Requirements

Doctoral applicants to the Counselor Education and Supervision (optional rehabilitation and disability concentration) program are expected to have completed a master’s degree from the Council on Rehabilitation Education (CORE) or CACREP accredited rehabilitation counseling program. They will be encouraged to enroll in new course content areas that were not addressed in their master’s training. Applicants with a master’s degree in counseling, psychology, or other human service field are required to consult with his/her advisor regarding master’s level courses specific to rehabilitation counseling that may need to be completed in addition to the usual doctoral studies.

Candidates are reviewed according to:

Undergraduate and graduate grade point averages;
Relevance of previous academic study;
Professional employment history;
Rationale for doctoral study;
Letters of recommendation (minimum of three from former professors and supervisors);
Results of the GRE (if applicable);
A personal interview.

The faculty are particularly interested in the recruitment of qualified students from diverse cultural and ethnic backgrounds, as well as students with disabilities.

Curriculum Requirements

The program requires approximately two to three years of full-time coursework, plus different program milestones and a dissertation. The full program can take about up to four years to complete.
Coursework, program milestones, dissertation, and other research opportunities can be found in the Doctoral Student Program Handbook.

TE 931 Introduction to Qualitative Methods in Educational Research
CEP 932 Quantitative Methods in Educational Research I
CEP 933 Quantitative Methods in Educational Research II
CEP 934 Multivariate Data Analysis
CEP 968 Research Methods in Counseling and School Psychology
CEP 995 Practicum in Research Design and Data Analysis

CEP 963 Ethics in Counseling and School Psychology
EAD 965 Diversity and Equity in Postsecondary Education

CEP 960 Theoretical Foundations of Counseling
CEP 944A Counselor Education Pedagogy
969 Clinical Supervision in Counseling and School Psychology

CEP 944B Teaching Internship in Counselor Education and Supervision
CEP 944C Clinical Counseling Internship
CEP 944D Clinical Supervision Internship in Counselor Education and Supervision
CEP 967 Practice in Leadership, Advocacy and Grants in Counselor Education

Several major phases of the doctoral program take place apart from academic coursework: Preliminary Examination, Guidance Committee, Research Apprenticeship, and Comprehensive Examination are key aspects of the program that build on knowledge and skills obtained earlier in the program, and focus on refining particular professional competencies. In addition, students will complete their final milestone of dissertation.

The Preliminary Examination assesses students’ abilities to analyze and evaluate empirical research from both methodological and conceptual perspectives. The exam is administered after the completion of the first year and prior to the start of the second year of coursework.
The Guidance Committee meeting provides a checkpoint for students to present their academic progress and projections of the course of study, research plan and career plan to the Guidance Committee. Students should convene the meeting during the second year of the study. The Guidance Committee needs to be completed before taking the Comprehensive Examination.
The Research Apprenticeship involves student completion of an independent research project prior to sitting for the Comprehensive Exam. The Research Apprenticeship needs to be completed prior to taking the comprehensive examination.
The Comprehensive Examination is designed to examine students’ ability to integrate the body of knowledge and competencies critical to their future roles as rehabilitation counselor educators and researchers. Students are encouraged to complete their comprehensive exam during the summer prior to the start of the fall semester of their third year. The Research Apprenticeship project needs to have its final approval by the advisor on or before July 15 if taking the exam in the summer.

Students will complete at least 24 semester credits (and up to 30 credits) in developing their dissertation. Students develop topics for intellectual pursuit under the guidance of the dissertation committees.
Additional information about coursework in the doctoral program, committees, and research opportunities for students can be found in the Doctoral Student Program Handbook