Doctor of Philosophy in Counselling Psychology

We recommend review of the following FAQs, the website, and pre-admission checklist prior to applying. 

Please review and complete the pre-admissions checklist.

• I have a Master’s degree in a different discipline, can I apply?

  No, you need to have completed thesis-based master’s degree in Counselling Psychology (or equivalent) from an approved university, with a minimum grade point average of 3.50 in the master’s program, including 500 hours of practicum, with a minimum of 400 hours (200 direct client contact hours) completed under the supervision of a registered psychologist.

• What if I didn’t have all of my hours completed under a registered psychologist?

  Some applicants do not have all of their hours supervised by a registered psychologist. Admitted students whose master's practicum was less than the required hours or not supervised by a registered psychologist will need to complete additional practicum hours during their doctoral studies.

• I am missing some courses, can I still apply?

  Students who are missing up to four courses (12 credits) of prerequisites (including practicum) may still be admitted, but these prerequisites must be completed before the doctoral candidacy examination.

• I completed my master’s at an online institution, would I be considered? Or I am thinking about applying for X online program and want to do a PhD with UCalgary?

  Our program considers in-person, blended-instruction, and fully online programs to be of equal value. However, you should be aware that entry into our PhD program is highly competitive. We get applicants from all over the world applying and, every year, we have more qualified applicants applying than we have spaces for. Therefore, a more important question that you should be asking is, “did my program give me the experiences I need to be in the top 5 or 6 out of all the applicants who apply to the University of Calgary Counselling Psychology PhD program?”. View the pre-admissions checklist.

The PhD in Counselling Psychology has a minimum requirement of two years of full-time residency on-campus. Maximum completion time allowed for the Doctor of Philosophy degree is six years.

The requirements for completion of the PhD program are as follows:

a) 24 units of course work at the doctoral level that includes:

i. Educational Psychology 706 and 707 and an additional 3-unit course in research methods at 600 or 700 level as approved by the supervisor;

ii. Educational Psychology 712, 713 and 731;

iii. Educational Psychology 752 and EDPS753; and EDPS772 and EDPS773. Note: Please see Practicum and Residency section below.

b) Candidacy requirements.

c) Dissertation.

d) A twelve-month full-time PhD Internship. Note: Please see Practicum and Residency section below.

Applicants who are offered admission as a qualifying student due to missing pre-requisite coursework or practicum hours will be required to take additional courses or to complete additional practicum hours within the doctoral program to ensure equivalent training. A qualifying student may take up to 12 units to meet equivalency requirements during the qualifying year. Qualifying status will be granted for a period not exceeding one year.

Course content addresses theory, research, and practice in the domains identified by the Canadian Psychological Association (CPA) for accreditation of doctoral programs in professional psychology.

Candidacy Examination

Candidacy must be completed within 28 months from the program start date. Admission to candidacy is an acknowledgement that a student is fully prepared to devote his/her full attention to the dissertation research. For admission to candidacy, the Faculty of Graduate Studies requires that (1) all mandatory course work has been completed, (2) an oral candidacy examination has been successfully passed, and (3) a dissertation research proposal has been approved by the student’s Supervisory Committee.

Dissertation

The Doctoral thesis is the focus of the degree program. In consultation with the supervisor, the student should formulate an appropriate thesis topic as early as possible in the program because the thesis proposal affects the choice and number of courses needed in order to complete the program. The thesis proposal must be approved by the supervisory committee before continuing towards candidacy.

Ethics approval is required for all research projects involving the use of human subjects, before data collection begins and for research using secondary data. Prior to submitting an ethics application, students must complete Ethical Conduct for Research Involving Humans: A Concise, Online Tutorial, https://research.ucalgary.ca/conduct-research/ethics-compliance/tcps2-core-tutorial, and attach the certificate issued upon completion to the ethics application form.  

To initiate the ethics approval process, the student must submit a copy of the application (available on the Research Services website) to the Conjoint Faculties Research Ethics Board or the Conjoint Health Research Ethics Board.

Police Information Check

See Practicum section below.

Supervisory Assignments

An interim supervisor is normally appointed at the time of admission. Students are responsible for initiating discussions with potential permanent supervisors and are expected to have finalized supervisory arrangements by their second annual registration.

Working with your supervisor

Financial Assistance

Financial assistance may be available to qualified students. For information on awards, see the Awards and Financial Assistance section of the Faculty of Graduate Studies website.
Students applying for scholarships must submit their applications to Graduate Programs in Education by February 1.

Faculty Members/Research Interests

Current faculty members and their areas of interest can be found by going to the Counselling Psychology: Faculty Members page.

Tuition and general fees charged by the University of Calgary are approved annually by the Board of Governors. Fees can be found in the Academic Calendar.

As a Graduate Student you are expected to devote the time, effort, and energy necessary to engage in scholarship.  As a graduate student, you will determine the specific milestones and requirements of your program of study in consultation with the Faculty of Graduate Studies Calendar and with your graduate supervisor. 

An integral part of the doctoral experience is working closely with a supervisor on the development and completion of a research project.  A graduate supervisor mentors graduate students through regular meetings and research training aimed at research, scholarship, teaching and professional development. Graduate supervisors support students in the timely completion of their programs.  As a Graduate Student, you are expected to meet with your graduate supervisor on a regular basis.  While each student-supervisor relationship is unique, graduate supervisors can assist graduate students in a number of ways: advising on course selection, applying for awards and scholarships, obtaining research funds, applying for teaching assistant and sessional teaching opportunities, developing track records in refereed publications and conference presentations, getting involved in leadership and service, and encouraging and supporting apprenticeship in a research community of practice (collaborative review of papers, grants, academic writing, and data analysis). 

In the PhD program a supervisor is normally appointed at the time of admission.

Police Information Check

All successful applicants to the Werklund School of Education School PhD Counselling Psychology program are required to provide a current and clear Police Information Check which includes a Criminal Record Check and a Vulnerable Sector Search. Students must apply for a Police Information Check through their nearest police service or RCMP detachment in the area where they reside.

The original Police Information Check must be presented to and accepted by the administration in the Graduate Program Office in the Werklund School of Education, dated within timelines as directed by the Placement Coordinator.

Students will be required to request a Police Information Check upon admission and each subsequent year that they go on placement (Educational Psychology 772, 773, 752, 753, and PhD Residency).

A current and clear Police Information Check is required for all placements. Failure to present a clear and current Police Information Check may result in the student being unable to begin their program and/or go on placement. Successful completion of all placements is required for graduation.

Intervention Record Check

In addition, it is strongly recommended that students obtain an Intervention Record Check (IRC) in each year that they participate in a practicum. Even if your site does not specifically require this check, it is to your advantage to have an IRC done so as to prevent a potential issue should there be a last minute change in your placement site.

NOTE: IRCs are not required by the Werklund School of Education (WSE), and should not be submitted to WSE. Results should be kept in your personal records, and shown to your practicum site should they request to view them.

Practicum Schedule

• 1st* year of program: 
  • EDPS 772 - Off Campus – Community based (Fall term)
  • EDPS 773 - Off Campus – Community based (Winter term)
• 2nd* year of program: 
  • EDPS 752 - - Off Campus – Community based (Fall term)
  • EDPS 753 - Off Campus – Community based (Winter term)
• PhD Residency (3,4,5 or 6** year of program):
  • Off Campus – Community based (Fall, Winter, Spring & Summer terms)

*Preference for EDPS 772 & 773 (formerly EDPS 743) to be taken in year 1. However, if student is missing assessment pre-requisite course upon admission, they must take EDPS 752 & 753 (formerly EDPS 742) in year 1.
**Students are required to obtain approval from the Director of Training (DoT) and thesis supervisor via a Readiness to Apply form before applying to residency sites.

Teaching Facilities

Typically, our courses are scheduled in classrooms in the University’s Education Block and Tower buildings.  For clinical and laboratory work, observation, and role-play, the program has access to space in our in-house clinic, Integrated Services in Education.  ISE has nine rooms with audio-visual recording capabilities in the Education Tower. All have one-way mirrors for live observations.

Library Facilities

Students at the University of Calgary have access to resources through Libraries and Cultural Resources (LCR) (http://lcr.ucalgary.ca/), which operates eight university libraries on campus and across the city of Calgary. In addition, students have extensive access to library resources on-line and can access the holdings of other national and international libraries through inter-library loans. The Doucette Library is our closest library, located in the Education Block and has a dedicated resource librarian available for faculty and graduate students in Education. Specialized resources include an extensive collection of psychology, counselling psychology, and assessment-related books and journals as well as a video collection of counselling-related adjunctive instructional material.

Work Space for Students

Shared work space is provided, with priority given to students in the first three years of the PhD program and first two years of the MSc program. Following renovations to upgrade our building, students are now housed in dedicated and secure workspaces that have large study carrels. Given the number of graduate students in our programs, students are clustered on various floors in the Education Tower. Students are guaranteed workspace during residency years and may request space beyond that period of time. Touch-down spaces and lockers will be available for students who are past their residency years in their respective programs.

Research Space for Faculty and Students

Research space varies depending on the faculty member you are working with and area of research.  Most faculty do not have labs as such, as their research programs are field-based.  Faculty members with lab-based requirements have research space in Werklund or affiliated institutes (e.g., Owerko).  The instructional video suite in the ISE Clinic described earlier is available for faculty or graduate students (who apply and can demonstrate CFREB or CHREB ethical approval) to potentially schedule for research purposes. A separate application form is required to gain access.

Assessment Materials and Supplies including Scoring Facilities

The Werklund School of Education also operates a test library located in the ISE Clinic.  The ISE test library contains a large and varied collection of testing materials and accompanying expendable materials (test forms and rating scales) that can be used by graduate students for coursework that involves instruction in administration of assessment measures as well as for clinical practicum work. The library also has archival storage in the basement of our building for those who may need access to earlier versions of tests. Students do not have to pay to access these materials, although fees are charged for lost materials. Additionally, the ISE houses three computers that may be used by graduate students to score clinical assessment measures or work on assessment reports. The clinic also provides other relevant materials such as portable video camera recorders and stopwatches. Graduate students may also apply to access ISE resources for research purposes, although priority is given to clinical work. 

Computer Facilities

Students can access university computers through the main library, the Werklund School of Education of Education’s Doucette Library computers, or the Computer Lab located on the 3rd floor of the classroom block. All students are also given free access to the University’s server through their home computer, including email accounts and free access to data analysis and word processing packages.

Resources to Support Data Analysis

The University and Werklund School of Education provides workshops, either free of charge or at minimal cost, to faculty and graduate students, in the use of reference management programs such as Covidence, EndNote, Mendeley, and Refworks; data analysis software such as SPSS, BMDP, SAS; and common computer applications such as Microsoft Office. Our faculty and students are provided access to a computer lab on the 3rd floor of the Education Classroom Block. At this time, commonly used data programs such as SPSS, LISREL, NVIVO etc. have been installed on those computers for use by faculty and students.

Recording Equipment

The ISE instructional suite described earlier contains nine rooms equipped with closed-circuit video recording capability. Additional audio and video recording equipment is available for sign out through the ISE Clinic, or the Doucette Library housed in the Werklund School of Education of Education building. Extensive audio and video dubbing facilities are available to all students through the Com Media Department or the Learning Commons.

Facilities and Technical Support for Building Research Equipment

This is available in an “as needs require” basis, through the office of Information Technology and also through the computer support network available to all faculty. In addition, equipment pertaining to communications media (video cameras, video records, etc. are available through the Communications Media Department (COM Media) through an agreement paid for by the Werklund School of Education. Requirements beyond the above are paid for through faculty research grants.

Facilities to Enable Access for Students with Disabilities

The University is an access friendly facility for students with special needs. The University has an “Academic Accommodation Policy” for students requiring special accommodations during exams or other term assignments, operated through Student Accessibility Services (http://www.ucalgary.ca/access/). The Education Tower is equipped with wheelchair-accessible facilities, including auto-entry electronic doors, larger stalls, and motion- sensor sinks and soap dispensers in washrooms.

Availability and Nature of Financial, Academic, Counselling, and Other Support Systems

The University offers many services for its students. Some of these include:

• The Counselling Centre
• The Student Success Centre
• Academic Services
• University Health Clinic
• Computer Technical Support
• International Centre
• Teaching and Learning Centre
• Graduate Students’ Association
• Recreational activities

A complete listing of Student and Academic Services can be found at https://www.ucalgary.ca/current-students/student-services

The University offers comprehensive, holistic, and accessible programs and services to foster student wellness through the SU Wellness Centre, which includes Health Services, the Counselling Centre, and the Faith and Spirituality Centre. There are also services and clubs on campus that pertain to the needs of diverse groups. At the University of Calgary, for example, there is a Student Success Centre, an International Student Centre, a Native Centre, a Women’s Resource Centre, and a club for sexually- and gender-diverse individuals (called Q).  The University offers accommodations for students with disabilities through several specialized support services including Student Accessibility Services and the Nat Christie Adaptive Technology Centre.

The primary mandate of the Centre is to provide a Centre of excellence in research, education and service through a coordinated holistic vision for the wellbeing of children, youth and transition-age youth (ages 4-25). learn more

Graduate students may participate in the intervention services provided by the Centre.