 45 hours from EDPS 61800 and 45 hours from EDPS 61900 in counting their 200 research hour prelim requirement. Research-related tasks (e.g., data entry or library research) that are performed as part of an assistantship will not be considered for research hours. Students are strongly advised to turn the 200 research hours into products that fulfill the prelim research paper and conference presentation requirements, as well as to use these hours toward the development of a dissertation area or topic in Counseling Psychology.

Gelso, C., Mallinckrodt, B., & Judge, A. B. (1996). Research training environment, attitudes toward research, and research self-efficacy. The Counseling Psychologist, 24, 304-322.