Counselor Education Major, PhD

The doctoral major in counselor education at the University of Tennessee is designed to prepare experienced counseling professionals to advance their careers in the education, supervision, and research of counselors. The doctoral program is for those students who have completed a master’s degree in counseling or counseling-related fields who aspire to careers in areas such as college, university, or community college teaching positions in counselor education or related fields; supervisory positions in schools, community agencies, state departments of education; counseling positions in student development programs and counseling centers in higher education; and/or private mental health counseling/consultation practice employee assistance programs.

The doctoral program requires advanced course work, practicum, internship, and dissertation hours of study beyond the master’s degree. Students in the PhD major in counselor education will work toward endorsement for counseling licensure, if licensure has not been received prior to entering the doctoral program. During the program doctoral students will review the necessary criteria for the license they seek and will plan to meet those criteria. Preference is given to those with a 3.5 GPA on any graduate work completed prior to application. Preference is also given to students who score equal to or higher than the 70th percentile on the verbal area and the 50th percentile on the quantitative area of the GRE, based on the norms that were in effect when the test was taken, and a 4.5 on the analytic writing subtest.  Doctoral program admission criteria include the following:

     • Master’s degree in counseling or counselor-related field.
     • Minimum of two years of work experience in counseling or counseling-related field.
     • Fitness for the program, including self-awareness and emotional stability as indicated by references and interview.
     • Potential for leadership and advocacy as indicated by references, publications, presentations, and other professional activities.
     • Expertise in technological applications.

In addition, general graduate admission standards for international students require a transcript from the home country indicating an equivalent of the University of Tennessee grade point average of 3.0 or higher. Official results of TOEFL must be submitted. A minimum score of 550 on the paper test or 80 on the Internet-based Test typically with a score of 20 on each of the sections of the test (reading, listening, writing, and speaking), and scores on the GRE that meet the admission requirements.

Requirements
Course work for the program in counselor education includes the following.

More detailed information about course work is available in the program handbook and through the advising process.