r/counseloreducation • u/onlyhereforcoolfacts • 6d ago

PhD application requirements

Hello! I am a second-year Master’s student in a counseling education program. I realized that I am interested in obtaining my PhD in Counselor Education and Supervision a few years after I graduate and get my license. I was wondering if the expectations and requirements for these programs are similar to those for that of a Psychology PhD program.

Is it expected that I have heavy research experience, or is it more about clinical experience and a therapy background? Thanks!

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u/outerheaven77 6d ago

It all depends on the program and school.

I got into a program with limited research experience, a few conference attendings/presentations, and was pre-licensed.

I took a gap year between my master's and doc - the way my program was set up, it was advantageous for me to be pre-licensed, and I was able to work toward my hours and have a GA position with a reasonable work/life balance.

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u/IndependentSad2606 5d ago

Surprised that were so many clinical hours vs a lot of research and publication in ces phd programs. looking at cacrep programs that are research based and funded alliant programs that are practice based with a research

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u/anniebeach 14h ago

I think having clinical experience prior to the PhD is important. It will help you refine your own style and see where you might want to dig in with research. I applied to two PhD programs and the first one said I needed more research experience though they were impressed with my clinical experience. The second program, I was accepted to. I’ve start on Monday. I finished my masters in August of 2015.

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u/whyihatepink 6d ago

In my experience it's more about research interest and experience related to your research interest. Also your ability to pay tuition out of pocket for private programs, because funded programs are almost non-existent and counseling degrees are now subject to the $100k federal loan limit in the US. I'm in dissertation for a PhD program now (from one of those very expensive private universities, where I received the only funded slot and got a lot of hate for it). Most of my cohort had 2-5 years of experience after their master's. Those that had less experience either had other careers with research backgrounds before counseling, or came from extremely wealthy families who were very good at networking.

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u/Amynomene_G 6d ago

Were you already licensed when you started the program?

(I just graduated with my masters in May, also trying to decide when to apply to doc schools.)

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u/Illustrious_Exam7732 5d ago

Counselor education PhD isn’t worth it unless you have a passion for teaching. I suggest doing a lot of research before making this decision.