Home > Academics > Programs > Doctoral > Ph.D in Counseling Psychology

Doctor of Philosophy in Counseling Psychology

PURPOSE

The Doctor of Philosophy in Counseling Psychology is designed to prepare students for leadership roles of the field in the areas of advanced clinical counseling practice, advanced research and supervision. The degree of Doctor of Philosophy allows students to pursue Marriage and Family Counseling, Mental Health Counseling, and Life Design Counseling and Coaching. Additionally, the degree will be awarded upon the student's demonstration of a broad understanding of certain fields of knowledge, ability to conduct independent research, and ability to organize research into an acceptable dissertation that will represent a contribution to a field of study.

OBJECTIVES

Upon completing this degree, students will be able to:

• Understand and develop theoretical and therapeutic knowledge of counseling and integrate the theory and counseling therapeutic skills.
• Prepare graduates to counsel people and work in the community counseling setting at an advanced level of competency.
• Prove professional and outstanding counseling skills in their researches.
• Become scientific practitioners, researchers, and scholars in their fields.
• Produce graduates who understand adaptive and maladaptive human functioning across the lifespan.
• Produce graduates whose professional identity is that of a counseling psychologist and who are able acquire additional knowledge appropriate to this specialty.

ADMISSION REQUIREMENTS

• Applicant Qualifications :
  1) Master's degree holder (Every major)
  2) To enter the Ph.D. program in Counseling Psychology, students must have majored in Counseling in their master program. If they did not major in Counseling, they must take 12 additional credits as prerequisite courses.
  3) The completed course with grade C+ below would not be counted as credit hours.
  4) GPA should be above 3.5
• Admission Procedures :
  Admission procedures consist of application screening, entrance exam, and interview.
  1) Applicants should pass application screening before taking entrance tests. Application includes applicant's essay, recommendation letters, and transcripts.
  2) The test areas are essay and English (reading).
  3) Program faculities will interview applicants who take tests.
  4) Application screening, written essay test, English test and interview respectively take up 100 points (Total 400 points). Admission would be given to the applicants who scored 320 points above.
  5) Faculty committee will make all admission decisions.

GRADUATION REQUIREMENTS

• The Doctoral Program is designed to be completed within five academic years. A maximum of seven years may be granted upon appeal to the Academic Dean.
• The student must successfully complete a prescribed course of study with a minimum of 3.00 (B) grade point average on a 4.00 scale.
• The awarding of a “C” in a doctoral course constitutes a failure (unsuccessful completion of the course).
• The student must pass a qualifying examination.
• The student must successfully complete a dissertation and pass the oral defense.
• Prior to graduation the student must meet all financial obligations to the institution.
• All candidates for graduation must complete a non-credit course, Introduction to Christianity. It will be waived for the students who have taken any biblical courses.

top