World-Improving Research and Creativity
The Ph.D. in Education with a concentration in Counselor Education and Supervision is a CACREP-accredited, research-oriented degree intended for individuals with master's degrees in counseling and professional experience in the field wishing to work at a more advanced level.
Admission Deadline
Applications and all associated documents must be received by Jan. 15 to be considered for the Fall Semester.
Welcome to the Ph.D. program in Counselor Education and Supervision
The doctoral program in Counselor Education and Supervision is part of the Counselor Education program, which is housed in the Human Development, Family Science, and Counseling department. Our doctoral program is accredited through the Council for the Accreditation of Counseling and Related Education Programs (CACREP) and designed to meet the CACREP doctoral standards. The Ph.D. in Education is intended to be a three-year program and is guided by the general framework found in the Doctoral Program in Education Application Handbook. The manual provides general information about doctoral concentrations offered in the College of Education & Human Development. This page will provide you with specific information that is unique to the Counselor Education and Supervision strand, including explanations of student learning outcomes, coursework, course rotation, and exit criteria.
The application deadline for Fall is January 15. Please view the Ph.D. Admissions requirements for information on how to apply. We are also taking applications for graduate assistantships.
Again, we welcome you. Please do not hesitate to contact me or any of the other faculty members within the program with any additional questions. I look forward to talking with you!
Sincerely,
Kristina DePue
Counselor Education and Supervision Doctoral Program Coordinator
kdepue@unr.edu
(775) 682-5509
Request More Information
Program Overview
: The Ph.D in Education with a concentration in Counselor Education and Supervision is a CACREP accredited, in person, research-oriented degree intended for individuals with master's degrees in counseling and professional experience in the field wishing to work at a more advanced level. Most of the doctoral students in this concentration are preparing for the professional ranks of higher education or to assume positions of leadership in schools and agencies. Our program strives to prepare talented and engaged students who have a diverse counseling background and professional experiences and are committed to teaching, research, leadership, clinical supervision, advocacy, and multiculturalism in counseling.
The strengths of the program lie in the deep level of preparation in research and statistics, CACREP-aligned coursework in the content area, opportunities for supervised teaching and clinical supervision experiences, and unique collaboration experiences. The program requires 72 credit hours beyond a CACREP-accredited master's in counseling.
Examples of jobs through which students who graduate from the program may continue their careers include the following:
- Counselor education assistant professors working in teaching and research institutions
- Agency directors and assistant directors
- School counseling leadership roles
Program Information
Unlike other areas of emphasis under the Ph.D. in Education, we operate on a cohort model and do not have a spring admissions deadline.
Materials and criteria for the Counselor Education and Supervision area of emphasis are as follows:
- Undergraduate and graduate GPA of 3.00 or higher
- Master's degree in counseling education from a CACREP-accredited institution
- Resume or curriculum vitae
- Statement of Intent that includes a Philosophy of Education
- Three letters of recommendation
- One sample of scholarly writing
- Signed disposition form
To get started on the application process, please contact Dr. Kristina DePue, program coordinator, at kdepue@unr.edu.
All materials are submitted through the University's application portal. Once you create your account, go back to MyNevada to log in and start your application. Please reach out to Dr. DePue if you have any questions.
After the selection committee reviews the writing materials, eligible candidates will be invited to campus for an interview in the month of February. The interview is a comprehensive, four-hour process that evaluates prospective students on an on-site writing assignment, a teaching presentation, and interviews with individuals in the department. Apply Now.
The Ph.D. Program in Education with an emphasis on Counselor Education and Supervision is an in person doctoral program that is intended to be completed in three years, assuming that the student enters the program with a Master's Degree in Counseling. Students who intend to graduate the program must complete the following program requirements (96 credits min):
Research and statistics, 21 credits
The Chair and Committee may guide the student in selection of these courses, but both qualitative and quantitative courses must be taken, in addition to advanced research methods.
Cognate, 24 credits
The cognate area is expected to be an area of professional counseling expertise that is generally the CACREP program area (such as marriage and family, clinical, school, student affairs) defining the expertise of the student. S/he will most likely teach, research, present professionally, and align him or herself with professional organizations in the cognate area. Many of the courses for the cognate may be transferred from the master's program, though the student may desire or need to take additional coursework in his or her cognate area.
Counselor education and supervision doctoral-level courses, 24 credits
These courses are generally taught seminar-style and include topics such as theories of supervision, advanced counseling and human development theories, principles of practice in core counseling areas (such as group, consultation, crisis, etc.), CACREP accreditation, teaching pedagogy in counselor education, multicultural issues, social change theory, and advocacy. Four of the courses require supervised "field" hours: Practicum in Counseling, Supervision II, Internship I, and Internship II. Field hours may be teaching courses under supervision, providing clinical supervision, providing leadership in a counseling setting, or other doctoral level learning experiences approved by the student's committee.
Dissertation research, 24 credits
See the Doctoral handbook for more information.
Elective course, 3 credits
A graduate level 3-credit hour course of an elective in research/statistics or cognate, as approved by the doctoral advisor.
Program Objective #1: Dispositions
From admission through exit students will demonstrate the attitudes, characteristics, and behaviors defined by the program as characteristic of exemplar counseling professionals.
Program Objective #2: Ethical Practice
Students will demonstrate the capacity to practice counseling from a strong foundational understanding of ethical and legal issues, intentionally integrating counseling ethical practices into day-to-day professional activities.
Program Objective #3: Counseling
Students will demonstrate a capacity to understand, analyze, apply, and evaluate counseling theory evidence-based counseling practices, culturally relevant counseling practices.
Program Objective #4: Supervision
Students will demonstrate knowledge of clinical supervision theory, the application of clinical supervision theory into practice, legal and ethical issues in clinical supervision and other supervision knowledge and skills necessary to be an effective clinical supervisor in a diverse society.
Program Objective 5: Teaching
Students will demonstrate competence in understanding the roles and responsibilities of counselor educators, gatekeeping in counselor education, instructional and curricular design, pedagogy, and evaluation of instruction in counselor education.
Program Objective #6: Research and Scholarship
Students will demonstrate the capacity to design, implement, and disseminate results of an original research study in counseling, and will gain knowledge in writing for publication and grant writing.
Program Objective #7: Leadership and Advocacy
Students will demonstrate knowledge of leadership content, style, skills, and strategies important for success in counseling leadership.
Program Objective #8: Counselor Education
Students will demonstrate a broad understanding of counselor education, including a foundational understanding of the higher education work environment, accreditation standards and processes, current political issues impacting counseling and higher education, gatekeeping, mentorship, and ethics in Counselor Education.
Looking for a Graduate Assistantship?
The College of Education & Human Development has a limited number of Graduate Assistantships for full-time students admitted to masters or doctoral programs.