Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Counseling Psychology

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.

All program information is available online. The faculty encourage students to inform themselves about the program. At a minimum, please check the Student Handbook.

When applying, please choose “Educational Studies” (for which counseling psychology is under) as a graduate major in the application portal.

Requirements

1. Academic Statement of Purpose The academic statement of purpose should be 300-500 words concerning your purpose for undertaking or continuing graduate study at the Purdue Counseling Psychology program, your research interests, career goals, and the faculty member(s) with whom you would prefer to work and why.
2. Personal History Statement The personal history statement should be 300-500 words concerning how your background and life experiences contribute to your ability to be both persistent and resourceful in graduate school. Describe how your life experiences have prepared you to contribute to an academic community where scholars with diverse research interests, abilities, backgrounds, and experiences are supported, respected, and valued.
3. Submit a Curriculum Vita. Your CV should include a section listing your experience with (a) research and statistics, including courses, (b) teaching, and (c) professional related activities (e.g., organizational leadership, social advocacy, community engagement).
4. Description of Previous Program. Please print and fill out the description of previous program.
5. Submit three letters of reference describing research skills and potential, counseling skills and potential, and capacity for graduate study.
6. Official transcripts from all undergraduate and graduate schools attended.
   • Graduate School E-mail Address: gradadm@purdue.edu
   • Graduate School Mailing Address: Graduate Studies Office, Purdue University, 100 N. University Street, Room 3229, West Lafayette, IN 47907-2098
7. Optional:
   • GRE scores
   • One academic writing sampling
8. International applications may be required to submit proof of English proficiency.

Application Instructions for the Counseling Psychology PhD program from the Office of Graduate Studies:

In addition to a submitted application (and any applicable application fees paid), all completed materials must be submitted by the application deadline in order for an application to be considered complete and forwarded on to faculty and the Purdue Graduate School for review.

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.

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

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.

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.

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

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.

* In State
** Out-State
*** Additional $290 for international

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.

State by state psychology licensure requirements.