APHD :: EdD Counselling Psychology - School Psychology Field :: Applied Psychology and Human Development at OISE

Doctor of Education in Counselling Psychology
School Psychology Field

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4 years full-time

Career in leadership positions in school psychology

11 half-courses (including practicum and internship), a thesis and oral examination

500-hour Practicum and 1600-hour Internship

In-class & online instruction available

Students trained in the new EdD in Counselling Psychology: School Psychology Field will be leaders in their respective school contexts. There is a significant demand for doctoral-level trained practitioners who can deliver evidence-based assessment and intervention to children and youth in schools. This new field in School Psychology will provide students with research-informed professional skills in preparation for leadership in school psychology practice with children, adolescents, families, and other educational professionals in K-12 school settings. This program is designed to provide professional training in evidence-based practices in psychological assessment, therapy and other psychosocial and instructional interventions, professional consultation, supervision, and prevention in the context of school and education systems.

Program Chair: Dr. T odd Cunningham

Director of Clinical Training: Dr. Mary Caravias

Core Faculty: Dr. Esther Geva, Dr. Naomi Slonim, Dr. Lana Stermac

The Doctor of Education in Counselling Psychology, School Psychology Psychotherapy Field (EdD SP) is primarily for students who are already engaged in a career in school psychology or educational consulting services in an educational setting.

This degree emphasizes the role of school psychology in the educational system, the acquisition of effective assessment, intervention, consultation, supervision, and research.

Graduates of this degree will be eligible for registration with the College of Psychologists of Ontario with the competency in the area of school.

Applications for this program are still open for a Fall 2021 start.

Program Details

All OISE graduate studies programs operate under the umbrella of the University of Toronto School of Graduate Studies (SGS). For information on coursework and other program requirements, please see the SGS Calendar.

SGS Calendar

Program start is September each year with no deferrals of admission granted.

For full course descriptions, please see the Registrar's Office and course listings page.

Course Notes:

Summer courses available.
Core courses are offered in the evenings and in flex-mode (in-person or virtual).
This is a full-time program.

Admission Requirements

Minimum admission requirements for this program are:

An appropriate 4-year bachelor’s degree of any major or discipline from a recognized university, with standing grade equivalent to a University of Toronto B+ or better in the final year or over senior courses
A master’s degree in counselling from the University of Toronto with a standing of B+ or better, or its equivalent from a recognized university.(please see more information on the SGS Calendar).
- Students who have not done a master's thesis will be required to submit a Qualifying Research Paper (please see more info on the ORSS Website)

Successful professional experience as a counsellor in an educational setting or in a related position

We encourage equity-seeking groups to identify themselves in their application.

How to Apply

Applications for the 2021-2022 academic year are now closed.

September is the only start date for graduate programs at OISE.
Deferrals of start date are not accommodated.

We encourage equity-seeking groups to identify themselves in their application.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ's) for Applicants

Program Specific FAQ

Applications are completed online through the School of Graduate Studies website.

The OISE Registrar’s Office includes step-by-step instructions:

choosing your program
reviewing admission requirements
preparing your application
submitting required supporting documents.

CP EdD Application Checklist

This checklist is intended to assist applicants with organizing their material prior to upload with theSchool of Graduate Studies website.

Complete biographical data and program selection fields. Note: program selection will be provided through pull-down menus.
Payment of application fee through credit card or money order. Note: program choice cannot be revised once the fee is submitted.
Email contact for two referees (preferrably one academic and one practical). One of the letter of references’ should be from a Chief Psychologist or head of a Psyhology program from a publically funded School Board.
Upload a scanned copy of your university transcripts (an unofficial copy via the institution's student web service will suffice)
Upload Statement of Intent (1000 to 1500 words, approx)
Upload Resume/Curriculum Vitae

Supplementary Material

Transcripts

Submission of transcripts, official and sealed, from each and every university attended. Where possible, it is preferrable that applicants receive transcripts directly from the institutions and submit one package with all transcripts to the address below. Transcripts may be mailed or hand delivered.
Transcripts should be received within two weeks of the application deadline to avoid processing delays.

OISE Registrar's Office, Graduate Studies Admissions Unit
252 Bloor St. West, 8th Floor
Toronto, ON M5S 1V6

Letters of Reference

Please communicate the following items to your referee and ask that (s)he comment on the following in your reference letter.
- To the extent possible, please comment on the applicant’s
  
  ·         Sensitivity to others
  
  ·         Awareness of own impact on others
  
  ·         Empathy and capacity to provide support to others
  
  ·         Ability to exercise appropriate judgment
  
  ·         Appropriateness of interpersonal behaviour
  
  ·         Ethically appropriate behaviour
  
  In your opinion, how suitable is this applicant for training in counselling?

Special Application Components

In addition to the standard application process, students who completed a master’s degree that did not require a thesis must submit a Qualifying Research Paper (QRP).

This paper provides evidence of the ability to identify a research or development program, to design and conduct a study or project, and to report the findings or results in a rigorous manner.
The QRP is not required prior to being accepted into the Doctoral Program, but acceptance will be conditional upon it’s suitability. It must be completed before the beginning of classes and approved by members of the departmental admission committee.
The QRP requirement can be fulfilled by submitting individually-authored research that the applicant has conducted previously, often as part of work responsibilities. Alternatively, applicants can submit a fully-documented research proposal (supervised by an assigned faculty member in the counselling program) which demonstrates the ability to conceptualize and plan a research project.

More information is available on the ORSS Website

Thesis (dissertation in practice)

All students must complete a thesis (dissertation in practice), the aim of which is to ensure excellent knowledge of counselling and psychotherapy theory, practice, and policy for professionals working with adults or children/youth to function as leading scholar-practitioners. The thesis (dissertation in practice) should be:

well conceived, original, and likely to make a sustained contribution to mental health practice;
involve creativity, innovative methods and techniques, and have the potential to improve practice;
exemplary, sets high standards in the field, and can be emulated and;
has the potential for significant public impact. The focus of the thesis (dissertation in practice) is expected to be on contributions to field development or to innovations in practice.

The main criteria for evaluation will be those applied to creative professional activity.

Students will defend their thesis (dissertation in practice) at a Final Oral Examination.

Students are full-time and must maintain continuous registration full-time and pay full-time fees until all degree requirements, including the thesis (dissertation in practice), are completed.

Program Length
4 years full-time

Time Limit
6 years full-time

Program Fees

Tuition information can be found via the University of Toronto's Office of the Provost.

Tuition & Fees

Contact Us

Program Inquiries:
APHD Department
General Inquiries
oise.aphd@utoronto.ca

ORSS Contact:
Anil Purandaré
Doctoral Registration Specialist (EdD & PhD)
oise.doctorate@utoronto.ca

If you are a current student, you may contact the program coordinator below, otherwise please email us at oise.aphd@utoronto.ca for your program inquiries.

Program Coordinator:
Diana Robinson
diana.robinson@utoronto.ca

Program Chair:
Dr. Todd Cunningham
todd.cunningham@utoronto.ca

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