General Information

The APA accredited doctoral program in Counseling Psychology requires at least 90 credit hours including all doctoral graduate courses indicated on the sample curriculum, 12 hours of dissertation research credits, and 3 hours of Internship credit (one credit hour per semester). The program admits students post-bachelor's and post-master's. Course work is completed in psychological foundations, Counseling Psychology core, statistics and research design, and practicum and internship. The program consists of four years of full-time, on-campus study and a one-year pre-doctoral psychology internship. Students complete courses during summer sessions. In addition to courses, students complete the preliminary examination elements, a doctoral dissertation, and a psychology internship. See the Counseling Psychology Student Handbook for a detailed discussion of these requirements. The Preliminary examination, including the Written Prelim, which is typically taken after at least one semester of off-site practicum, must be completed before beginning dissertation research and before students can apply for psychology internships. All Counseling Psychology students must apply for APA-accredited internship sites. Students should plan to leave the Greater Lafayette area in order to complete this internship requirement.

Many students with previous graduate coursework can transfer (a) basic courses from the first year of study or (b) core psychology courses into the doctoral program (see your advisor and Policy on Transfer of Credits; Counseling Psychology Handbook). The faculty will make every effort to identify courses that may be transferred before applicants are asked to formally accept admission into the program. 

Please note, the program offers a Ph.D. only. Students do not obtain a master's degree, even if they should leave the program, regardless of credit hours completed.