Counseling Psychology
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
Advance Your Career
The Counseling Psychology program is committed to the scientist-practitioner model of training wherein professional psychologists are prepared to integrate theory, research, and practice in their practice as agents of knowledge development and change in a diverse society. The program prioritizes research, with students obtaining research, presentation, and publication experiences. The program incorporates diversity, focusing on contextually relevant skills in assessment and intervention with multicultural populations. The program also emphasizes an energetic and collaborative learning atmosphere.
Applications must be fully complete and submitted (including all required materials) and all application fees paid prior to the deadline in order for applications to be considered and reviewed. For a list of all required materials for this program application, please see the “Admissions” tab.
December 1 is the deadline for admission consideration.
*Those applicants interested in being considered for any available PhD funding should submit completed applications by December 1 for the following Fall semester.
Program at a Glance
- Major/Department: Educational Studies
- Research Area: Counseling Psychology
- Degree Objective: Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
- Program Delivery: Residential
- Licensure: *Read Disclosure
- Application Deadline: December 1
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Courses
The counseling psychology program offers ONLY the Ph.D. as a terminal degree. A master’s degree is awarded en route to the Ph.D. for students entering the program with a bachelor’s degree, but this degree does not prepare graduates for licensure as a practicing counselor. Students who are unsure that they can or will complete a doctoral program should apply to a master’s program or to a doctoral program that awards a master’s degree as a part of the doctoral requirements.
Tentative Plan of Study
Fall
- EDPS 50500: Career Development and Assessment
- EDPS 53100: Introduction to Measurement and Evaluation
- EDPS 60000: Counseling Theory and Techniques
- EDPS 60400: Advanced Counseling Theory and Intervention
- EDPS 61400: Advanced Counseling Practicum (On-site)
- EDPS 61700: Professional Issues, Ethics, and History of CPSY
- EDPS 61801: Intellectual & Neuropsychological Assessment
- EDPS 62200: Systems Concepts in Counseling and Development
- EDPS 62400: Advanced Counseling Practicum and Supervision (Off-site)
- PSY 64000: Survey of Social Psychology
- PSY 67300: Psychology of Behavior Disorders
- Required elective course in research methods
- EDPS 69600: Internship in CPSY
- EDPS 69900: Research PhD Thesis
Spring
- EDPS 50000: Group Counseling Theories and Techniques
- EDPS 50700: Counseling Multicultural & Diverse Populations
- EDPS 53300: Instructional Educational Research I Method
- EDPS 60100: Counseling Theory and Techniques Lab
- EDPS 61400: Advanced Counseling Practicum (On-site)
- EDPS 61900: Counseling Psychology Research Practicum
- EDPS 62100: Advanced Multicultural Counseling Theory and Practice
- EDPS 62300: Personality Assessment
- EDPS 62400: Advanced Counseling Practicum and Supervision (Off-site)
- EDPS 63000: Research Procedures in Education
- PSY 69200: Affective/Cognitive Bases of Behavior
- PSY 69200: Introduction to Cognitive Neuroscience
- EDPS 69600: Internship in CPSY
- EDPS 69900: Research PhD Thesis
Summer
- EDPS 55600: Introduction to Quantitative Data Analysis Methods in Education I
- EDPS 55700: Introduction to Quantitative Data Analysis Methods in Education II
- EDPS 69600: Internship in CPSY
- EDPS 69900: Research PhD Thesis
Supplemental Information
Practicum Placements
Students begin the application process to off-site practicum sites following consultation with their advisor the academic year prior to starting off-site. Often this is during student’s 2nd and 3rd years. In the spring semester, the program’s Off-Site Practicum Coordinator hosts a practicum fair for students to learn more about practicum partnerships in the community. After the attending the practicum fair, students contact practicum sites they are most interested in to set up an interview. Students should not contact sites directly before the practicum fair. Below are select examples of off-site practicum locations where our students receive training.
University Counseling Centers
- Purdue University, Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS) – West Lafayette, IN
- Indiana State University Student Counseling Services – Terre Haute, IN
- IUPUI Counseling & Psychological Services – Indianapolis, IN
- Butler University – Indianapolis, IN
- DePauw University – Greencastle, IN
Veteran’s Hospitals
- VA Illiana Health Care System – Danville, IL
- Richard L Roudebush VA Medical Center – Indianapolis, IN
Community Mental Health Centers
- Indiana Women’s Prison – Indianapolis, IN
- Willowstone Family Services, Inc – Lafayette, IN
- Wabash Valley Hospital, Inc., Outpatient – Lafayette, IN
- Four County Counseling Center – Logansport, IN
Hospitals
- Wabash Valley / River Bend Hospital – West Lafayette, IN
- Logansport State Hospital – Logansport, IN
Please note: students may need to satisfy certain eligibility requirements (e.g., background check, drug screening) for some site placements. The placements change regularly as the program adds new sites and other sites become unavailable. Some sites accept only advanced students.
Funding Opportunities
Funding for Counseling Psychology doctoral students is complex and comes from multiple sources. First, students find assistantships in offices across campus, including the Academic Success Center, the Military Family Research Institute, and the Center for Career Opportunities. Students must apply and interview for these positions. Faculty and peers are supportive in filtering assistantship information to students, and faculty assist students in preparing their application materials. Nonetheless, the student is responsible for following up with the information and securing the assistantship. Although our students are very competitive for these positions, the process can be stressful.
Second, students may have opportunities to teach sections of undergraduate courses. These include EPDS 105: Academic and Career Planning, EPDS 315: Collaborative Leadership – Listening, EPDS 316: Collaborative Leadership – Cross-Cultural Settings, and EPDS 317: Collaborative Leadership – Mentoring. Students have also secured teaching assistantships in the Department of Psychological Sciences.
Finally, some students obtain faculty-nominated fellowships, which guarantee funding but require 20 hours per week of work for our home department, Educational Studies. Only a few fellowships are available each year, and they are competitive.
Although funding can be stressful, all current students in the program who want funding have at least a .25 FTE appointment. Regardless, some students obtain federal or private loans to supplement their income.
Additional funding information can be found on through College of Education graduate funding.
Admissions
A graduate application must be submitted and application fee paid (if applicable) by the application deadline. In addition, the materials listed under the Application Requirements section below must be submitted by the application deadline in order for an application to be considered complete and for the application to be reviewed for admission consideration. Please review the How to Apply section below before submitting an application.
A completed master’s degree is not required for admission to this program.
Application Requirements
Here are the materials required for this application
- Transcripts (from all universities attended)
- Minimum undergraduate GPA of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale
- 3 Recommendations
- Resume/CV
- Academic Statement of Purpose
- Personal History Statement
- International Applicants must meet English Proficiency Requirements set by the Purdue Graduate School
We encourage prospective students to submit an application early, even if not all required materials are uploaded. Applications are not forwarded on for faculty review until all required materials are uploaded.
How to Apply
When submitting your application for this program, please select the following options:
- Campus and Program Tab:
- Select a Campus: Purdue West Lafayette (PWL)
- Select your proposed graduate major: Educational Studies
- First Choice Program Details Tab:
- Please select an Area of Interest: Counseling Psychology
- Please select a Degree Objective: Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
- Primary Course Delivery: Residential
The Ph.D. program in Counseling Psychology at Purdue prepares students for professional licensure as a psychologist in the state of Indiana. Contact Eric Deemer at edeemer@purdue.edu before continuing with program application if you have questions regarding licensure or contact your state psychology licensure board about how this program may translate to licensure in your state of residence.
This program does not lead to licensure in the state of Indiana or elsewhere.
Professional Licensure Disclosure Statement
The U.S. Department of Education requires institutions to publicly disclose to prospective and currently enrolled students whether certain programs meet the education requirements for licensure or certification in the state or territory in which they reside. “Programs Leading to Professional Licensure” is defined as programs represented to prepare students for an occupation for which, at completion of the program, a local, state or federal license, or nongovernmental certification is required (i) as a precondition for employment, (ii) to perform certain functions, or (iii) to meet additional conditions that are generally needed to secure employment.
The Ph.D. program in counseling psychology at Purdue prepares students for professional licensure as a psychologist in the state of Indiana. However, the program has not made a determination as to whether its training requirements meet licensure standards in the remaining 49 U.S. states, the District of Columbia, and other specified territories. Current and prospective students are advised to contact the psychology licensure board in the jurisdiction in which they expect to practice to determine whether the program meets its licensure standards.
Faculty
Diversity and Social Justice Statement
We embrace values of equity, social justice, and inclusiveness in all aspects of our training in the Counseling Psychology PhD program. These ideals are also reflected in the diverse backgrounds and cultural identities of faculty and students, which broadly reflect race, gender identity, sexual orientation, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, physical ability, age, national origin, and religion. Consistent with the values of the field of counseling psychology, we strive to train students to advocate with and on behalf of people with marginalized identities to address sociocultural, political, and institutional factors that serve to perpetuate systems of oppression that undermine well-being. To this end, we believe that it is necessary for us all, faculty and students, to explore and reflect upon our own biases, privileges, and blind spots in all aspects of our roles in this program. This ongoing process of critical self-examination and self-awareness can often be an uncomfortable one, particularly as other program members may hold beliefs and values that differ from one’s own. However, we strive to navigate diverse individual and cultural perspectives together in a climate of trust, safety, and support.
Land Acknowledgement
We acknowledge the traditional homelands of the Indigenous People which Purdue University is built upon. We honor and appreciate the Bodéwadmik (Potawatomi), Lenape (Delaware), Myaamia (Miami), and Shawnee People who are the original Indigenous caretakers. See: https://www.purdue.edu/naecc/