Doctoral Degree Program

Doctor of Philosophy, Counselor Education

The Counselor Education Graduate Program offers a Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) degree. The Ph.D. degree prepares its graduates for faculty and research positions as counselor educators and for leadership positions in the counseling, mental health and consultation professions. The degree includes all the coursework in research and counseling required for students who desire careers as professional counselors in areas that require a doctoral degree. Students completing the Ph.D. degree take courses that prepare them to write either a qualitative, quantitative, or mixed method-research dissertation with a conceptual framework.

Applicants for the Counselor Education Ph.D. program must possess a Master’s degree in Counseling (or a closely related field based on CACREP standards). Applicants who are still completing their Master’s degree at the time of application must complete the degree prior to the start of the first semester of the doctoral program. Post-Master’s work experience is strongly encouraged, but not outright required for admission.
 

Degree Requirements

The program leading to the Ph.D. degree consists of a minimum of 117 semester hours in length, which includes all coursework completed as part of a master's degree program in counseling and up to 15 hours completed after a master's degree was earned. If a student holds more than one graduate degree, all courses from each degree program may be transferred into the doctoral degree program. However, students may not transfer in more credits than will be completed in the doctoral program at UNO. Due to all of the specified counseling, minor, and research courses required for graduation, most doctoral programs are well over 117 hours.