Counseling Psychology Frequently Asked Questions

Counseling Psychology Graduate Programs

Admissions F.A.Q.

Q: I do not have an undergraduate degree in psychology. Could I still be admitted into the program?
A: Yes. We offer admission to students with degrees in psychology and other disciplines. We do require 18 credit hours of undergraduate pre-requisite psychology courses.

Q: I have not completed all of the pre-requisite courses. Can I still apply?
A: While you are welcome to apply even if you have not yet completed all the pre-requisite courses, to maximize your chances of acceptance, we recommend that you do complete all pre-requisite courses prior to applying. We do occasionally admit applicants who may be missing a pre-requisite course with the stipulation that they successfully complete the course within the first year of graduate study.

Q: Is the GRE required to apply?
A: No. Neither the general test nor the subject test are required. 

Q: Is the interview required?
A: Yes, we require a virtual interview for consideration of admission.

Q: How should I obtain letters of recommendation and from whom?
A: We strongly prefer letters of recommendation from professors who know you well. Even if you have been out of school for a while, we encourage you to approach faculty members who can write on your behalf. We also accept letters from employers, former employers and those who know you in a supervisory context from volunteer positions. We do not accept letters from therapists, clergy, relatives or friends. We also only accept letters that are written on letterhead stationery.

Q: I have submitted all of my materials. What should I do next?
A: We encourage you to check with us to ensure all of your materials have been received by the deadline (November 30th for the Doctoral program and February 1st for the Master’s program). Should you be invited for an on-campus interview, we will be in touch with you no later than February 1st for the doctoral program and March 1st for the master’s program.

Q: Are you still accepting applications for the fall (spring)?
A: We accept new students only once per year in the fall of the year you wish to begin. The deadline is November 30th for the Doctoral program and February 1st for the Master’s program of the year you wish to apply. We cannot accept any materials that arrive after that date.

Q: What are some reasons I was not offered admission (or invited to interview)?
A: We regularly receive many more applications from qualified students than we are able to admit. We intentionally keep our classes small so that we can provide excellent education and training to those we admit.

Q: What can I do to maximize my chances of being offered admission?
A: Review all of the information on our websites to ensure you have met or exceeded our admission criteria. We also encourage you to research our program and ensure you know the kind of training we provide and demonstrate in your application materials how your interests and professional goals complement our training model, mission, and goals.

Q: Do I need to have completed a master’s thesis in order to apply to the doctoral program? What opportunities are there for research experience?
A: While it is helpful if you have previous research experience, all doctoral students gain research experience in a first-year project conducted in teams led by counseling psychology core faculty members.

Q: Where can I find additional information about International Education and Financial Aid at TWU?
A: Visit the International Education at TWU and Financial Aid websites.

Programs F.A.Q.

Q: Can I attend the program on a part-time basis?
A: The master’s program can be pursued on a part-time basis. The doctoral program requires full-time study.

Q: Are classes offered in the evenings, on the weekends and/or online?
A: Courses are primarily face-to-face and most are scheduled during daytime hours. We do not offer classes on the weekends.

Q: On which campus are the counseling psychology programs located?
A: We are located on the Denton campus.

Q: Can I apply to both the master’s and doctoral programs at the same time? How are the two programs related to each other?
A: If you do not already have a master’s degree and you are certain your goal is to get the PhD, you should go ahead and apply directly to the doctoral program. If you are willing to consider master’s admission should you not be selected for the doctoral program, indicate this on the program application (there is a check box for this). 

We remind you that students applying to the doctoral program who already have the master’s degree are given preference in the doctoral selection process. 

In the doctoral admission process, upon initial review of applicant folders, we can decide to (a) invite you for an interview for the doctoral program, (b) put you under consideration for later master’s review, or (c) decline your application for both programs.  If you are invited for an interview for the doctoral program, we will make admissions decisions immediately following those interviews.

At that point, our decisions can be to (a) extend an offer of admission to you for the doctoral program, (b) extend an offer of admission to the master’s program if you don’t already have a master’s degree, or (c) decline your application for both programs. 

If you have applied for the doctoral program but were put into consideration for the Master’s program upon initial review, your materials will be examined again with all other master’s applicants. This review occurs approximately three months after doctoral review and follows a similar procedure, with a review of applications, invitations for interviews, and the possibility of being denied an offer of admission at either the paper review or interview stage. Offers of admission to the master’s program are extended to applicants following the master’s interview.

If you are applying from bachelor’s level (BA/BS), you may choose to apply exclusively to the master’s program. Applicants do this when they (a) have no desire to pursue a doctoral degree, or (b) do not feel ready yet for doctoral work and want to get started at master’s level. 

Students in our own master’s program may apply for doctoral admission after completing their first year in the master’s program. Doctoral admission is not guaranteed just because a student is in our master’s program; the student must go through the doctoral admission process like anyone else. However, if admitted to the doctoral program from our master’s program, almost all of the coursework will transfer in, as our master’s curriculum is largely, though not completely, a subset of our doctoral curriculum.

Students in our doctoral program who do not have a master’s degree upon admission can earn a master’s degree on the way to the PhD.