McKay School of Education > CPSE > Ph.D Program > Informed Decision Making

PhD Program: Informed Decision Making

In making decisions concerning the PhD Program in Counseling Psychology, potential candidates might want to consider the following:

Time to Completion

Over the last 7 years, the average time for students to complete this program has been 4.5 years (SD=.71).  Of the students completing this program, 57% did so in 4 years, 35% required  5 years, and 8%  were in the program for 6 years or more.  However, in the future we expect the average time of completion to be approximately 5 years because most of our current students have begun the program directly after receiving their bachelor's degrees.

Program Costs/Financial Aid

Currently graduate tuition for LDS students is $2,430 per semester.  Non-LDS students may have their tuition reduced to the LDS student rate if sufficient funding is available.  BYU's Financial Aid Office estimates the annual cost for graduate education to be approximately $21,210.  For more information see the Financial Aid Website at http://saas.byu.edu/depts/finaid/costs.aspx.  All eligible students in the Counseling Psychology Program receive financial support in the form of scholarships and assistantships.  Currently, student assistantships (5-20 hours/week) pay approximately $14.00 per hour.  Scholarships range from a few hundred dollars to several thousand dollars per semester.

Internships

Of the students who have entered our program since it became accredited in 2000 and applied for internships, 24 out of 25 (96%) have obtained internships.  All have been full-time paid positions, APPIC and APA accredited.  Of the 25, only 4 (16%) did not match in their first application; 3 matched in their second application, and the remaining student is making a second application in the coming year.

Attrition

Of the 46 students admitted to the program since it was accredited in 2000, 2 have left--an attrition rate of 4.3%.

Licensure

Of the 46 students admitted to the program since it was accredited, 9 have been graduated for more than 2 years. Of these 9 students, 8 are now licensed psychologists, and the remaining student is preparing to take the licensing exam.