The Counselor Education and Supervision doctoral program (CES Ed.D.) is designed to produce scholars and leaders who are prepared to train and supervise professional counselors to address the needs of those served in mental health and education settings. Tailored around each student’s unique career goals, the program allows students to focus on the counseling specialties of clinical mental health counseling, school counseling or college counseling/student affairs.
The mission of the program is to prepare counselor educators, supervisors, and leaders to:
- Conduct research and engage in creative activities that contribute to the profession
- Provide culturally responsive counseling supervision
- Facilitate learning and counselor education within a decolonization social justice framework
- Engage in leadership and advocacy at local, regional, and national levels
- Deliver clinical excellence in counseling services
The CES plan of study follows a hybrid model. Courses are offered in various formats, with most including a combination of online and on-ground evening classes. The program is created for working professionals and may be completed in three years. Comprehensive exams as well as a dissertation/capstone are required for degree completion.
Doctoral students participate in supervised fieldwork designed to meet the unique learning needs of each student. This includes a 100-hour practicum, of which 40 hours must be direct counseling services. Additionally, doctoral students complete a 600-hour internship with supervised experiences in at least three of the five doctoral core areas of counseling, teaching, supervision, research and scholarship, and leadership and advocacy. Comprehensive exams as well as a dissertation are required for degree completion.
Special note: The CES Ed.D. program is designed to align with the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Program (CACREP) requirements and as per CACREP's procedures, is in the process of active review for accreditation by CACREP.
Admission Criteria
- A Master's degree in counseling or a related field from an accredited college or university is required. Students are expected to have completed curricular experiences equivalent to CACREP entry-level standards and curricular requirements of a specific CACREP program area before beginning doctoral-level counselor education coursework. Any missing content may be completed before or in some cases (e.g., if minimal content is needed) concurrently with initial doctoral-level counselor education coursework.
- Note: For students coming from programs that are not CACREP-accredited, submission of syllabi may be necessary for review of accreditation requirements.
- Preferred candidates will hold licensure (LPC), provisional licensure (LPCA), and/or a school counseling certificate.
- 600-word essay speaking to the following areas:
- Reasons for pursuing a doctorate in CES
- Brief career history
- Areas of experience/interest in terms of population, modalities, teaching/supervision/research/leadership
- The role that social justice has played for the applicant in their drive to pursue a doctorate in CES
- Cumulative Undergraduate GPA must be 3.0 or above. Graduate GPA must be 3.5 or above. For select candidates, a GPA waiver can be requested.
- A select group of applicants will be offered the opportunity to participate in an admission interview. Components of the admissions interview include:
- Informational roundtable meeting with current CES students
- Individual interview with faculty members
- Brief mock counseling session with one of our current students
Application Deadline
Visit Doctoral Programs for the deadline. For further information, contact CounselingEDDgrad@southernct.edu.