Is our Program a good fit for you?
An important aspect of the admissions process is determining which programs best fit your professional interests, goals, and identity, as well as your life circumstances. In reality, it can be difficult to know whether a program is a good fit until you have met current faculty and students and visited the campus and its environs. With that said, we highlight below some aspects of our program that may help you determine how well suited our program is for your interests and goals.
Research is a core component of our program
Research is a part of everyday life in our program, consistent with our commitment to the scientist-practitioner model. Students are expected to be active in research throughout their doctoral program, and coursework is designed to encourage students to discover connections between research and practice. Students whose research interests match one or more of our faculty members may find our training program particularly rewarding. Conversely, our program probably would not be a good fit for people who have little interest in conducting research and building their research skills.
Counseling is a core component of our program
Our curriculum provides students with intensive training in counseling and psychotherapy, and all graduates are eligible for certification and licensure as psychologists through the appropriate associations. Students who are only interested in research training would likely view the substantial counseling component of our program as burdensome.
Our training focuses on older adolescent and adult populations
Our courses on counseling and assessment focus on working with clients who are in their late teenage years or older. Most of the didactic practica involve working with clients in the University of Maryland Counseling Center, all of whom are university students. For these reasons, our program is not a good choice for people who wish to focus their training on children and early adolescents. However, it is worth noting that some of our students have gotten clinical and research experience with these populations outside of required coursework.
Our program is rooted in the values and traditions of counseling psychology
Our curriculum, training model, and research all reflect a strong connection to the main unifying themes of counseling psychology: focus on assets and strengths, person–environment interactions, educational and career development, brief interventions, and a focus on intact personalities. As a result, little class time is spent studying severe psychopathology and the medical model of assessment and treatment. Our students with a strong interest in psychopathology can seek outside training experiences in psychiatric settings, such as the Veterans Affairs hospitals and state psychiatric hospitals.
Our program is committed to creating a multicultural training environment
We strive to create a training environment that promotes multicultural self-awareness, knowledge, skills, and experiences that enable our graduates to develop and share knowledge regarding multicultural issues as well as to provide culturally sensitive services to a variety of individuals in our society and abroad (see our Multicultural Aspirational Statement). The process of deepening one’s awareness and understanding of multicultural diversity is inherently challenging. Our program is a good match for students who wish to embrace this challenge.
We encourage you explore the other links under “Our Admissions Process” in the menu bar above to learn more about admissions, applying to Maryland, and financial considerations relevant to deciding whether to apply to our program.
What follows are many of the most common questions applicants have about admissions in our program, along with our answers. Please contact one of the co-directors if you have any questions that are not answered on our website. For instructions on applying to our program, please click here or select the Application Instructions link on the menu bar.
How has the COVID-19 pandemic impacted the program’s admissions process?
Due to the COVID-19 crisis, the GRE requirement is waived for doctoral applications submitted in fall of 2020. The Counseling Psychology Program will not use GRE scores in admissions decisions this year.
Also, we plan to have our interview day on February 5, 2021, but it may be necessary to have this event online rather than in-person.
What are the admission requirements? What makes an applicant competitive?
A bachelor’s degree in psychology or a closely related field is desirable but not required. Students should have completed a minimum of 15 credits in psychology, including introductory or general psychology, statistics, and three additional courses (in areas such as theories of personality, developmental psychology, social psychology, or cognitive-behavioral psychology). A strong background in math and statistics is helpful.
The typical applicant who is competitive has (a) GRE scores over the 50th percentile, (b) a GPA of 3.5 or above for the last 60 hours of the baccalaureate degree, and (c) a graduate GPA of 3.75 (if a previous master's degree has been earned). We look for experience in both research and counseling, and we are committed to training a culturally diverse group of students. Mean GRE score percentiles for students admitted in recent years typically fall between 75-90.
How many students are admitted each year?
All students are admitted for the fall semester only, and we admit approximately 6-8 students per year.
Are students admitted on a part-time basis?
No. Only persons who are willing and able to carry a full schedule of courses (e.g., 10 credit hours per semester) will be admitted.
How does one determine whether to apply through the Department of Counseling, Higher Education, and Special Education (CHSE) or the Psychology Department (PSYC)? If I am accepted to the program, are there any implications of which side I apply to?
All applicants may apply to the program via CHSE or PSYC. Typically, applicants apply to that side of the program where they would most like to work with a specific faculty advisor. Regardless of the side to which an applicant applies, the admission offer usually will come from the same side of the program as the faculty advisor with whom the applicant is initially paired. Admissions are determined by the faculty as a whole, and students are considered to be part of the joint program once they begin their studies. Our joint program is viewed by the American Psychological Association as a single program. Please note that an advisor must be a full-time or core faculty member affiliated with the Counseling Psychology Program. Also, students can switch advisors during the program to advisors on either side of the program, although most students stay with the advisor initially assigned to them.
In most respects, students have the same experience regardless of departmental affiliation. Students take virtually all of their courses together, and receive the same high quality training in research and practice. However, some facets of the program differ for students housed in the two sides of the program. For example, CHSE and PSYC are located in different buildings, and students tend to spend more time in the department with which they are affiliated. Students’ work space is usually assigned by their department, and students’ paperwork and bureaucratic processes are typically handled in their department. Also, the details of funding arrangements differ by department, as explained on our financial information webpage. Also, there are a few differences in coursework based on the department in which students are housed (e.g., statistics courses). Despite these differences, we believe students develop a strong sense of connectedness across departmental lines because of the cohort model on which our joint training program is based.
What is the process for admissions decisions?
Our faculty members review applications in January and select a pool of applicants for phone interview. Applicants who are not contacted by late January to schedule a phone interview are no longer being considered for admission. These interviews are typically conducted in late January or early February. Based on these interviews, we select a smaller pool of applicants for in-person interviews. We plan to have our interview day on February 5, 2021, but it may be necessary to have this event online rather than in-person due to COVID-19. Please keep the date open in case you are invited for an interview. Past applicants who have attended our interview day have reported that it provided an excellent opportunity to get to know current students and faculty, and get a feel for the program.
Notifications of admission and waitlist status are made by phone or email soon after these in-person interviews, usually by mid-February to early March. Students who are not admitted to the program will be notified by mail or online through the application system during this same period.
Do course credits or theses from previous graduate work apply to the requirements for the doctoral degree?
Students who begin the program having completed graduate-level courses at other universities may petition to have courses count in lieu of program-required courses, except for some counseling psychology courses that must be taken at UMD. The courses that must be taken at UMD are listed in the "Required Courses" section in the Program Handbook, which can be downloaded from this program website through the menu option for "Our Training Program."
Course waivers are considered when previously taken courses clearly replicate program-required courses and students have earned satisfactory grades in those courses. Petitions for course waiver are submitted to the student's advisor by September 15th of the first year in the program; faculty review petitions in a closed faculty meeting by October 15th of each year. We cannot evaluate previous coursework of individual applicants before they are admitted to the program.
A previously completed master’s thesis must be reviewed by a committee of three faculty from the Counseling Psychology Program to be approved for research competence. Over half of the empirical master’s theses completed elsewhere have been approved in the past.
Which faculty members plan to accept applications in the coming year?
Depending on the funding available to our program, the following professors may accept new students in the coming year: Derek Iwamoto, Dennis M. Kivlighan, Jr., Richard Shin, and Roger Worthington.
Dr. Charles Gelso is a professor emeritus and will no longer be taking students. Also, no other program faculty—core or affiliate—will be taking new students in the coming year.
All applicants will be considered for admission, even if their preferred faculty advisor is not taking new students in the coming year.
Is it important for applicants to contact the faculty members with whom they most want to work? Can applicants arrange campus visits to meet faculty members?
We do not give preference to students who contact us. We wish we could arrange for applicants to visit faculty members, but, unfortunately, we cannot do this due to the large number of applications we receive each year. The only exception to this is when we invite a small group of applicants for interviews (see “What is the process for admission decisions?”)
What should applicants do if they have questions that are not answered on our website?
We ask that you check to make sure your questions are not answered on our website since it is a comprehensive source of information about our program. Additional information about faculty members is on their individual websites, which can be accessed using the Faculty Research Links sidebar on the left side of this
How do you apply to our program?
The University of Maryland’s Graduate School accepts applications through its ApplyYourself/Hobsons application system. Application materials are due on December 3, 2020.
Before completing the application, we suggest you start by reading the application instructions included on the website of the department through which you intend to apply. These links will take you to the instructions for the Department of Counseling, Higher Education, and Special Education and the Department of Psychology. You may apply to the Counseling Psychology Program through either department. See our Admissions FAQ page for guidance regarding choosing a department.
Who should you contact with questions about your application or the application process? The answer depends on what type of question you have:
- For technical questions about using the ApplyYourself/Hobsons application system, contact the Hobsons online application’s Help Desk (see links for technical support when using the system).
- For general questions about the admissions process, prospective students may contact the Graduate School.
- For department-specific questions about your application, send an email message to cscott18@umd.edu (Department of Counseling, Higher Education, and Special Education) or psycgradstudies@umd.edu (Department of Psychology).
Here we provide basic information about the costs associated with attending the University of Maryland, along with typical stipends and benefits. This and much more information can be found on the websites of the University of Maryland Graduate Catalog, Office of Student Financial Aid, and the Student Financial Services and Cashiering.
Program Costs
Tuition for the 2019-2020 academic year (based on 10 credits per semester): Resident = $14,620, Non-resident = $33,040, Mandatory fees = $1,652*
*Effective Fall 2017, the University of Maryland charges a fee of $125 per semester for all newly enrolled, full time international students.
Costs of Living in the DC Metropolitan Area
Although the Washington, DC area has a relatively high cost of living, housing expenses vary greatly from neighborhood to neighborhood. As a general rule, housing becomes less expensive the further away from the city one lives. Our students find affordable options by choosing less expensive areas to live and by sharing housing costs with roommates. Some students cut costs by living without a car, which is made possible through the large network of free University shuttles and the extensive public transportation system. Excellent practical information can be found in the Graduate Student Life Handbook and the website of the Off-Campus Housing Services.
Stipends and Tuition Remission
The great majority of our students have assistantships or fellowships that provide tuition remission and a stipend. Minimum stipend for pre-master's students on graduate assistantships: 9.5 months = $16,144, 12 months = $20,392. Stipend increases for students who have completed a master's and then again for those who are official doctoral candidates. Students on assistantships or fellowships pay only the mandatory fees. Applicants are automatically considered for fellowships offered through the University.
Assistantship assignments depend partly on the department through which the student has applied. On the CHSE side, assistantships are typically for administrative or undergraduate advising positions. On the Psychology side, assistantships are typically for teaching assistant positions. The CHSE Department provides a list each of on-campus assistantship opportunities each spring.
Benefits
Graduate assistants and fellows are eligible for a number of benefits in addition to tuition remission. For graduate assistants, perhaps the most significant is the ability to enroll in the full range of health benefits available to State of Maryland employees, as well as the ability to sign up one’s legal spouse (both same-sex and different-sex), and dependent children for these benefits and dependent children for these benefits. A description of these benefits is available via the new employees link on the website of University Human Resources. Fellows may enroll in the student health insurance with half of the premium covered by the Graduate School. A description of student health insurance is found here.