Other Requirements - Ph.D. Program in Counseling Psychology

Ph.D. in Counseling Psychology: Other Requirements

Professional Development Activities

In addition to completion of coursework, students are expected to perform ancillary teaching, research, administrative, or professional duties that contribute to their professional development. Refer to the assistantships page for more information.

Mandated Reporter Training

New York State requires that "mandated reporters" of incidents of child abuse/neglect receive appropriate training related to issues of reporting. Psychologists are one group of "mandated reporters." The requisite training entails a two-hour, non-credit, workshop. This training is provided by the Division of Counseling Psychology at no cost on a regular basis, and is also available in the community for a fee. Completion of this training is recorded on the student's transcript.

Research Tool

All graduate students at the University at Albany must demonstrate competence in a research tool appropriate to their doctoral research. Competence must be demonstrated in an area relevant to doctoral research in counseling psychology beyond that which is required in the curriculum. The key elements of this statement are elaborated as follows:

"Beyond that which is required in the doctoral curriculum" means that any course required in the curriculum, or any course used to satisfy a required elective, may not be used to satisfy the Research Tool requirement.

"Relevant to doctoral research in counseling psychology" means that the area of competence is demonstrably related to the student's intended doctoral research. It is incumbent on the student to demonstrate the relevance of the area of competence which s/he proposes to use to satisfy this requirement.

"Competence" may be demonstrated in a variety of ways, including:

1. Receiving a grade of B or better, or a grade of S (S is defined as a "B or better"), in a specific (relevant) course or courses taken at UA.

2. Demonstrating that a grade of B or better, or a grade of S, obtained in a specific (relevant) course or courses taken at another institution, is equivalent to (1) above. This equivalence must be in qualitative standards, although not necessarily in specific content.

3. Providing evidence through examination, paper, or other method, that a (relevant) area has been mastered, even if no specific course or courses have been taken.

Doctoral Qualifying Examination

To move to full status as a doctoral candidate, every student must pass a comprehensive examination over the major content areas of counseling psychology: intervention, assessment, career development/vocational psychology, and research design. The exam is typically taken in the summer following the third year in the program, although many students entering with a master's degree take it after their second year.

Doctoral Internship

Every student is required to complete an APA accredited internship that must span one year of full-time or two years of half-time supervised experience equivalent to 2,000 hours of work. The internship is taken after completion of most program requirements. Students enroll for the national internship matchin program run by APPIC and may attend any accredited intersnhip in the U.S. or Canada. A list of recent internship sites is provided in the doctoral frequently asked questions section of this website.

Doctoral Dissertation

Every student must submit an acceptable dissertation that demonstrates the ability to conduct independent scholarly work and formulate appropriate conclusions to modify or extend previous knowledge. Development of a dissertation proposal generally occurs in ECPY 890 (Independent Study) under the guidance of a dissertation chair. A list of recent dissertation topics is provided here.