The field of counseling psychology deals with helping people who are having problems in life. You work with people on mental, emotional and social issues through therapeutic techniques (psychotherapy). Can you handle guiding others to self-harmony? Do you want the chance to make a true difference in people’s lives? If so, consider one of these fully funded Counseling Psychology PhD programs.

Fully-funded counseling psychology PhD programs are on the rise. Currently, there are nearly thirty fully funded programs nationwide. What is a fully funded program? Fully funded means that the counseling psychology PhD program covers all tuition and fees for students for 4-5 years of graduate school. This is one of the best ways to cut down on student debt, which can be crippling even towards the end of graduate school.

Are you interested in furthering your degree in psychology? Are you looking for a fully funded PhD programs? Are you keen in finding out about if psychology PhD students get paid?? Have you been searching for fully funded school psychology programs for so long without a great answer? Are you wondering if there are free PhD programs for international students? I would advise you save time and effort by visiting the site as soon as possible if you’re hoping to get information concerning how to get into a counseling PhD program?

Fully Funded phd Programs for Psychology

Fully Funded PhD Programs

What is a fully-funded Ph.D. Program? There was once a golden era when a Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) was a sure ticket to success. Money and job longevity were taken for granted by those with the gumption to complete the rigorous course work and the original research expected of this terminal degree. As academic markets constrict, however, many doors in teaching and scholarship close, leaving newly-minted Ph.D. s to fend for themselves in business and non-profit employment. The last thing they need is student debt, a grim reality that makes a fully-funded Ph.D. all the more attractive.

Surveying fully funded Ph.D. programs online reveals that most expect their students to complete the doctorate—particularly in the liberal fine arts—in about five years. As often as institutions of higher education praise knowledge for its own sake, few have the space or the patience for eternal students. As long as graduate students maintain good academic and behavioral standing at their institutions, they can enjoy full funding for those years, provided matriculation remains uninterrupted. Of course, legitimate exceptions happen and many universities will negotiate additional time if need be.

Full funding can be, alas, a matter of opinion. Graduate fellowships and other comprehensive financial support vehicles do not always estimate accurately the cost of studying full-time. When this happens, many pre-doctoral students borrow, incurring sometimes crushing debt. It begs the question: What is a fully funded Ph.D. program?

Doctorate Programs in Counseling

• Columbia University in the City of New York – New York, NY
• New York University – New York, NY
• Lehigh University – Bethlehem, PA
• University of Georgia – Athens, GA
• Boston University – Boston, MA
• Boston College – Chestnut Hill, MA
• Texas A & M University – College Station, TX
• University of Wisconsin – Madison, WI
• University of St Thomas – Saint Paul, MN
• Northeastern University – Boston, MA

Fully Funded Counseling Psychology PhD Programs

Overview

Our counseling psychology doctoral (PhD) program is APA-accredited. Our program follows the Boulder model for preparing scientist-practitioners, with an emphasis on social justice issues.

The program requires full-time study (9-12 credits per fall/spring semester) and residence in Lexington.  Like all counseling psychology PhD programs, our program includes the completion of a dissertation and a one-year, full-time internship at an APA accredited site, which usually requires relocation to another state.  As is typical for counseling psychology PhD programs, our program takes most post-master’s students (who enter the program with an applied mental health master’s degree) five years to complete and most post-bachelor’s students (who enter the program without a master’s degree) seven years to complete.

A majority of our program graduates gain employment in mental health agencies (e.g., medical centers, community agencies, group practices), university counseling centers, or federal facilities (e.g., VA’s, prisons). Some graduates engage in private practice. Other graduates pursue research or teaching positions in institutions of higher education. The first employment setting is typically closely related to the specialized type of experience gained from the student’s pre-doctoral APPIC internship year. Many graduates have been able to move to the director/manager levels of those health delivery systems within three to seven years of graduation.  Please review our PhD Program’s Student Admissions, Outcomes, and Other Data summary for information about time to completion, internship placement, retention, and licensure.

Top 12 Reasons to Join Our Program*

• 100% of our students who applied for pre-doctoral internship in the last four years received an APA-accredited and fully funded internship
• 100% of our alumni achieved gainful employment after graduation
• 100% of our students obtain practicum placements in a variety of desirable settings such as VA Medical Centers, Hospitals, Prisons, University Counseling Centers, and Community Mental Health Agencies
• 100% of last year’s graduates said they were satisfied with the quality of the training they received in the PhD program
• 99% of students who wanted full-time (20/hrs/wk) funding in the last 3 years received it in the form of assistantships or fellowships
• Our students received 73 awards in 2018-2020
• Our students were first authors on 22 publications and 92 presentations at professional conferences in 2018-2020
• We have a 6:1 student to faculty ratio that facilitates close mentoring in research and personal attention in the classroom
• We have a diverse student body and faculty in the program
• The opportunity to conduct multidisciplinary research: our faculty and students publish with scholars from Behavioral Science, Public Health, Political Science, Sociology, Social Work, Gender and Women’s Studies, Education, and many other departments on the UK campus.
• Social justice research, training, and advocacy opportunities (e.g., EDP Social Justice Scholarship Series, EDP Ally Development Workshop, Center for Equality and Social Justice)
• Lexington is ranked as one of the Top 30 places to live in the USA by U.S. News & World Report, which described our city as a good place for young professionals to live given the constant influx of young, highly educated people and the affordability of housing.  Check out Lexington’s rankings, including recent Top 10 rankings on safety, place to raise a family, first-time home buying, place for new college grads, eating out affordably, work-life balance, and other quality of life indicators.

*List last updated in Fall 2020.

Program Philosophy and Social Justice Statement

The philosophy of the program is rooted in the values and goals of a socially just society. A socially just society is contingent on the optimal health and well-being of all persons in that society. The health and well-being of persons is contingent on access to healthy environments that support healthy development and functioning. We seek to train counseling psychologists who are competent health service psychologists (HSPs) that facilitate optimal well-being and the transformation of unhealthy and oppressive societal structures through engagement with science and practice.

Program Mission and Aims

Our mission is to train skilled and ethical scientist-practitioners who use their counseling psychology professional identity to competently address the evolving needs of a diverse society.  Learn more about the ten competencies and ten knowledge areas that underlie our program’s dual aims.

Program Training Model

We use a competency-based approach to training. We endorse the pedagogical principles for Preparing Professional Psychologists to Serve a Diverse Public and the Counseling Psychology Model Training Values Statement Addressing Diversity. We also embrace the following APA aspirational practice guidelines, among others: Multicultural Guidelines: An Ecological Approach to Context, Identity, and Intersectionality; Guidelines for Psychological Practice with Girls and Women; Guidelines for Psychological Practice with Older Adults; and Guidelines for Psychological Practice with Sexual Minority Persons; Guidelines for Psychological Practice with Transgender and Gender Nonconforming People; and Guidelines for Assessment of and Intervention with Persons with Disabilities.  Our students completed clinical practica in a variety of settings in and around Lexington, including university counseling centers, community mental health agencies, private practices, assessment clinics, psychiatric hospitals, Veterans Health Administration medical centers (VA’s), correctional facilities, and specialty mental health clinics.

For in-depth information about all facets of the program, download the Doctoral Program Handbook and Program of Study from the Handbooks and Forms page.

Academic Preparation for the Doctoral Program

Generally, students who enter the doctoral program have completed the master’s degree in a psychology-related area. We may accept strong applicants who have completed an undergraduate degree in psychology, but do not have a master’s degree; these students are expected to complete our master’s level coursework and practica prior to beginning the doctoral coursework and practica. Students negotiate a specific program of study with their advisory committee during their first semester in the program.

How Students are Selected for Admission

Drs. Hargons, Hammer, Rostosky, Stevens-Watkins, and Zounlome will be taking doctoral students for Fall 2022 start.  Please note that Dr. Rostosky will only consider doctoral applicants for the PRISM lab who will have completed a master’s degree in counseling/clinical (which included at least two semesters of therapy practicum experience) by June 2022. GRE scores are optional (unless the applicant wishes to be eligible for most fellowships and/or wishes to work with Dr. Stevens-Watkins, in which case reporting GRE scores is required). There is no minimum GRE score requirement or cut-off.

Applications for admission are evaluated by the program faculty who carefully review the applicant’s (a) GPA; (b) GRE scores, when provided; (c) letters of recommendation addressing academic, research, and counseling experiences and interpersonal skills; (d) match with faculty research interests; (e) Statement of Purpose outlining professional goals (i.e., is it commensurate with our training model and social justice values, and does it demonstrate excellence in written communication); and (f) contribution to diversity, broadly defined to include individual social identities and background experiences. The program faculty holistically considers the entire application of a prospective student and makes decisions based not only on numerical criteria but also on perceived fit with program goals, needs, and values. Therefore, a low score in one area can be off-set by professional strengths in another area. Minimum GPA is >2.75 for undergraduate and >3.00 for graduate. Minimum TOEFL score is 79. It is crucial that students articulate in their Statement of Purpose how their specific research interests match the research program of one or two of the counseling psychology faculty members.

Due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, we will conduct doctoral interview day via Zoom teleconference on February 4th, 2022.

This interview process helps the program faculty and prospective students further assess fit with the program and intended faculty adviser. After the interview day, the program faculty meet to review, discuss, and make final decisions about admission offers.

Accreditation

The Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) program in Counseling Psychology has been APA-accredited since November 9, 1983.

Questions related to the program’s accredited status should be directed to the Commission on Accreditation:

Office of Program Consultation and Accreditation
American Psychological Association
750 1st Street, NE, Washington, DC 20002
Phone: (202) 336-5979
Email: apaaccred@apa.org
Web: www.apa.org/ed/accreditation/

For specific questions about the Program, please contact:

Joseph H. Hammer, PhD
Associate Professor and Director of Doctoral Training
243 Dickey Hall
University of Kentucky
Lexington, Kentucky 40506-0017
Email: joe.hammer@uky.edu
Phone: (859) 257-4158

We encourage prospective students to read the webpages mentioned above as well as the Handbook and Program of Study before emailing the Director of Training, as most questions are answered by these resources.  Dr. Hammer’s website also provides in-depth advice on applying to counseling psychology PhD programs.

fully funded phd in psychology for international students

Getting a degree is always beneficial in a career, but it can be difficult with some financial barriers. To cover study expenses, the University of Plymouth is offering International Fully-funded PhD Studentships in the School of Psychology.

This is a three-year PhD scholarship available to all eligible students commencing October 2022 at the University of Plymouth in the UK.

Plymouth University is a public university with its main campus in Plymouth, England, although it also maintains campuses and linked institutions around the South West of England.

Why would you like to study at the University of Plymouth? Plymouth University is often regarded as one of the greatest universities in the UK. It has supported outside-the-classroom instruction. Because of its international renown for marine and maritime education and research, the university was awarded the Queen’s Anniversary Award.

Application Deadline: The closing date for applications is 22 May 2022.

Brief Description

• University or Organization: University of Plymouth
• Department: School of Psychology
• Course Level: PhD
• Awards: Fully-funded
• Number of Awards: NA
• Access Mode: Online
• Nationality: UK and international students
• The award can be taken in the UK

Eligibility        

• Eligible Countries: All nationalities
• Eligible Course or Subjects: PhD degree in the School of Psychology
• Eligibility Criteria: To be eligible, the applicants must meet all the following/given criteria:
• Applicants should have a first-class honours degree in an appropriate subject and preferably a relevant MSc or MRes qualification.