Counseling Psychology and School Psychology (Combined Ph.D.) | Anne Spencer Daves College of Education, Health, and Human Scienc

Counseling Psychology and School Psychology (Combined Ph.D.) | Anne Spencer Daves College of Education, Health, and Human Sciences
Ph.D.
Counseling Psychology and School Psychology (Combined Ph.D.)
Program Overview
THE ONLY APA ACCREDITED COMBINED PH.D. PROGRAM IN FLORIDA
Florida State’s doctoral degree in Counseling Psychology and Human Systems program with a Major in combined Counseling Psychology and School Psychology provides students with the knowledge and skills necessary for practice as a health service psychologist. Graduates from our counseling psychology program go on to work in a variety of settings. Furthermore, our students contribute to the advancement of the profession through research and scholarship.
Within this combined program, you’ll share a common core of experience in research and practice. As you work through the curriculum, you’ll select a concentration in counseling psychology or school psychology and have the option of dual concentration. You’ll also be eligible for licensing as a psychologist in the state of Florida upon graduation.
Regardless if you focus on counseling psychology, school psychology or both, you will receive mentorship from acclaimed faculty members. Faculty members in the program specialize in addiction, ADHD, career counseling and vocational psychology, to name a few.
The American Psychological Association (APA) accredits the 4-7 year combined doctoral program. Questions regarding the accreditation status of the combined doctoral program should be directed to the APA Commission on Accreditation:
Office of Program Consultation and Accreditation
American Psychological Association
750 1st Street, NE
Washington, DC 20002
Ph: 202-336-5979
E-mail
www.apa.org/ed/accreditation
Student Admissions, Outcomes, and Other Data
Assessment, Learning Evaluation, and Counseling Center (ALEC)
Degree verification requests should be sent to
Dr. Debra Osborn
. Individuals seeking verification should email relevant information (e.g., major professor, dates of enrollment, graduation date, dissertation title, dates and place of internship) to Dr. Osborn to facilitate the process.
Fall 2026 interview day: February 6, 2026
Career Opportunities
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the job outlook for school psychologists and counselors is expected to grow 14.3% through 2026, which equates to 12,800 new jobs in the field. Educational and school psychologists across the nation earn a median salary of $76,990.
Research Teams
Suicide Prevention
Career Development & Technology
Center for the Study of Technology in Counseling and Career Development (the Tech Center)
Adaptation to Disability, Illness, & Addiction through Psychosocial Treatments (A.D.A.P.T.)
Accreditation
The doctoral degree in Counseling Psychology and Human Systems program with a Major in combined Counseling Psychology and School Psychology at Florida State University is accredited by the American Psychological Association. Questions related to the program’s accredited status should be directed to the APA Commission on Accreditation:
Office of Program Consultation and Accreditation
American Psychological Association
750 1st Street, NE, Washington, DC 20002
Email APA
Cottingham Colloquium
The Harold F. Cottingham Colloquium, sponsored by the Psychological and Counseling Services program, invites students, faculty, alumni, and practitioners for a ground-breaking series exploring innovative practices and research.
Core Faculty
Content
Dr. Austen Anderson
Assistant Professor
Counseling and School Psychology
3204J Stone Building
(850) 644-3470
aranderson@fsu.edu
Content
Dr. Deborah J. Ebener
Professor and Director of Clinical Training
Counseling Psychology and School Psychology
3206H Stone Building
debener@fsu.edu
Content
Dr. Garret Hall
Assistant Professor
School Psychology
3204H Stone Building
gjhall@fsu.edu
Content
Dr. Lyndsay Jenkins
Michael and Jean Shahnasarian Endowed Professor
School Psychology
3206D Stone Building
lnjenkins@fsu.edu
Content
Dr. Hua (Elaine) Luo
Assistant Professor
Educational Psychology & Learning Systems
3205A Stone Building
hl25h@fsu.edu
Content
Dr. Deb Osborn
Professor
Counseling Psychology and School Psychology
3206G Stone Building
dosborn@fsu.edu
Content
Dr. Martin Swanbrow Becker
Associate Professor
Counseling Psychology and School Psychology
3206B Stone Building
mswanbrowbecker@fsu.edu
Content
Dr. Katherine Valentine
Assistant Professor
School Psychology
2208K Stone Building
kv25h@fsu.edu
Core Clinical Faculty
Content
Dr. V. Casey Dozier
Associate Teaching Professor
Career Counseling
1212 Dunlap Building
casey.dozier@fsu.edu
Admission Requirements
In order to meet minimum University and departmental admission requirements, an applicant must have:
A bachelor’s degree with at least a 3.0 GPA
– An earned bachelor’s degree from a regionally accredited U.S. institution, or a comparable degree from an international institution, with a minimum 3.0 (on a 4.0 scale) grade point average (GPA) in all coursework attempted while registered as an upper-division undergraduate student working towards a bachelor’s degree,
OR
graduate degree with at least a 3
.5 GPA
– An earned graduate degree from a regionally accredited U.S. institution, or a comparable degree from an international institution, with a minimum 3.5 (on a 4.0 scale) grade point average (GPA).
GRE test scores. The GRE scores
may be waived
for applicants who meet ALL of the following criteria:
The applicant has a graduate (master’s or higher) or a bachelor's degree in psychology or a counseling-related field.
The applicant has a minimum 3.5 upper-division undergraduate or overall graduate grade point average.
The applicant must have completed (with a B or higher grade) at least 1 undergraduate or graduate course in statistics, plus one other course in one of the following areas: biological bases, developmental, learning & cognition or sociocultural/individual differences as noted on their official transcript(s).
The applicant must have had at least one of the following as indicated on their resume/vita:
1 supervised clinical/helping project/experience.
1 supervised research project/experience.
For those who do not meet the criteria, Official test results are required from the General Test of the Graduate Record Examination (GRE). The Educational Testing Service (ETS) does not retain scores for longer than five years. If your test scores are older than five years, you may have to retake the test to have official scores sent directly to FSU from the testing agency. If you have the official report that was mailed to your home address for older scores, then FSU will accept that report.
The FSU Institution Code is 5219.
Target Scores for our program: Verbal – 150 or above, Quantitative – 148 or above, Analytical – 4.0 or above
Language proficiency
test (international students only)
– FSU accepts scores from TOEFL (minimum 80), IELTS (minimum 6.5), MELAB (minimum 77), Cambridge C1 Advanced Level (minimum 180), and Michigan Language Assessment (minimum 55).
Transcripts
Applicants must submit an official transcript from each college and/or university attended. Transcripts should be sent to the Office of Graduate Admissions electronically at
graduateadmissions@fsu.edu
or via mail in a sealed envelope:
Florida State University
Office of Graduate Admissions
314 Westcott Building
P.O. Box 3061410
Tallahassee, FL 32306-1410
For this program, the following documents must be uploaded to the
Admissions Application Portal:
Personal Statement (3-5 pages max).
The personal statement should address the following:
At the top of your personal statement, list the names of 1–3 faculty members (in bold), in order of preference, whom you would like to have serve as your major professor.
Describe your interest in our program, and how the PhD in our program might help you achieve your long-term career goals.
Summarize how your academic background, including how any training, research, or other educational experiences has prepared you for graduate training.
Describe personal characteristics and experiences you have that might help you be successful in our program.
Identify at least one faculty member whose research interests align with your own with whom you would like to work and describe how you see the potential fit with interests.
The font should be set at 12pt. Times New Roman and the document should be double spaced. Additionally, include page numbers and your last name at the top of each page.
Research Interests and Experiences Statement
(250 words max). The research interests and experiences statement should address the following:
Clearly describe your research interests. What topics related to the PhD program are you interested in exploring? For which specific populations (e.g., children, college students, older adults)?
Also, describe any experiences you have had with research. This might include related work experience, volunteer, membership on a research team or lab, a specific course related to research, or other research-related experiences
Note: There may be some overlap between research and clinical/helping experiences
Clinical Interests & Experiences Statement
(250 words max). The clinical interests and experiences statement should address the following:
Clearly describe your clinical/helping interests. This might include populations and/or issues (e.g., anxiety, career development, ADHD) you are interested in working with in the future.
Also, describe relevant volunteer/work/personal experiences you have had with respect to clinical, counseling, or helping. What population(s) and issues have you worked with?
Note: There may be some overlap between research and clinical/helping experiences.
Letters of Recommendation
(3 required). Letters of recommendation should be written by persons who are in a position to comment on the likelihood of your success within the department. The letters of recommendation must be on official letterhead and should address the areas below.  Providing specific examples is encouraged to help demonstrate the capacity for success in a doctoral program. Specifically, letter writers are encouraged to address the following:
Relationship with the applicant and length of time knowing the applicant.
Description of the characteristics, qualities, or traits that will help the applicant be successful in a doctoral program in psychology.
Discuss the applicant’s accomplishments, experiences, or habits in class or work that demonstrate their motivation, persistence to overcome obstacles, and potential for doctoral study.
Discuss how you view the applicant’s potential with respect to conducting research and providing clinical/mental health work.
How do you rate this applicant in comparison to others you have worked with in the past.
In addition, letter writers must complete a rating form (sent by the program) on applicant skills and experiences.
Resume/Curriculum Vitae
(1 required). In addition to traditional resume topics, please include the following:
Include a heading called “Relevant Coursework” and list at least one course you have completed or are currently completing that would fall into one of the following categories: Statistics or research methods/design, Biological bases in psychology (physio, sensory, comparative), Developmental psychology (child/adolescent, lifespan), Learning and Cognition in psychology (behavioral analysis, cognitive processes), Sociocultural/Individual differences (social, personality, abnormal) Note: If you have not had a course in one or more of these areas, indicate N/A. (e.g., Developmental Psychology: NA). Also, it is acceptable to list one course more than once if the course addressed more than one area.
Include a heading for research skills and experiences. (Include volunteer, work, trainings, presentations you’ve made, publications you’ve contributed to, experiences with specific databases and specific skills you have relevant to research).
Include a heading for clinical (and/or helping) skills experiences (Include volunteer, work, trainings, experiences with specific counseling issues or specific populations, and specific skills you have relevant to clinical or helping skills).
Unofficial Transcripts
Include transcripts from all colleges attended. Uploading a copy will expedite the review process, though you must still send official copies to the Office of Graduate Admissions.
Admission to graduate study is a two-fold evaluation process. The Office of Admissions determines eligibility for admission to the University, and the academic department, program, or college determines admissibility to the degree program. University graduate admissions requirements are found at
. Academic programs have additional requirements.
Florida State University requires a course-by-course credential evaluation for all applicants that have degrees from a non-U.S. institution. International and domestic applicants with degrees earned from international institutions must submit their official transcripts through a NACES approved evaluator for transcripts from a non-U.S. institution. SpanTran has created a custom application for Florida State University that will make sure you select the right kind of evaluation at a discounted rate. See the “Transcript Requirement” section on The Graduate School website,
, for detailed information on University transcript requirements for graduate admission.
Application Deadlines
The application deadlines for this program are as follows:
Final deadline –December 1 (Fall admission only).
You have until midnight on the day of the deadline to submit your application. All required materials must be received by this date. Folders cannot be reviewed unless complete.
How to Apply
Apply Now
Apply Now - International Students
Course/Degree Requirements
Scholarly Engagement Requirement
Doctoral Student Handbook
Tuition & Aid
Information about tuition and fees at Florida State is available
here
. You can learn more about the scholarship and aid opportunities for Anne's College students
here
Contact(s)
Sam DeZerga
Graduate Academic Program Specialist
Educational Psychology & Learning Systems
3201B Stone Building
(850) 644-2343
sdezerga@fsu.edu
About Anne's College
The roots of FSU Anne Spencer Daves College of Education, Health, and Human Sciences date back to the university’s establishment, and it is the oldest college of its kind in Florida. Recently expanded in 2023, the College is home to six academic departments united through a common goal to maximize human potential. In total, the College includes the Department of Educational Leadership & Policy Studies, Department of Educational Psychology & Learning Systems, Department of Health, Nutrition, and Food Sciences, Department of Human Development & Family Science, Department of Sport Management, School of Teacher Education, numerous research centers, and three laboratory schools (Florida State University School, FSU Pembroke Pines Charter School, and The Collegiate School at FSU Panama City). In 2024, the college was named after alumna and teacher Anne Spencer Daves.
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