Degrees

An undergraduate certificate in Structurally Responsive Mental Health Care is ideal for students interested in addressing mental health disparities by focusing on the social, cultural, and systemic factors that impact well-being. It prepares students for careers in psychology, counseling, wellness, social work, community mental health, policy advocacy, or roles within healthcare organizations, nonprofits, and government agencies working to improve access to and equity in mental health services and wellness.

The University of Kentucky’s Master of Science (M.S.) in Counseling Psychology is a 60-credit, full-time, in-person professional master’s degree designed to prepare graduates to pursue master’s-level psychology licensure in Kentucky while also equipping interested students with the skills and experiences to pursue doctoral studies in counseling psychology. 

The Master’s of Science (M.S.) degree in educational psychology provides you with an in-depth introduction to the field of educational psychology with a special emphasis on the theories and research methodologies employed in this field.

The Educational Specialist (Ed.S.) in School Psychology is a three-year program with two years of coursework on campus and a yearlong internship. In the Ed.S. program, students typically earn a Master of Science (M.S.) degree after the first year of coursework. The Ed.S. program is fully approved by the National Association of School Psychologists (NASP) and accredited by the Association for Advancing Quality in Educator Preparation (AAQEP). 

Our counseling psychology doctoral (PhD) program is APA-accredited. Our program follows the Boulder model for preparing scientist-practitioners, with an emphasis on community engagement and belonging.

The program requires full-time study (9-12 credits per fall/spring semester) and residence in Lexington. Our program includes the completion of a dissertation and a one-year, full-time internship at an APA accredited site, which usually requires relocation to another state. As is typical for counseling psychology PhD programs, our program takes most post-master’s students (who enter the program with an applied mental health master’s degree) five years to complete and most pre-master’s students seven years to complete.

The Educational Psychology Ph.D. program prepares students for professional positions not only in academic institutions but also in a variety of public and private agencies as policy makers, education advisers, and research consultants. The program focuses on preparing researchers with strong theoretical, conceptual, and practical ties to educational psychology and who also have exceptional skills in measurement, statistics, assessment, and research methodology. Doctoral students entering the program will select a program of study focusing on one of four areas of specialization: multicultural education, quantitative methods, motivation, and development.

The School Psychology Ph.D. program yields school psychology certification and is designed to qualify graduates for licensure as a psychologist. 

The program prepares professional psychologists with educational expertise to function in diverse educationally related settings. Doctoral graduates have opportunities for college and university teaching, research and program evaluation positions, and employment in agencies providing mental health, health, and developmental services to children and adolescents. Opportunities also exist in public schools, educational cooperatives, specialized school settings, and agencies. 

Students completing a degree in Quantitative and Psychometric Methods will have the opportunity to work in a variety of settings, including research and teaching universities, testing companies, think tanks, consulting firms, survey polling organizations, school districts, industry, research centers and institutes.