Doctor of Philosophy in Counselor Education and Supervision

Doctoral Program offered in the College of Education

The Counseling Program offers a doctoral degree in Counseling. The PhD in Counselor Education and Supervision program is designed to stimulate student inquiry and to develop advanced knowledge and counseling skills. Graduates are prepared to function as counselor educators, counselor supervisors, advanced counseling practitioners, directors of guidance and counseling programs in schools, researchers, and administrators. Our PhD program is accredited by the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs.

Doctoral Specialty Areas

Adolescent/Adult Counseling
Career/Vocational Development
College Counseling
Couple and Family Counseling
Group Counseling
Play Therapy
School Counseling

Doctoral Admissions Info Sheet

Thank you for your interest in the UNT Doctor of Philosophy in Counselor Education and Supervision Program. Our CACREP accredited Program has consistently ranked #1 in Texas and has frequently ranked among the top 20 Counseling programs in the nation. Based on that standing, the program has highly competitive entrance requirements. Counseling courses at both the Master’s and Doctoral level require in-person attendance. A master’s degree in Counseling is required to apply to the doctoral counseling program. It is a requirement of the Counseling Program that all doctoral applicants complete the GRE. There are no minimum scores required for the GRE. Counseling courses at both the Master's and Doctoral level require in-person attendance.

Apply to the University of North Texas

To allow for Transcript Processing time, applicants are strongly encouraged to initiate this process at least one month before the Program Application Deadline. Waiting to submit transcripts too close to the deadline could result in the application missing the deadline and not being considered for admission. For more information on the application process, please visit Graduate Admissions | University of North Texas (unt.edu) For any enrollment-related questions, please visit https://scrappysays.unt.edu/s/ for assistance.

PROGRAM APPLICATION DEADLINE

November 15 — for admission to the following Fall semester

A Master's Degree in Counseling is required to apply to the Doctoral Counseling Program.

Applicants must demonstrate exceptional potential for success in, and for contribution to, the field of counseling through outstanding quality of criteria described below.

Apply with the UNT GradCAS (Centralized Application System). Follow this link for the links, instructions, and guidance. Graduate Admissions | University of North Texas (unt.edu) Included in this portion of the application will include the department specific items.

Doctoral Specialty Areas

Personal Resume/Curriculum Vitae
Statement of Purpose — The statement should address aspirations in the counseling profession, evidence of professional experience and creative endeavors that demonstrate a commitment to the counseling profession, and evidence if fluent in both English and another language.
Video demonstration of counseling skills (submitted on DVD or flashdrive) plus theoretical orientation essay — This recording should be of a recent individual adult session of approximately 30 minutes in length. This demonstration should be an accurate representation of the applicant's counseling skills. Applicants have three options for completing the skill demonstration: 1) role-play video with volunteer "client," 2) video of an actual counseling session (client permission must accompany video), or 3) contact the Counseling Program to request permission to record a mock session at UNT with a volunteer doctoral student in advance of the application deadline. Along with the video, submit a brief (less than 1 page) theoretical orientation essay describing the theory used in the video session.
Doctoral Assistantship Application (optional — if you choose to apply for assistantship)
CACREP equivalency worksheet (only if your master's program was not CACREP-accredited)

DOWNLOAD THE PDF CACREP EQUIVALENCY WORKSHEET

Note that it is to your advantage to complete and submit the CACREP Equivalency Worksheet and unofficial transcripts early. Once the Counseling Faculty review the worksheet in light of your transcripts, then you will be notified if you are eligible to pursue a doctoral degree in Counseling at UNT. If so, then you would need to complete the other admission requirements (i.e. applying to Grad School and submitting all other Program Application materials as listed above).

You are responsible for ensuring the application materials are submitted to the Counseling Program Office by the November 15 application deadline.

Written and Oral Examination Interviews

The Counseling Program will extend invitations for examination interviews sometime in December. Applicants receiving invitations will participate in written and oral examination interviews in mid-to-late January.

The written portion of the Doctoral Admission Exam is ordinarily from 10 a.m. to noon on the first Friday morning of the Spring semester. The Counseling Program will provide the exact date. The examination will be geared toward the body of counseling knowledge that a master's degree holder is expected to possess. A minimum score of B is required on the written interview section of the examination.
Distance consideration: Applicants are encouraged to take the written examination at UNT. However, applicants living far from Denton may apply to take the written portion remotely with an approved proctor. Permission is granted on a case-by-case basis. Contact the chair of the Doctoral Admissions Committee through the Counseling Program office for distance consideration.
To study for the written exam:

Review the major counseling theories. Know the distinguishing characteristics of each theory. Be familiar with the perspective of each theory regarding the nature of humans, the development of normal and abnormal behavior, and the change process in the counseling of individuals and groups. Be prepared to cite sources from the professional literature to support your answers.
Be familiar with the profession of counseling as reflected in the professional organizations and ethical requirements.
Be prepared to provide an appropriate counseling response with rationale when presented with a clinical vignette.

Applicants will attend an oral exam consisting of one individual and one group interview to be held the same day as the written exam. This portion requires no specific preparation on the part of the applicant. A minimum score of B is required on the oral interview section of the examination.
Distance consideration: Applicants who live far from Denton may request a telephone conference interview in lieu of the in-person, on-campus Denton interviews. Permission is granted on a case-by-case basis; contact the chair of the Doctoral Admissions Committee through the Counseling Program office. Those applicants opting for the telephone interview must submit prior to the telephone interview a videotape of the applicant responding to a list of questions provided by the Doctoral Admissions Committee Chair.
Following the orientation and interview, you will receive a letter granting or denying provisional admission to the Doctoral Program in Counseling. Students granted provisional admission should contact the Counseling Program office for advising prior to class registration.

Provisional Admission

Individuals selected to proceed beyond written and oral examination interviews will be assigned a temporary advisor and granted provisional admission pending receipt of a satisfactory Criminal History Background Check by a date indicated on the admissions letter. At this point, admitted applicants may apply for program and university scholarships.

Admission to the counseling doctoral program is provisional until the student's progress is evaluated by the Counseling Program faculty upon completion of the first year of core counseling courses.

The student's progress is evaluated on the basis of the demonstration of academic performance, professional development, and personal development required for success as a professional counselor and counselor educator. A grade of "B" or better is required in each core counseling course. In May of each academic year, the faculty will review each provisional doctoral student's record.

After the progress review, the counseling faculty will recommend that the student continue with or without provisions, or will withdraw from the program. Upon faculty vote on final admission, each doctoral student will receive a written letter of acknowledgement regarding their status as fully admitted, conditionally admitted, or withdrawn.

The Doctor of Philosophy degree in counseling is offered in the Department of Counseling and Higher Education. The degree requires a minimum of 72 semester hours beyond the master’s degree. Students must earn grades of A or B in all degree plan courses. Courses listed below are 3 semester credit hours unless otherwise specified.

Counseling courses at both the Master's and Doctoral level require attendance.

Counseling core, 45 hours

Research core, 6 hours

Specialty courses, 9 hours

Students complete a 9-hour counseling specialty from a list of course work specified in the Counseling Doctoral Program Handbook.

Minor/electives, 3–12 hours

Students must complete a minor of at least 12 semester hours outside the academic program or, with approval of the student’s doctoral advisory committee, may choose the elective option in lieu of the minor. Students who have completed graduate counseling credits in excess of 48 hours may request exemption from up to 9 semester hours of minor/elective requirements; approval is at the discretion of the major professor and on a case-by-case basis.

Research tool, 9 hours

In addition to the degree requirements for a PhD in counseling, UNT requires that all doctoral students satisfy a 9-hour tool requirement. The tool-subject area is determined by program areas. For students pursuing a PhD in counseling, the required tool subject is COUN 6120, COUN 6125 and one additional 3-hour course in research.

Additional requirements

Students may not be enrolled in any COUN core course until they have been fully admitted to the doctoral program in counseling. Students are required to meet the UNT doctoral residence requirement during fall and spring semester of their first year of doctoral study. The Counseling Doctoral Program Handbook provides specific details regarding course work requirements, mandatory clinical experiences, and additional professional experiences required in fulfillment of the counseling doctoral portfolio. Students are expected to pursue Texas counselor licensure while enrolled in the doctoral program.

Estimate tuition and fees by using the Tuition Calculators. For more information about tuition plan options, fees, and tuition, see Student Financial Services.

Financial Aid

UNT offers a variety of options to help finance your education. Visit financialaid.unt.edu to find out more about the application and award process.

UNT has been named one of America's 100 Best College Buys© for 25 consecutive years and offers the quality of a private university at an affordable cost.

Applying for financial aid

Apply for financial aid online at fafsa.gov. The application is required for all types of financial aid, including Pell and other federal grants, state grants and loans. The FAFSA and Renewal FAFSA are available annually.
You must enroll in 6 hours (over one or two online sessions) in order to be eligible for financial aid.
Financial aid awards will be disbursed 10 days prior to the first day of class. Awards will not disburse if you are enrolled in only 3 credit hours.
Contact Student Financial Aid and Scholarships at 940-565-2302 or by visiting online at financialaid.unt.edu