Interested applicants should ensure that all of the following are received by January 15, 2009:

• Radford University Graduate Application
• A letter of interest describing the applicant’s professional and/or research experience, outlining the person’s career goals, and demonstrating an understanding of the Radford program and the time commitment (40+ hours per week, classes all year long, and at least 4 years to degree completion) necessary to successfully complete the Psy.D. degree
• A writing sample that includes both of the following:
  • Personal essay that is autobiographical in nature and focuses on the applicant’s (a) developmental history, (b) cultural background and experiences, (c) reasons for pursuing doctoral studies in counseling psychology, and (d) commitment to social justice and to providing professional service to people living in rural areas (5-6 pages of double-spaced text; no citations are necessary but if used they should follow APA-style)
  • Reflective essay that addresses the applicant’s thoughts and understanding regarding the etiology of client distress and the nature of the change process (2-3 pages of double-spaced text; should include at least 4 citations to the professional literature, which are then included in an APA-style reference list).
• Curriculum Vita
  • In addition to the standard information regarding where you have had applied experience and names/contact information of supervisors at those sites, please provide the approximate number of (a) individual face-to-face counseling hours, (b) group hours, (c) couples/family hours, (d) psychological assessment/evaluation hours, and (e) supervision hours received as part of practicum/internship training and the approximate number of hours in each of these categories received through work experience.
• Official transcripts of all undergraduate (including community college) and graduate work
  • Please note that the minimum allowable Graduate GPA is 3.25
  • Please also note that only applicants who have received a Master’s degree from a regionally accredited institution of higher education, in a human services field, where they provided face-to-face counseling services for at least a total of 60 hours, working with multiple clients, under the supervision of an appropriately credentialed professional are eligible for admission, except under unusual circumstances (please direct inquiries to the Program Director about whether such circumstances may exist for you). Please report psychological assessment/evaluation hours separately because these do not constitute counseling when conducted on their own. Although a mix of counseling and assessment is acceptable, experience that is primarily focused on assessment/evaluation may not meet the Admission Committee’s criteria.
• Three letters of recommendation, including at least one from a professor who can comment on the applicant’s academic skills, including ability to pursue doctoral-level training, and one from a supervisor who can speak to the applicant’s counseling skills and response to supervision.
  • Personal references are not considered and will not count toward the three required letters.
• Official scores from the GRE General Test
  • Please note that GRE scores are only good for 5 years

We want to emphasize that only files that are complete on January 15 will be reviewed by the Admissions Committee. It is therefore crucial that applicants allow enough time for transcripts and the GRE scores to arrive and for letters to be written and arrive. Applicants should stay in touch with their letter writers and transcript offices to make sure the material is sent and follow-up with the information provided online by the Graduate College to monitor the status of their application file.

Initial screening of applicants is based on an assessment of a student’s undergraduate and graduate GPAs, GRE scores, appropriateness of academic preparation, relevance of professional experience, quality of references, appropriateness of career goals, and quality of submitted writing samples. Applicants should obtain current admission information from the Graduate College and the Psy.D. Program.

The first consideration is whether an applicant has received (or will receive by August) a Master’s degree from a regionally accredited institution of higher education, in a human services field, where she or he provided face-to-face counseling services for at least a total of 60 hours, working with multiple clients, under the supervision of an appropriately credentialed professional. Psychological assessment/evaluation hours are to be listed separately because these do not constitute counseling when conducted on their own. Although a mix of counseling and assessment is acceptable, experience that is primarily focused on assessment/evaluation may not meet the Admission Committee’s criteria. These guidelines will be followed except under unusual circumstances (please direct inquiries to the Program Director about whether such circumstances may exist for you).

Once the initial screening regarding degree and experience is complete, the rest of the application is reviewed. Graduate GPA is more important than undergraduate GPA in our review process; GRE scores are not a primary factor in determining who is offered an interview. The Program Director or designee will call references and their comments will affect who is invited for interviews. The most important factor in determining who is invited for an interview is the degree of fit between the applicant and the program. This includes experience with and commitment to rural mental health, cultural diversity, social justice, and evidence-based practice. An applicant's potential contribution to the diversity of the program through background, experience, and other characteristics is also a consideration.

Near the beginning of February selected applicants will be invited to campus for interviews with faculty and current students. For the 2009 interviews, we have scheduled Monday February 16 and Monday February 23 as on-campus interview dates (Monday March 2 is the alternate day in the event of bad weather). We will be able to reimburse at least some, if not all, of the travel expenses for applicants invited to campus for interviews.  Students who enrolled said that coming to Radford to see the campus, meet the faculty in person, and interact with others on campus who support the program were important reasons why they turned down other offers or left their jobs to join the program. Thus, we suggest that if at all possible you keep those three days open to travel to Radford in person. Following the interviews, the Psy.D. faculty members decide which applicants will be offered admission into the program. Notification of acceptance, alternate status, or denial should be made in late February or early March. Offers of admission must be accepted or declined by April 15.

The number of applicants recommended for admission each year varies and is determined primarily by the quality of applicants and their match with program goals along with the availability of faculty advisors for incoming students. The typical cohort will be between 5 and 10 students. 

Individuals applying, after having previously been denied, must submit a new application. Previously submitted materials and credentials will not be accepted. All requirements for admission must be met for the applicant to receive the same status as other applicants during that year.

Apply to the Psy.D. Program

. . .

As we discuss in both the Accreditation page and the first section of the FAQs page, the Radford University Psy.D. Program is not yet accredited by the American Psychological Association. If you have questions about the accreditation process for doctoral programs in psychology, you can contact the APA via the following means:

American Psychological Association
Office of Program Consultation and Accreditation / Commission on Accreditation

750 First Street, NE

Washington, DC 20002-4242
Phone: 202-336-5979
TDD/TTY: 202-336-6123
Fax: 202-336-5978
E-mail: apaaccred@apa.org
Internet Webpage: http://www.apa.org/ed/accreditation