Ph.D. in Counselor Education

The Counselor Education doctoral program provides the highest professional degree available to students who aspire to work in leadership positions in counselor education and supervision or school counseling. Additionally, many of our students have gone on to do entrepreneurial work with a model they created from their dissertation work. The Ph.D. in Counselor Education degree includes a prescribed curriculum of required and elective courses for a minimum of seventy-two hours of graduate credit. In situations where the student is a graduate of a CACREP accredited master's degree of 48 or 60 hours, then the student will be required to take a minimum of 60 credit hours. All students who are graduates from a non-CACREP accredited program will be required to take a minimum of seventy-two hours. Additionally, the doctoral degree is awarded on the basis of successful completion of this coursework and the completion of a major research study resulting in the presentation and defense of a dissertation.

Students who complete the doctoral degree in counselor education will be able to:

• apply counseling theory and research to the counselor education and/or school counseling leadership functions
• plan and deliver research-based counselor education didactic courses
• apply counselor supervision theory and research to individual and group supervision in counselor education and school counseling programs
• use advanced level communication and interpersonal skills in consultation, counseling, counselor education, supervision, and evaluation
• interpret the relationships among federal, state, and local agencies and the laws and ethical considerations applicable to the counselor education and school counseling program management fields
• apply advanced level diagnostic and assessment methodology and develop the capacity to teach appropriate treatment plans for a wide range of psychological concerns to master’s level students
• demonstrate multicultural awareness and competence during doctoral level counseling, supervision, and consultation
• incorporate adult education pedagogy and research as a basic tool in administering counselor education and staff development programs
• design doctoral-level counseling research and interpret results
• apply data to advanced level counseling capabilities and school counseling leadership functions
• successfully complete extensive internship experiences directly related to the student’s individual professional goals.

The application deadline is December 1.

Applicants seeking admission to the doctoral program in Counselor Education must submit the following directly to the Office of Graduate Admissions:

1. Graduate Application
2. Application fee
3. Official transcript(s) showing receipt of a baccalaureate degree and a master's degree from an accredited institution
4. Official GRE General Test scores (within last 5 years) (GRE requirement waived for applicants wanting to begin Fall of 2022)
5. Personal statement (1000 words maximum) (you are encouraged to showcase: your passion and/or rationale for wanting a Ph.D. in Counselor Education, understanding of what is involved in this type of degree, level of perseverance, specialties or experiences (i.e, what you bring to the table). 
6. Five Reference Evaluation Forms, three from former graduate-level professors or current clinical supervisor(s), the others may be from officials in schools or mental health agencies where the applicant has been employed (Note: These must be “closed” recommendations)

Applicants should have a master's degree in counseling, currently have or eligible to work towards an LPC (meet requirements set by the Texas Behavioral Health Executive Council). In addition, the master’s degree and additional coursework should be a minimum of 48 hours and cover the core curriculum areas required by the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP). Applicants' graduate GPA should be 3.5 or higher.

Applicant Interview and Selection Process

The Counselor Education doctoral admissions committee will consider all applications through a holistic review process, taking into account the master's GPA, GRE scores, work experience, any relevant CACREP background, license(s), clinical experiences, recommendations, and interview scores. After reviewing the pool of applicants, the doctoral admissions committee will recommend the top candidates for the on-campus interview process. Applicants invited for the interview will be given specific guidelines for the process, which may include an interview with the faculty, group tasks (to examine cohort fit) and an on-site writing proficiency assessment. All qualified doctoral students are admitted under regular admission to the program.

The curriculum in a doctoral program requires devoting a significant amount of time to assignments and class time. Success typically requires perseverance and grit. The inability to devote the necessary time may require the individual to drop out of the program.

This program follows a cohort model. This means that individuals are admitted to a specific group, called a cohort, and are required to take their coursework at the same time as the other individuals in the cohort. Cohorts begin in August of each year. In the event that students encounter personal emergencies that result in dropping out of the normal schedule, they may be required to join another cohort with a different schedule.

The program requires completion of a minimum of sixty to seventy-two hours of graduate credit. A comprehensive examination, covering various class material, will be taken around the students 3rd year of coursework. Students must pass the written and oral portions of the comprehensive exam to receive candidacy status and be enrolled in dissertation.

Students select a dissertation chair when enrolled in COUN 7363 research application. After admission to candidacy (when students pass comps), students and their dissertation chair will jointly select the student's doctoral dissertation committee. Once students reach the dissertation phase of their doctoral program, they must have continuous enrollment every semester until graduation.

The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board (THECB) marketable skills initiative is part of the state’s 60x30TX plan and was designed to help students articulate their skills to employers. Marketable skills are those skills valued by employers and/or graduate programs that can be applied in a variety of work or education settings and may include interpersonal, cognitive, and applied skill areas.

The Ph.D. in Counselor Education is designed to provide graduates with the following marketable skills:

• Plan and deliver research-based counselor education didactic courses.
• Apply counselor supervision theory and research to individual and group supervision in counseling and counselor education programs.
• Design doctoral-level research and interpret research results.