Doctor of Philosophy in Counselor Education and Supervision

Admission

In addition to the standard requirements for graduate admissions to the Graduate School at NIU, the doctoral program in Counselor Education and Supervision has additional requirements for graduate admission. The doctoral program in Counselor Education and Supervision requires degree-seeking applicants to submit the following materials:

• transcript showing the successful completion of a master’s degree in counseling (or an equivalent counseling-related field), with GPA of at least 3.20 in previous graduate work (3.50 or higher preferred)
• Ph.D. applicant essay (prompts are detailed within the Applicant Essay Instructions drop down menu on the Ph.D. in Counselor Education and Supervision website)
• three letters of recommendation from individuals who can speak to applicant’s academic and/or professional qualifications. We recommend at least one of the letters be from a current or former professor holding a doctorate degree. All letters must be dated no more than one year prior to the application deadline.
• current resume/CV in a PDF format; at least one year of work experience as a professional counselor is preferred

Participation in a pre-admission workshop is also required for program admission. If the outcome of the initial review of your application materials supports the decision, you will be invited to attend the workshop. Successful applicants will be selected by the faculty based on aptitude, ability, professional disposition, and personal qualifications requisite for the field.

Prospective students who fail to satisfy the GPA requirements may request special consideration of their applications. Such a request must be in writing, must include compensatory evidence, and should accompany the application for admission to the Graduate School. Final decisions regarding admissions are made by program faculty on the basis of a total profile of an individual’s qualifications. Where course deficiencies exist, the department’s faculty may require remedial prerequisite coursework and recommend admission with stipulation.

Admission to the doctoral program in Counselor Education and Supervision is competitive. Applications are reviewed three times per year between late Fall and late Spring for admission in the following Fall semester. All materials must be received by the Graduate School and the Department of Counseling and Higher Education by the admissions deadlines: November 15 (early admissions), February 1 (general admissions), and April 1 (late admissions).  

Advisement

As soon as the graduate student is admitted into the program, the student is assigned an interim faculty advisor in counselor education and supervision. Initial program advising is scheduled during regular intervals in students’ first semester in the doctoral program as part of their coursework.

Requirements

The Ph.D. in counselor education and supervision requires a minimum of 84 semester hours, including a maximum of 30 semester hours from the master’s degree plus a minimum of 54 additional semester hours distributed as follows.

Internship

Approved internships, comprised of teaching, supervision, research, advanced clinical counseling, or professional leadership, are a required part of the doctoral program. The specific division of internship hours is to be determined in consultation with the student’s program committee.

Examinations

All doctoral students in counseling are required to pass the candidacy exam prior to admission to candidacy. Full details of this process are outlined in the program handbook available.

A student may apply to the program faculty to begin the candidacy examination process as soon as all core course work is completed. 

Satisfactory completion of the candidacy examination admits the student to candidacy for the doctoral degree. A student who fails the candidacy examination may be granted the opportunity to retake it. Failure on the second attempt denies the student admission to candidacy.

A final oral examination related to the dissertation is required and is conducted in accordance with the general requirements of the Graduate School.

Dissertation

The dissertation represents a substantial contribution to knowledge in the candidate’s major field of study. Candidates are expected to conduct original scholarship and independent research appropriate to their major and communicate the results of their research effectively.

The student’s dissertation committee is selected by the student in consultation with the faculty chair. The committee represents graduate faculty of the university with knowledge in the area of the candidate’s topic. The number of committee members, including the chair, is normally three to five. At least two members of the committee must be senior members of the graduate faculty.