Counseling Psychology, Ph.D.
The Counseling Psychology Program at the University of Maryland is a joint program between the Department of Counseling, Higher Education, and Special Education and the Department of Psychology. Our Counseling Psychology Program has been continuously accredited by the American Psychological Association since 1953. In ratings evaluating Counseling Psychology over the past three decades, the University of Maryland is always among the very top ranked programs in the United States. Our faculty represent a broad range of research interests, including psychotherapy process and outcome research, multicultural psychology, vocational psychology, and interpersonal relationships.
The Counseling Psychology Program is designed to prepare students for academic, research, and practice careers at the doctoral level. The program is based on the scientist-practitioner model, which emphasizes the value of concurrent training in research, practice, and their integration. Consistent with this model, we strive to create a positive environment that trains students broadly in general psychology as a behavioral science, and enables students to become competent in conducting research and providing counseling. Our curriculum is designed to help students experience firsthand how these various activities can inform and enhance one another. Students receive rigorous training through a variety of educational modalities, including (a) general psychology courses, (b) small counseling psychology seminars, (c) research, and (d) applied counseling experiences with intensive personalized supervision.
The training program prepares our students for a diversity of career paths. A survey indicated that our recent graduates hold a wide variety of positions, the most common being staff psychologists in university counseling centers and tenure-track faculty members in universities. Graduates of the program are eligible for certification and licensing examinations as psychologists.
Per new US Department of Education regulations regarding state licensure disclosure, a determination has not been made as to whether this program meets the requirements for professional certification in any particular state or territory other than Maryland. We are in the process of reviewing state certification requirements and will update this page when more information is available.
Please explore the links under “Our Training Program” below to learn more about our training program, including our approach to training in research and practice, curriculum, geographic location, commitment to multiculturalism, and our history. https://counselingpsychologyumd.weebly.com/training-program.html
Please refer to the Guide to Applying for instructions on how to apply for graduate admission. If you have questions or concerns, we ask you to first review our list of Frequently Asked Questions. International applicants should visit the International admissions webpage for additional information. For questions about the application process, or to check on the completion of your application please contact:
Judy Foster, Coordinator of Graduate Admissions
Office of Student Services, College of Education
(301) 405-2359
After you apply for graduate admission you may check your application status by logging into the online graduate application using your user name and password. Graduate faculty in the Academic Department you applied to will review your completed application for graduate admission. Questions regarding application reviews and decision recommendations should be directed to Department of Counseling, Higher Education, and Special Education (CHSE). Please contact:
Carol Scott, Coordinator of Graduate Studies
Counseling, Higher Education, and Special Education
(301) 405-8384
Please contact the Office of Student Services, ed-advising@umd.edu, or (301) 405-2364.
Academic advisement for graduate students is provided by the graduate faculty in the Department of Counseling, Higher Education, and Special Education (CHSE). For advising information, please contact the Coordinator of Graduate Studies, Carol Scott at (301) 405-8384 or cscott18@umd.edu.
Visit the College of Education Scholarship opportunities webpage.
Visit the Graduate School Fellowship and Graduate Assistantship web page for additional funding opportunities
For information about other student financial aid, review the Office of the Student Financial Aid website.
Counseling Psychology Courses
PSYC 629 or EDCP 789- Clinical Laboratory/Advanced Topics in Counseling (variable credits)* PSYC 638 or EDCP 888 - Externship in Professional Psychology (variable credits)*
PSYC or EDCP 680 - Basic Didactic-Practicum in Counseling Psychology (3 credits)*
PSYC or EDCP 682 - Didactic-Practicum in Group Interventions (3 credits)
PSYC or EDCP 684 - Consultation (3 credits)
PSYC or EDCP 685 - Didactic-Practicum in Counseling Supervision (3 credits)*
PSYC or EDCP 686 - Didactic-Practicum in Career Interventions (3 credits)*
PSYC or EDCP 690 - Research in Counseling Psychology I (3 credits)
PSYC or EDCP 691 - Research in Counseling Psychology II (3 credits)*
PSYC or EDCP 692 - Assessment in Counseling Psychology I (3 credits)
PSYC or EDCP 693 - Assessment in Counseling Psychology II (3 credits)
PSYC or EDCP 695 - Ethical and Professional Issues in Counseling Psychology (3 credits)*
PSYC or EDCP 697 - Multicultural Issues in Counseling Psychology (3 credits)
PSYC or EDCP 698 - Advanced Didactic-Practicum in Counseling Psychology (3 credits)*
PSYC or EDCP 700 - Theories and Strategies of Counseling Psychology (3 credits)*
PSYC or EDCP 799 – Thesis (at least 6 credits required)
PSYC or EDCP 898 – Pre-Candidacy Research (before candidacy; 1 to 6 credits)
PSYC or EDCP 899 – Doctoral Dissertation Research (after candidacy; at least 12 credits minimum for graduation)
PSYC 639 or EDCP 889 - Internship in Counseling Psychology (at least 2 credits)
*The starred courses must be taken at the University of Maryland.
Core Courses in Basic Areas of Psychology
In addition to the required coursework in counseling psychology, students must take courses in the following five core areas.
1. Individual Differences: PSYC 611 (Advanced Developmental Psychology) or 612 (Theories of Personality) or EDHD 720 (Social Development and Socialization Processes)*
2. Biological Bases of Behavior: PSYC 606 (Human Biopsychology) or EDHD 775 (Biological Bases of Behavior)
3. Cognitive or Affective Bases of Behavior: PSYC 607 (Advanced Topics in Human Learning and Cognitive Psychology) or EDHD 721 (Learning Theory and the Educative Process) or EDHD 760 (Advanced Educational Psychology)
4. Social Bases of Behavior: PSYC 604 (Social Psychology)
5. History and Systems: PSYC 610 (Historical Viewpoints and Current Theories in Psychology) or EDCP 789F (History of Mental Health and Psychological Science)
Students who enter through Psychology must take 3 of the 5 core courses in the University of Maryland Department of Psychology (two courses can be taken elsewhere, if approved). Students who enter through CHSE may take their 5 core courses in either Education or Psychology (two courses can be taken elsewhere, if approved). All substitutions (courses other than those listed above) must have the written approval of the Counseling Psychology Program faculty, indicating the course title and the core area (out of the five areas above) for which approval was granted.
In addition, students who enter through Psychology must take a Teaching seminar prior to being able to teach their own course. This course may be offered in the Summer prior to the fourth year or the Fall semester.
*May be counted as a Psychology Department course
Statistics Courses
All students must take two semesters of statistics. Students who enter on the CHSE side are required to take EDMS 646 (Quantitative Research Methods II) and 651 (Applied Multiple Regression Analysis); students who enter on the PSYC side are required to take PSYC 601 (Quantitative Methods I) and 602 (Quantitative Methods II). The Department of Psychology requires a third quantitative course; Research II counts for this requirement for students admitted on the PSYC side. Students can exempt out of one or both statistics courses if they can demonstrate to the course instructor, advisor, and program co-director that they have satisfactorily passed a comparable graduate-level statistics course elsewhere. Students who exempt out of both statistics courses are advised (but not required) to take advanced statistics courses.
Dr. Jioni Lewis – Area Director (jalewis1@umd.edu)
Alice Lee, Graduate Assistant (alicelee@umd.edu)
Carol Scott – Coordinator (cscott18@umd.edu)
Academic deadlines are provided by the Office of the Registrar for the academic year. Students should refer to the deadlines listed in Important Dates prior to the beginning of the degree completion semester.
Students should check with their Department or Program for any deadlines it may have. Please contact:
Carol Scott, Coordinator of Graduate Studies
Counseling, Higher Education, and Special Education
(301) 405-8384
HANDBOOKS
Visit the Department of Counseling, High Education and Special Education program handbooks and forms page.
The Graduate Student Life Handbook provides information on academics, campus resources, finances, health, job opportunities, and information on how to get involved as a graduate student.
POLICY
Graduate students in the College of Education are responsible for meeting University and the Graduate School policy, and for meeting Program requirements. The Graduate Catalog is the official listing of Policies governing graduate education at the University of Maryland. The schedule adjustment policy is available from the Office of the Registrar and provides information on adding and dropping courses, penalties, and refund schedules.
FORMS
Graduate students are required to submit various forms at specific points in the program and as part of the degree clearance process. Please refer to Steps Toward Graduation to determine the steps and forms that are required. The forms for use by graduate students are available here.