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Top ranked
Recent study indicates that the counseling program in the Department
of Psychology ranks high in research productivity.
When a study came out in 1994 detailing research productivity in counseling
psychology programs across the world, Iowa State's program within the Department
of Psychology ranked a respectable 29th.
Oh how the times have changed.
The latest research productivity study, which was done by Diegelman, Uffleman,
Wagner, Diegelman at the University of Akron, indicates that Iowa State's
counseling psychology program has had the biggest jump of any program surveyed
– all the way from 29th to third overall.
Iowa State ranked just behind the University of Maryland-College Park and
the University of Missouri-Columbia, which retained the top two spots from
the 1994 study. Other programs in the top ten include Pennsylvania State
University, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Ohio State University,
and the University of Minnesota.
The study looked at research published in the four major counseling journals
from 1996-2000.
Iowa State's jump in the rankings was due to a deliberate strategy according
to Doug Epperson, professor of psychology and director of the counseling
psychology program.
"Since the 1994 study was conducted, we have had a significant increase
in faculty size," he said. "We also submitted articles to top-tier
publications and sought to hire people into our department that really emphasized
quality in their publications."
Two of those top-tier journals were included in the recent survey, including
the Journal of Counseling Psychology (JCP) and the Journal of
Vocational Behavior (JVB). Each article published in these journals,
as well as The Counseling Psychologist and the Journal of Counseling
and Development, were awarded one point. Single article authors were
awarded the entire point, while articles with multiple authors were figured
out using a declining scale.
Iowa State finished third in the individual rankings for both the JCP
and the JVB, which Epperson says are the more prestigious publication
outlets for empirical research, as well as in the overall rankings.
"You can argue that the ratings could be done in any number of different
ways, but by focusing on the top journals in counseling psychology, this
study's approach is about as legitimate as they come," Epperson said.
The rankings will help the Department of Psychology in its quest to recruit
the finest faculty and students.
"This ranking affects how we are viewed by our peers, so it is important
as we continue to try to hire top-flight faculty and recruit the very best
graduate students," Epperson said.
Counseling psychologists provide counseling and psychotherapy, teach, and
conduct research with individuals as well as with families and organizations.
They are particularly recognized for their work in vocational psychology
and career development, as well as their attention to prevention and optimization
of development across the life span, building on personal strengths, and
recognizing the impact of contextual factors (e.g., gender, race, religion,
sexual orientation, disability status) on psychological well being.
The Department of Psychology offers a Ph.D. with a formal specialization
in counseling psychology. The doctoral specialization is designed for students
who intend to pursue careers in academic or applied settings. The program
has been fully and continuously accredited since 1973 by the American Psychological
Association.
In addition to Epperson, other faculty members in the program include Fred
Borgen, professor; Carolyn Cutrona, professor; Lisa Larson, professor; Norman
Scott, associate professor; David Vogel, assistant professor; and Meifen
Wei, assistant professor.
Around LAS
February 24 to March 9, 2003
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