Named the “best state to live in” in a 2012 Gallup survey, the variety of doctoral programs in psychology in Utah just adds to the beauty of the 45th state to join the Union. Utah’s doctoral programs in psychology include clinical, counseling, and school psychology options in order to prepare students for a variety of employment opportunities.
Brigham Young University
Department of Psychology
Brigham Young University offers some of the most competitive doctoral programs in psychology in Utah. Enjoying accreditation by the APA since 1971, BYU’s Department of Psychology is composed of experts in their field. A religiously affiliated institution, BYU is sponsored by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. While the student body and faculty represent a variety of religious beliefs, the university’s Honor Code and the ecclesiastical endorsement derive from Church sponsorship.
Clinical Psychology PhD
BYU’s PhD in Clinical Psychology offers students experience in a wide variety of clinical settings and approaches. Graduates have gone on to successful careers in clinical settings, as well as academic and research positions. The program is open to those with Bachelor’s or Master’s degrees and students take four years of academic training followed by a full time internship during the fifth year. Students complete 118 hours, divided among coursework, dissertation research and writing, the internship, taking the comprehensive exams, and completing practical training. Classes are divided into four areas: Research, General, and Clinical Core Courses, and the Clinical Practicum. Research covers Data Analysis in Psychological Research as well as Clinical Research, and the Dissertation. General Core Courses include classes in Biological, Social-Cultural, and Cognitive-Affective Bases of Behavior, History and Systems, Human Development, and Personality. The Clinical Core is composed of classes in Assessment, Psychotherapy, Psychopathology, Ethics and Standards, and an Elective Course.
Contact
Brigham Young University
Department of Psychology
1001 SWKT
Provo, UT 84602
Phone: (800) 422-4287
Email: psychology@byu.edu
Program Website
Counseling Psychology & Special Education (CPSE)
Counseling Psychology PhD
BYU’s Clinical and Counseling Psychology Doctoral programs are both based on the scientist-practitioner model. The PhD in Counseling Psychology emphasizes the importance of professional and ethical conduct, valuing the truth as gleaned through both scientific research and spiritual sources. The program is modeled on an integrated approach that examines, research, theory, and practice.
Contact
Brigham Young University
Counseling Psychology Doctoral Program
340-J MCKB
Provo, UT 84602-5093
Phone: (801) 422-8031
Email: aaron_jackson@byu.edu
Program Website
Accreditations
– American Psychological Association Commission on Accreditation (CoA)
– Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities (NWCCU)
University of Utah
Department of Psychology
The University of Utah offers a number of exceptional Doctoral Programs in Psychology in Utah. From Clinical Psychology to Educational Psychology programs specializing in Counseling and School Psychology, the U of U offers graduate students a variety of funding opportunities as well as internship and even respecialization options for psychology PhDs that would like to shift their specialization to Counseling Psychology.
Clinical Psychology PhD
The Clinical Psychology PhD from the University of Utah prepares students for cross-area specialization in research areas like developmental psychopathology and sexuality, as well as health and the biological bases of behavior. The Department stands out for its commitment to collaborative research, with faculty and graduate students working with colleagues in a variety of disciplines, including Medicine and Computer Science. In order to fulfill the Psychology Master’s program requirements —a prerequisite for starting the PhD program— students must complete 30 to 36 semester hours by the end of their third year, including Core courses, Area seminars, and Statistics and Methodology classes. Students complete a teaching practicum during the first year, and are expected to complete the required Departmental Core courses in Biological, Cognitive-Affective, and Social Bases of Behavior, and Individual Behavior. After presenting a colloquium on their Master’s thesis, students receive either the M.S. or the M.A. in Clinical Psychology before moving on to their doctoral coursework. In addition to coursework, students must pass the qualifying exam, research, write, and present their dissertation, and fulfill the teaching requirements for the PhD.
Contact
The University of Utah
Department of Psychology
380 S 1530 E Beh S 502
Salt Lake City, UT 84112
Phone: (801) 581-5841
Email: psych.advising@psych.utah.edu
Program Website
Department of Educational Psychology
Counseling Psychology PhD
The Department of Educational Psychology at the University of Utah offers the Counseling Psychology PhD to those wishing to work in academia, medical and hospital settings, managed care facilities, private agencies, departments of corrections, and a number of other mental health settings. Accredited by the APA since 1957, the Counseling Psychology program follows the scientist-practitioner model and offers students the opportunity to pursue practical experience in the form of a yearlong internship during their fifth and final year. Students complete courses in the Behavioral Science Core, the Psychology Practitioner Core, the Special Proficiency Area, Electives, and Practicum. Students also fulfill other professional requirements for the degree, including authorship/co-authorship on a publication, researching and writing the dissertation, passing the qualifying exams, and completing the internship in counseling psychology.
School Psychology PhD
The University of Utah’s School Psychology PhD is among the most cutting edge psychology graduate programs in the country, with faculty with experience in a variety of professional settings, including traumatic brain injury, early childhood intervention, and school-wide behavior support. The School offers two areas of specialization: Neuropsychology and Consultations/Interventions. Of particular interest, the University of Utah’s Autism Training Grant offers specialized training opportunities in one of the fastest growing psychiatric disability categories in the country, guided by the Positive Behavior Supports/ Response to Intervention (PSB/RTI) model. Students first complete the Master’s requirements, including 9 credit hours in Psychological Foundations courses, 3 hours in Research Design & Statistics, 6 hours in Master’s Thesis/ Research, 3 credit hours in Educational Foundations, 12 hours in Psychoeducational Assessment, 12 credit hours in Intervention Strategies, and 26 hours in Professional School Psychology classes. Next, students enroll in 6 hours of Scientific and Professional Standards and Ethics, 3 hours each in Cognitive-Affective, Social, and Biological Bases of Behavior, 6 hours in Individual Differences, 3 hours in Research Design, 9 credit hours in Statistics, 3 hours in Educational Foundations, 12 hours in Psychoeducational Assessment, 12 hours in Intervention Strategies, and 30 hours in Professional School Psychology, while 14 credit hours are dedicated to the dissertation.
Contact
The University of Utah
Educational Psychology
1721 Campus Center Dr. SAEC 3220
Salt Lake City, UT 84112
Phone: (801) 581-7148
Email: jo.yates@utah.edu
Program Website
Accreditations
– American Psychological Association Commission on Accreditation (CoA)
– Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities (NWCCU)
Utah State University
Department of Psychology
USU’s Department of Psychology offers one of the most innovative doctoral programs in psychology in Utah. Utah State University also offers psychology Master’s programs, including the accredited Professional School Counselor Education MEd and the MS earned as part of the Combined PhD in Clinical, Counseling, and School Psychology. Graduate students benefit from a number of scholarships, including student travel scholarships and scholarships specifically for Combined PhD students.
Combined PhD in Clinical, Counseling, School Psychology
With a focus on training scientist-practitioners, the USU Combined PhD in Clinical, Counseling, and School Psychology emphasizes the professional training students for employment in a variety of settings in the three major fields of psychology. Classes are divided among the Part 1: MS in Psychology, which includes 12 courses and 37 credit hours in classes like Objective Assessment of Personality, Affect, and Behavior, Introduction to the Practice of Professional Psychology, and Developmental Psychology as well as the required Thesis course. Next, students complete their PhD courses, including Theory and Research Personality, Social Psychology, and Empirically Based Practice with Children, Adolescents, and Adults. PhD students also take a course in Cognitive and Affective Aspects of Behavior, as well as a course in Supervision and Consultation, an additional advanced research course elective, and the required Courses in Methodology and Statistics and Intervention Practicum, plus their Dissertation Courses. Students complete 105 to 108 credits total for the Combined Ms and PhD.
Accreditations
– American Psychological Association Commission on Accreditation (CoA)
– Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities (NWCCU)
Contact
Utah State University
Department of Psychology
2810 Old Main Hill
Logan, UT 84322-2810
Phone: (435) 797-1460
Email: psychology@usu.edu
Program Website
Accredited psychology doctoral programs abound in the Beehive State, which is home to a number of doctoral programs in psychology in Utah that train tomorrow’s leaders in the field.