PhD in Counselling Psychology at University of Calgary in Calgary, Canada is a doctorate in Counselling & Psychotherapy programme. The programme is delivered on campus. Tuition for international students is CAD 2,859 per semester (CAD 1,225 per semester for local students).
This is a Doctor of Philosophy in Counselling Psychology at the University of Calgary's Werklund School of Education, accredited by the Canadian Psychological Association. The program is designed to develop philosophical, theoretical, and research expertise in counselling psychology, training students as reflexive, critical, and culturally responsive researchers, educators, and practitioners. Coursework totals 24 units at the doctoral level, covering educational psychology, research methods, and counselling psychology specializations, with the doctoral dissertation forming the central focus of the degree, developed in consultation with an assigned supervisor. Practicum training spans the full program: years one and two involve community-based placements, followed by a 1,600-hour pre-doctoral residency in professional psychology in years three through six, which must itself be accredited by the Canadian Psychological Association. Candidacy must be completed within 28 months of the program's start date. The program is full-time and on-campus, requiring a minimum of two years of residency, with six years as the maximum time to completion. Admission requires a completed thesis-based master's degree in Counselling Psychology or equivalent, a minimum 3.50 GPA, and at least 500 practicum hours, of which a minimum of 400 must have been completed under the supervision of a registered psychologist.
Requirements
Minimum GPA:3.50 / 4.0
Admission Requirements: Admission requires a completed thesis-based master's degree in counselling psychology or equivalent, with a minimum GPA of 3.50 on a 4.0 scale, and at least 500 hours of practicum experience, including a minimum of 400 supervised hours with 200 hours of direct client contact under a registered psychologist. Applicants submit three references, two academic and one from a clinical supervisor; the application deadline is December 1. The programme defers language testing to the Werklund School of Education's graduate standard: IELTS Academic 7.0 overall, TOEFL iBT 97 overall (no section below 20, or a revised 5.0 overall with 4.5 per section for tests after January 21, 2026), or CAEL 70 (no section below 70); a bachelor's or graduate degree taught in English at a listed institution exempts applicants.
Application Details
Start Date:September
Application Deadline:For Fall 2027 entry, the University of Calgary opens undergraduate applications for domestic applicants on 1 October 2026 and for international applicants on 15 August 2026, both closing on the same firm application deadline of 1 March 2027, with supporting documents due by 15 March 2027 and offers accepted by 1 May 2027. International applicants follow the identical March 1 deadline; the university publishes no separate, later international closing date. Applications are not accepted on a rolling basis after the deadline for most direct-entry programmes, though a small number of programmes (e.g. Nursing) run further selection rounds into the summer while space remains. These are institution-wide dates; this programme publishes no deadline of its own.
