Best 15 PhD in Counseling Programs in 2024

Georgia State University offers the Counselor Education and Practice, PhD, for students that wish to expand their counseling practice. Enhance your current counseling competencies, gain new knowledge and skills in teaching and supervision, and learn to conduct and publish your own research.

Develop or continue your expertise in areas such as trauma and stress, play therapy with children and adolescents, LGBTQ issues in counseling and counselor education, or program evaluation.

Students complete coursework and a one-year internship, as well as the dissertation.

Earn an online PhD in Counselor Education and Supervision at the University of the Cumberlands and enjoy the flexibility offered by the program format. Students gain the expertise to demonstrate leadership in a variety of clinical settings and to master teaching in the higher education environments in the 66-credit hour program.

Students choose from three specializations, including addiction, or advanced counseling or the leadership option.

The North Carolina State University Ph.D. in Educational Leadership, Policy and Human Development with a focus on counseling and counselor education program prepares graduates to become skilled, knowledgeable, dedicated, socially aware and ethically responsible in the 21st century. The program has a combined focus on research, theory and practice, and a commitment to diversity.

The doctoral degree in counselor education at the University of Florida prepares graduates to become leaders in advanced clinical and administrative positions, and to have a career in academia and to focus on advocacy in the field. Students in the PhD program, which consists of three years of study, complete coursework, a clinical practicum, and an internship.

The innovative PhD in Counselor Education and Supervision offered by Boise State University is a competitive program that prepares students for career enhancement through delivering multiple opportunities for students to work with faculty members in teaching, research, supervision and service.

Students advance their professional skills through completion of a practicum and internship, with the opportunity to teach master’s level courses in counseling.

The Counselor Education and Supervision, PhD program at the Indiana University of Pennsylvania provides students with the opportunity to prepare for leadership roles in the counseling profession. Students also gain the skills necessary for teaching at the university level. The curriculum at the award-winning school focuses on research throughout the on-campus, full-time program.

The university recognizes the fact that the demand for school and clinical mental health counselors has recently increased, with an anticipated continued need. The school provides students with the knowledge and skills to meet the demand upon their graduation.

Prepare to advance your counseling career when you earn a Ph.D. in Education with a Counseling Concentration from Old Dominion University. Enhance your current skills and learn new skills to become a counselor leader, to assume the role of clinical and administrative supervision, and to become a counseling scholar.

The on-campus program prepares graduates to work in school counseling, clinical mental health counseling, or a variety of other specializations.

The Counselor Education, PhD program at the University of South Carolina prepares students to become counselor researchers, educators, or supervisors upon graduation. Students gain the advanced knowledge and skills required in counseling, supervision, scholarship, and research, along with developing a commitment to professional and social leadership and advocacy.

Prepare for a career as a faculty member in higher education, school counseling, family counseling or to practice in other settings.

Adams State University, located in Alamosa, Colorado, offers an online PhD in Counselor Education and Supervision. The Doctorate of Philosophy in Counselor Education and Supervision prepares graduates to work as researchers, supervisors, counselor educators and practitioners in a variety of diverse settings.

Students learn to extend their knowledge base of the counseling profession, generate new knowledge for the counseling profession, and take on leadership positions in counseling.

The Ph.D. in Counseling program at Oregon State University prepares graduates for careers as counselor educators, advanced practitioners, or as clinical supervisors. Students learn to enhance their personal contribution to the profession through research and learning to become an advocate for change.

Students enrolled in the hybrid program develop an area of professional counseling expertise, learn to demonstrate academic mastery and gain the skills to demonstrate professional skills beyond the master’s degree level.

Enroll in the PhD in Counseling program at Montclair State University and engage in the opportunity for a life-changing experience. Students develop scholarly expertise and engage in research as they progress through the program.

Students also have the opportunity to pursue individualized study in disciplines such as higher education, clinical mental health counseling, marriage and family counseling or addictions counseling in the 66-credit hour program.

The Hampton University Ph.D. in Counselor Education and Supervision degree is offered as an online, accelerated program. Learn to better serve clients and excel in your chosen field. Build on your solid foundational skills by expanding supervisory and clinical skills. The 64-credit hour program also focuses on effecting change within the counseling profession.

The PhD in Counselor Education and Supervision program at Texas A&M University guides students that have a master’s degree through a program that advances the counselor’s skills and knowledge. Engage in advanced clinical training, training in supervision, and training to become a counselor educator.

Gain advanced skills in theory and research as you prepare to become a leader in the counseling profession as a clinical agency director, a private practice professional or a counselor leader in a variety of other settings.

The George Washington University Graduate School of Education and Human Development challenges students in its Doctorate in Counseling program to “transform counselor education.” Bring your clinical skills, your leadership, advocacy and other skills to the program and build upon your knowledge and skills by learning to conduct research, to teach at the graduate level, and to provide clinical services.

Students complete a minimum of 75 credit hours of study.

The University of Rochester Warner School of Education offers several doctoral programs in counseling, including the Ph.D. in Education with specialization in Counseling and Counselor Education. The program also offers students the opportunity to simultaneously earn additional certificates.

The program consists of 96 credit hours of study, with the requirement to develop a specialized area of counseling expertise. The school lists 14 specialty areas, including School, Family and Community Relations Counseling, Mental Health Counseling, Gerontological Counseling, or Clinical Supervision.