Angelo State’s Counseling Psychology Doctorate Earns APA Accreditation

SAN ANGELO, TX — Angelo State University's Doctor of Psychology in counseling psychology degree program has earned accreditation by the American Psychological Association Commission on Accreditation.

According to the APA website, the accreditation “assures the public that a program has clearly defined training aims that meet professional and scientific standards that support the successful, ethical and skillful delivery of psychological service."

"We are thrilled to have the quality of our Psy.D. program be recognized through accreditation by APA," said Dr. Nicole Lozano, program director. "Our primary goal is to train excellent psychologists to serve the West Texas region, and this is recognition that we are doing so. APA accreditation is a major win for our program and our students."

ASU's first two Psy.D. in counseling psychology graduates, Drs. Lee Floyd and Kate Vick, earned their doctorates in May. Because the APA accreditation is retroactive to February, they now have accredited degrees, as will future graduates of the program. 

The next cohort of Psy.D. students are expected to graduate in May 2028, and the APA-CoA will conduct a site visit to the ASU Department of Psychology in 2029 to affirm its accreditation.

The Psy.D. in counseling psychology program was established in fall 2021 in response to need for more professional psychologists in Texas and throughout the nation. Completing the program requires training in foundational psychological and counseling knowledge, a dissertation and a professional internship. Students with bachelor's and master's degrees are eligible to apply and work with the program faculty on their coursework. Graduates are eligible for licensure as a licensed psychologist in Texas and to immediately enter the workforce.

"The Psy.D. program grew from the foundation of our master's degree in counseling psychology," Lozano said. "The quality of our master's program really helped us build the Psy.D. program and recognize that we needed to be training psychologists, not just counselors, to serve rural communities like the Concho Valley."

More details on ASU's counseling psychology degree programs are available at angelo.edu/psych.