Counselor Education and Supervision, Ph.D.

The Counseling Education and Supervision Doctoral Program is a 61-credit hour program designed for individuals who seek to advance their knowledge and skills beyond the entry-level (master’s) degree in counseling to serve as counselor educators, supervisors, leaders, researchers, and advanced practitioners. Candidates for the Ph.D. in Counselor Education and Supervision will have a master’s degree in counseling or a closely related discipline, preferably from an accredited master’s program, and be seeking the terminal degree consistent with career goals and aspirations.

The Ph.D. program is intentional in providing rich opportunities to learn from expert faculty and their peers. The curriculum offers students a range of training, including doctoral-level professional orientation, clinical supervision, advanced counseling practice, leadership in counselor education, advanced theories, research methods, and advanced group work, along with a statistics and research sequence tailored to the individual student’s needs and internships in clinical practice, supervision, and teaching. The curriculum and co-curricular activities are structured to support students in developing their own research interests, culminating in a dissertation. Students work with faculty advisors and doctoral committees to design a program of study and co-curricular experiences unique to the goals of the individual student. The Ph.D. in Counselor Education and Supervision prepares future educators, supervisor, leaders, researchers, and clinicians in colleges and universities, school districts, and mental health settings to positively impact mental health services in a society with increasing mental health challenges and needs. Given the mental health provider shortages in South Carolina and other parts of the country, emphasis is placed on the mental health challenges and needs of rural populations, and evidence-supported and trauma-informed practices to best meet these needs.

Counselor Education and Supervision Ph.D. program goals:

1. Develop expertise in areas of research that inform teaching, supervision, and counseling practice.
2. Understand, describe, and critically evaluate issues of equity and identity in counselor training, supervision, research, and practice.
3. Understand and apply supervision models and practices.
4. Critically apply andragogical theories and practices into teaching practices.
5. Develop leadership skills to be applied in service to counselors, counseling trainees, and the counseling profession.
6. Ethically conduct high quality scholarly research that contributes to the fields of teaching and learning.

Counselor Education and Supervision Ph.D. program outcomes:

1. Students will be prepared for professional positions in counselor education or other counseling appointments such as working in administrative leadership (e.g., District-wide Director of School Counseling), supervisory, and counseling practices.
2. Students will co-teach at least one master’s-level course while taking Internship in University Teaching.
3. Students will supervise master’s-level practicum and/or internship students while taking Internship in University Supervision.
4. Students will complete a doctoral level counseling internship.
5. Students will successfully complete a doctoral comprehensive exam prior to beginning work on their dissertation.
6. Students will successfully complete and defend a 5-chapter doctoral dissertation.

Counselor Education and Supervision Ph.D. (61 credit hour minimum):

Core Courses (21 credit hours)
EDC 9000– Professional Orientation and Leadership
EDC 9180 – Andragogy in Counselor Education
EDC 9200 – Counselor Supervision
EDC 9280 – Research in Counselor Education
EDC 9100 - Advanced Theories of Counseling and Psychotherapy
EDC 9350 - Advanced Group Counseling
EDC 9110 - Advanced Counseling Practice

Research Courses (13 credit hours)
EDF 9270 – Quantitative Research Designs and Statistics for Educational Contexts
EDF 9271 – Quantitative Research Designs and Statistics for Educational Contexts Lab
EDF 9790 – Qualitative Research in Education

Must take at least two advanced research courses. Examples include: EDF 9080, 9710, 9720, 9730, 9740, 9750, 9770, 9780 or 9810.

Internships (9 credit hour minimum)
EDC 9150 - Counselor Education Doctoral Internship
*The internship course will be completed a minimum of three times for an internship in counseling, teaching, and supervision.

Dissertation Course (18 credit hour minimum)
EDF 9910 – Doctoral Dissertation Research

All students are required to complete a written and oral comprehensive examination prior to beginning work on their dissertation.

Application Deadlines

• January 15 for in-person applicants/those seeking funding
• March 1 for online applicants

Tuition and Fees
Explore information on tuition and fees using the Student Financial Services’ graduate tuition and fee calculator (be sure to choose the correct tab - ‘graduate’ and indicate your modality via the ‘program location’ dropdown: on campus for in-person OR off campus for online). The selected modality, either in person or synchronous online, will determine the fee structure used in the tuition and fee calculator.

Financial Aid
For information regarding Financial Aid, please contact the Office of Student Financial Aid.

Assistantships
A limited number of graduate assistantships are available each year through the department, and they tend to be competitive. Assistantships are available to full-time students (enrolled in at least nine credit hours per semester) and typically require a 20-hour per week work commitment.

Online/HyFlex students are not eligible for departmental assistantships; however, they may still be eligible for grant assistantships when available.

To be considered for an assistantship, we encourage applicants to submit their applications by the priority deadline.

Review our College of Education Graduate Calendar to view upcoming events and information sessions.

For more information regarding the program or questions associated with applying to the program, please contact Madison Hudson at mhedden@clemson.edu.