Admission Requirements

• A completed application
• A master's or higher degree (in counseling or closely related field) from a regionally accredited college or university
• Graduate GPA of at least 3.25 (A=4.0)
• Three recent letters of professional recommendation (two must be from an academic instructor or advisor) regarding the prospective student's capacity to successfully complete a research-oriented doctoral program.
• A writing sample (any academic, conceptual or research paper student has written for a class assignment or for publication). There is no length requirement
• A copy of your resume
• An interview with two faculty members

Admission requirements may be modified based on socioeconomic status, commitment to work in low-income neighborhoods, evidence of community or volunteer work, family educational background, first generation in college, overcoming hardships, and/or personal interviews. Students who have limited academic credentials may be required to take master's level courses that will not be applied towards the doctoral degree.

This program can accommodate only a limited number of students; therefore, there is a possibility of being denied admission even when all criteria are met. The Department of Counseling reserves the right to refuse student entrance or terminate a student after admission to the doctoral program, if in the judgment of the faculty the student demonstrates unacceptable personal fitness to work in the counseling field with children, youth, and/or adults.

A two-step admission process is used for screening applicants:

1. The Doctoral Admission Committee reviews the application materials to verify completion of all admission criteria.
2. The Doctoral Admission Committee conducts an admission interview with the applicant, and provides a recommendation to the Dean of the School of Education.

Students will work with faculty with diverse theoretical orientations. Thus, rather than receiving training in only one theoretical orientation, students are exposed to a diverse base of knowledge, and are encouraged to formulate, and articulate clearly, their own counseling approach. At the time of doctoral study application, students must identify transfer courses. A maximum of six (6) post-master's credits may be transferred into the program. Courses must have been taken within seven (7) years of the date of application for admission and the grade earned must be a B or better. International credits to be transferred must be evaluated according to the Barry University policies. The course work listed below or equivalent is expected to have been completed by doctoral applicants. Students not meeting pre/co-requisites may be admitted into the doctoral program with deficiencies. A student admitted with deficiencies must meet with his/her doctoral advisor and outline the plan to take the pre/co-requisite course work.

• Psychopathology
• Legal and Ethical Issues in Counseling
• Research Methodology
• Treatment of Substance Abuse in Counseling
• Human Growth and Development
• Psychological Measurements
• Social and Cultural Issues in Counseling
• Human Sexuality
• Individual Counseling Procedures
• Career Development and Life Work Planning
• Group Counseling Procedures
• Family Counseling
• Counseling Theories and Intervention
• Family Systems
• Marital and Couple Counseling 
• Crisis Counseling
• Counseling Practicum
• Counseling Internship

Application Deadlines

• A complete application with all supporting documentation and test score needs to be submitted to the Admissions Office by April 1st for the applicant to be considered for entry into the Doctoral program in the fall semester.
• Applicants will be notified of a decision by no later than May 15th.
• A $250 deposit will be required by June 1 to accept an offer of admission.