Program: Psychology Major, PhD - University of Tennessee, Knoxville (2024)

Credit Hours Required

• Minimum of 72 graduate credit hours beyond the bachelor’s, or
• Minimum of 48 graduate credit hours beyond the Master’s (exclusive of the 6 credit hours of thesis)

Required Courses

• PSYC 600 - Doctoral Research and Dissertation (24 credit hours)

• Satisfactory completion of listed courses (or equivalents) in the following categories.

• PSYC 527 - Advances in Behavioral Neuroscience
• PSYC 509 - Research Practicum
• PSYC 515 - Professional Issues in Psychology
• PSYC 570 - Cognitive and Affective Bases of Behavior
• PSYC 597 - Development and Psychopathology
• PSYC 565 - History and Systems of Psychology
• PSYC 577 - Multicultural Psychology: Theory and Research
• PSYC 607 - Seminar in Applied Psychometrics
• PSYC 645 - Seminar on Supervision, Professional Development, Internship, and Ethical Conduct
• PSYC 580 - Research Design
• PSYC 594 - Psychological Assessment I
• PSYC 595 - Psychological Assessment II
• PSYC 596 - Laboratory in Psychological Assessment
• PSYC 521 - Analysis of Variance for Social Sciences [or approved courses from Statistics (STAT)]
• PSYC 522 - Multiple Regression for Social Sciences [or approved courses from Statistics (STAT)]
• PSYC 550 - Social Psychology
• PSYC 695 - Field Placement in Clinical Psychology
• PSYC 599 - Clinical Psychopathology
• PSYC 598 - Ethical Issues in Professional Psychology
• PSYC 670 - Psychotherapy I
• PSYC 671 - Psychotherapy II
• PSYC 673 - Laboratory in Psychotherapy
• PSYC 698 - Seminar in Supervision and Consultation

Additional Course Requirements

Students who choose a teaching assistantship in the third or fourth year must have satisfactorily completed PSYC 528.

Non-Course Requirements

• Clinical Program students should complete a thesis or pre-dissertation research project by the end of the second year.
• After forming the doctoral committee, each student must pass a comprehensive examination administered and evaluated by the committee.
  • The comprehensive examination is organized around a research case study of one client who has been assessed and/or treated by the student in the Departmental Psychological Clinic.
  • In addition to the case presentation, the paper presents the student’s comprehensive review of relevant research and theory as a context for procedure, results, and discussion of the case.
• A written thesis or pre-dissertation research project (completed before forming a doctoral supervisory committee) reported in a form acceptable to the major professor and at least one other clinical faculty member (and approved by the Clinical Faculty for the pre-dissertation project). The student must pass an oral defense as part of the thesis requirements; a defense is not required for a pre-dissertation project.
• A supervised clinical placement two days (16 hours) each week during the second year and the following option during the third and fourth years
  • continued two day clinical placement in the third and fourth years in the community or
  • teaching assistantship in the department in either the third or fourth year, and two-day clinical placement in the other year

Credit Hours Required

Minimum of 108 semester credit hours of graduate credit, including a minimum of 84 credit hours of graduate coursework and 24 credit hours of dissertation research (see below).

Required Courses

• PSYC 600 - Doctoral Research and Dissertation (24 credit hours)

• Counseling Psychology Core (minimum 57 credit hours)

• PSYC 598 - Ethical Issues in Professional Psychology
• PSYC 517 - Foundations of Counseling Psychology
• PSYC 515 - Professional Issues in Psychology
• PSYC 577 - Multicultural Psychology: Theory and Research
• PSYC 675 - Advanced Theory and Practice in Group Counseling
• PSYC 674 - Advanced Practicum in Counseling Psychology
• PSYC 601 - Seminar in Psychology
• PSYC 599 - Clinical Psychopathology
• PSYC 667 - Assessment in Counseling Psychology I
• PSYC 668 - Assessment in Counseling Psychology II
• PSYC 568 - Prepracticum in Counseling Skills
• PSYC 510 - Topics in Psychology or
• COUN 554 - Group Counseling and Group Work
• PSYC 519 - Advanced Theories and Interventions in Counseling Psychology
• PSYC 433 - Theories of Counseling Psychology or
• COUN 551 - Counseling Theories
• PSYC 566 - Practicum in Counseling Psychology
• PSYC 678 - Theory and Practice of Counseling Supervision
• PSYC 664 - Practicum in Counseling Supervision

• Research Core (12 credit hours)

• PSYC 580 - Research Design
• PSYC 521 - Analysis of Variance for Social Sciences and
• PSYC 522 - Multiple Regression for Social Sciences

• or approved courses from Statistics Department (STAT) or Department of Educational Psychology (EDPY)

• PSYC 607 - Seminar in Applied Psychometrics

• General Psychological Foundations (18 credit hours)

• PSYC 565 - History and Systems of Psychology
• PSYC 527 - Advances in Behavioral Neuroscience
• PSYC 570 - Cognitive and Affective Bases of Behavior
• PSYC 550 - Social Psychology
• HDFS 510 - Theories in Human Development
• PSYC 524 - Brain and Behavioral Development

• or other approved integrative psychology courses

• Capstone Elective (approved course from various departments chosen in consultation with the major professor and/or doctoral committee)

Additional Course Requirements

Students who wish to have a teaching assistantship must first satisfactorily complete PSYC 528.

Non-Course Requirements

• The counseling psychology faculty that comprise the doctoral committee also advise and approve students’ comprehensive exam portfolio. The portfolio covers various artifacts of the counseling psychology core. Students prepare and present both a written comprehensive exam portfolio and hold an oral defense.
• Students must complete a written thesis project and oral defense of the thesis approved by the student’s major professor and master’s committee.
• Students must propose, conduct, and defend an original dissertation research study approved by their doctoral committee.
• Students are required to complete supervised counseling practica and field placements in the community. These experiences must result in
  • a minimum of 500 hours of Intervention and Assessment Experience, of which at least 300 hours must be in the category of Individual or Group Counseling.
  • In addition, 100 hours of Supervision Received must be accumulated.
• Students are also required to complete a 2000-hour internship prior to graduation.
  • In consultation with the student and the student’s doctoral committee chair, the training director approves the internship site, which must meet American Psychological Association Guidelines.
• Each student is also required to complete:
  • A minimum of 3 full-time academic years of graduate study plus an internship prior to receiving the doctoral degree
  • At least 2 of the 3 academic training years within The University of Tennessee, Knoxville Counseling Psychology PhD Program
  • An APA-accredited full-time, year-long Internship

Credit Hours Required

• Minimum of 72 graduate credit hours beyond the bachelor’s or
• Minimum of 48 graduate credit hours beyond the Master’s (exclusive of the 6 credit hours of thesis)

Required Courses

• PSYC 600 - Doctoral Research and Dissertation (24 credit hours)

• Nine credit hours of quantitative graduate coursework, including:

• 6 credit hours of

• PSYC 521 - Analysis of Variance for Social Sciences and
• PSYC 522 - Multiple Regression for Social Sciences
• STAT 531 - Survey of Statistical Methods I
• STAT 537 - Statistics for Research I and
• STAT 538 - Statistics for Research II, Regression Modeling

• or equivalent (consult with the major professor and/or doctoral guidance committee)

• 3 credit hours of Research Design

• PSYC 580 - Research Design

• or equivalent (consult with the major professor and/or doctoral guidance committee)

• Six graduate credit hours from at least 2 out of the 3 experimental core area offerings:

• Neuroscience and Behavior

• PSYC 527 - Advances in Behavioral Neuroscience
• PSYC 546 - Evolutionary Psychology
• PSYC 547 - Conceptual Foundations of Evolution and Behavior

• Cognitive and Developmental Science (CDS)

• PSYC 524 - Brain and Behavioral Development

• Social

• PSYC 550 - Social Psychology
• PSYC 530 - Psychology of Attitudes
• Three additional graduate credit hours from any course taught by experimental faculty members.
• PSYC 577 - Multicultural Psychology: Theory and Research
• Six additional credit hours from any 500- or 600-level courses chosen in consultation with the major professor and/or doctoral guidance committee.

• And completion of the following:

• PSYC 509 - Research Practicum (9 credit hours)
• PSYC 515 - Professional Issues in Psychology (Two semesters)
• PSYC 528 - Seminar on College Teaching in Psychology
• Two 600-level graduate seminars inside or outside of psychology chosen in consultation with the major professor and/or doctoral guidance committee.
• 3 credit hours of graduate level courses outside the Psychology Department
• A Pre-dissertation research project involving the collection of original data or the original analysis of existing data reported in publishable form and accepted by the student’s advisory committee.

Non-Course Requirements

• A comprehensive examination determined and evaluated by the student’s doctoral committee. The examination is comprised of an integrative review of theoretical paper and an oral exam or additional questions.
• An original piece of research in the form of a doctoral dissertation, proposed, conducted, and defended.