Psychology, MPsy

Introduction

The graduate psychology program at the University of Dallas is devoted to the recovery of some of the great traditions in 20th-century psychology often lost in the shuffle of current day clinical and research-oriented programs. Rooted in humanistic, psychodynamic and phenomenological traditions, the department emphasizes critical thinking about the theoretical and epistemological foundations of psychology.

The master’s program in psychology at the University of Dallas recognizes the work of 20th-century thinkers and prepares students to contribute to 21st-century psychology. The distinguishing character of the program is its existential-phenomenological orientation, which draws upon the traditions of psychoanalysis, hermeneutics and humanistic psychology, as well as Continental psychology and feminism.

The program offers an array of courses in areas such as personality theory, psychodiagnostics, psychotherapy and lifespan development.

The “great books” of these fields provide the backbone for the program; that is, primary sources such as Husserl, Heidegger, Sartre, Beauvoir, Merleau-Ponty and Levinas from the phenomenological tradition; Freud, Jung, Adler, Horney, Sullivan, Klein, Winnicott, Kernberg, and Lacan from the psychodynamic tradition; Rogers, Allport, Murray, Maslow, May and Bugental from the tradition of American humanistic psychology; Binswanger, Boss, Buytendijk, Minkowski, van den Berg, Laing and Szasz from the European tradition of existential psychiatry; and figures like Giorgi, Colaizzi, von Eckartsberg and others from the Duquesne School of phenomenological research.

Bolstering its position as a program that represents and supports qualitative research as well as a broadly defined humanistic tradition in academic psychology, the department contributes editorially to the publication of the APA division journal The Humanistic Psychologist.

Why Study Humanistic Psychology?

Humanistic psychology focuses on the study of the whole person and emphasizes human potential. By exploring psychology through a humanistic lens, the complex and unique facets of the human experience become more discernible.

Through exploring both the history of humanistic psychology and examining contributions from natural science psychology, this program provides a multifaceted psychological perspective that aims to foster an in-depth understanding of the human experience.

Why Psychology at UD?

• Accreditation from The Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS).
• Choose from two masters-level degree tracks: Master of Psychology or Master of Psychology with Clinical Concentration.
• Experience clinical courses that emphasize psychodynamic and humanistic approaches to psychotherapy and help you prepare for the NCE exam.
• Many students continue to work while earning their degrees.
• Receive training in quantitative, qualitative and mixed methods research in small class sizes that afford close collaboration with professors.
• Gain opportunities for applied training in psychological assessment and clinical intervention with experienced faculty.
• Experience clinical courses that emphasize psychodynamic and humanistic approaches to psychotherapy and help you prepare for the NCE exam.

Learn more about our degree requirements here.

“

What I love about UD's psychology program is its emphasis on understanding the whole person, not just human behavior. I believe this program has helped prepare me to be a caring and effective counselor.

Emily Kelly, Master of Psychology with Clinical Concentration ’18

Advance Your Career and Academic Work

The goal of the graduate program is to prepare students for advanced academic work in psychology or for professional mental health practice in a wide range of settings. Graduates enter the marketplace with a flexible degree that allows them to pursue state level credentials, including Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) or Psychological Associate (PA). Learn from distinguished faculty committed to qualitative research in academic psychology’s humanistic tradition.

Learn about Will Edmonson's experience.

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, 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.
• In Texas, as in many states, you may be ineligible for licensure as an LPC due to a criminal or deferred adjudication for a felony or a misdemeanor offense. If your record includes a criminal or deferred adjudication for a felony or misdemeanor offense, and you plan to seek licensure in Texas, you should request a criminal history letter from the Texas State Board of Examiners of Professional Counselors, pursuant to Texas Administrative Code §469.7, to evaluate your potential ineligibility for licensure. Please consider this notice carefully and, if appropriate or if you are unsure, please take steps to review your potential ineligibility for licensure in the state where you intend to reside and practice before enrolling in the program and incurring the related tuition and fees.

For the university's most up to date information on professional licensing, visit https://udallas.edu/offices-services/institutional-effectiveness/professional-licensure.php

Questions? Find answers and general information about the graduate psychology program on the FAQ page or contact an admissions counselor: