Requirements
Course Requirements
Graduate Psychology Core
| PSY 6311 | Phenomenological Foundations of Psychology | 3 |
| PSY 6333 | Foundations of Qualitative Research | 3 |
| PSY 5322 | Lifespan Development | 3 |
| PSY 7331 | Historical Foundations of Depth Psychology | 3 |
| | Electives | 30 |
| | Thesis | 6 |
Clinical Concentration
Students may elect to add courses in the area of clinical psychology to the Master of Psychology degree program (as illustrated above) so as to have a Clinical Concentration, drawing from such courses as health psychology, personality theory, clinical psychology, clinical assessment, depth psychology, psychodiagnostics, counseling and psychotherapy. Practicum placements at local mental health services are available.
Important Notices for Students Seeking LPC Licensure
The University of Dallas Master of Psychology with clinical concentration program is a psychology program, not a counseling program. Many students seek to satisfy the educational requirements for licensure in Texas as a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) through the completion of our 60 credit Master of Psychology with clinical concentration. Under the current requirements of the Texas State Board of Examiners of Professional Counselors (https://www.dshs.texas.gov/counselor/lpc_apply.shtm), graduates of psychology programs can apply for LPC licensure under the statutory recognition of psychology as a ‘counseling-related field’ (Texas Administrative Code §681.2).
Students should be aware that some Counseling professional organizations, including the American Counseling Association (ACA), the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP), and the National Board of Certified Counselors (NBCC) have expressed their intent to restrict counseling licensure to graduates of counseling programs. At present, four states require that in order to be an LPC, an individual must have graduated from a CACREP-accredited institution. The psychology program at the University of Dallas is not CACREP-accredited. Students’ eligibility for licensure as LPCs in Texas and other States may change as a result of these administrative and policy positions as well as legislative initiatives undertaken to implement them. Students are advised to keep abreast of the licensing boards' regulations in the jurisdictions in which they aim to reside and practice.
Comprehensive Exams
The Comprehensive Examination in the Psychology Graduate Program is “comprehensive” in the sense of transcending the limits of individual courses while requiring an integration or synthesis on the part of the student. Students are asked to demonstrate a command of material that would not have been expected at an earlier time in the program. The comprehensive exam thus requires a mastery of both methodological issues and content areas covered in the course work, as evidenced by writing that is compelling, clear and accurate. The exam questions, which are written by the faculty, are tailored to the individual student. Students are invited to suggest thematic areas around which their comps will be constructed, with the understanding that these areas will represent the breadth of their Masters level course work, including the required foundations track classes as well as some of the electives.
Typically, the comprehensive examination is administered after the completion of course work. Students are required to report their intention to take the comprehensive exam to the program director no later than the beginning of the semester in which they wish to take the exam. M.A. students must complete both the comprehensive examination and the language requirement before submitting the proposal for the thesis.