College of Social and Behavioral Health:

PhD in Counselor Education and Supervision

Walden University’s PhD in Counselor Education and Supervision program is accredited by the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP), a specialized accrediting body recognized by the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA).

The PhD in Counselor Education and Supervision is not a licensure program and does not prepare an individual to become a licensed counseling professional.

• Professional Development Plan and Program of Study
• Foundation course (1 credits)
• Prerequisites (39 credits)
  • To be completed if students have not graduated with a CACREP-accredited master’s degree
• Core courses (30 credits)
• Research courses (25 credits)
• Specialization courses (10–15 credits, depending on the specialization)
• Field experience courses (8 credits)
  • FESH 8895 – Field Experience Preparation (0 credit)
  • FESH 8890 – Field Experience Preparation (0 credit)
  • Internship (8 credits)
• Completion of the Doctoral Dissertation
  • Dissertation writing courses (1 cr. per term for five terms)
  • Dissertation writing courses (5 credits per term for a minimum of 3 terms; taken continuously until completion)
  • Quarter Plans
• One residency (1 credit)
• Two Intensives (6 weeks online, 4 days face-to-face or virtual synchronous sessions)

Foundation Course (1 credits)

Core Courses (30 credits)

Research Courses (25 credits)

Specialization Courses (10-15 credits)

These courses are dependent upon the particular specialization. The General specialization does not require specialization courses. Please see the course list on each specialization page.

Field Experience Courses (8 credits)

Residency and Intensive Requirements

• Complete Residency (CPLB 8800c) as soon as you begin your program; no later than within 90 days of completing your Foundations course (within the first two terms of your program).
  • The residency includes online course content integrated with a residential requirement.
    • 3 weeks online
    • 2 days face-to-face or virtual synchronous sessions
    • 1 week online
• Complete Intensive I: Applications in Teaching and Supervision (CPLB 811L) after you have completed Residency (CPLB 8800c) , COUN 8000, COUN 8050, COUN 8115, RSCH 8110S, COUN 8120, COUN 8501, RSCH 8210S, COUN 8897, COUN 8125, COUN 8502, RSCH 8260S, RSCH 8310S, COUN 8503, and COUN 8135 in order to advance in the program.
• Complete Intensive II: Advanced Applications in Teaching, Supervision, and Research (CPLB 812L  after you have completed Intensive I (CPLB 811L), COUN 8000, COUN 8050, COUN 8115, CPLB 8800C, RSCH 8110S, COUN 8120, COUN 8501, RSCH 8210S, COUN 8897, COUN 8125, COUN 8502, RSCH 8260S, RSCH 8310S, COUN 8503, COUN 8135, COUN 8898, COUN 8504, and RSCH 8360S in order to advance in the program.

Each intensive includes online course content integrated with a 4-day, face-to-face or virtual residential requirement.

• 3 weeks online
• 4 days face-to-face or virtual synchronous sessions (see the Calendar)
• 2 weeks online

Completion of the Doctoral Capstone

• Can begin dissertation after the completion of COUN 8505.

Prerequisites

Students who have not graduated from a CACREP-accredited master’s program may be required to fulfill prerequisite requirements.

Students undertake courses in the following sequence.

* Students take two to three specialization courses, depending on the specialization chosen. 

** To complete a doctoral dissertation, students must obtain the academic approval of several independent evaluators including their committee, the University Research Reviewer, and the Institutional Review Board; pass the Form and Style Review; gain approval at the oral defense stage; and gain final approval by the chief academic officer. Students must also publish their dissertation on ProQuest before their degree is conferred. Learn more about the dissertation process in the Dissertation Guidebook.

Field Experience Preparation  

Walden is committed to providing students with resources and support in preparation of field experience(s). To help ease anxiety in the field experience process, Walden offers a 0-credit Field Experience Preparation course, a structured experience that guides students through the application process and currently available readiness resources. The course is designed to complement other pre-requisite courses needed in preparation for field experience(s). The goal is that students submit their field experience application by the end of the course. Of course, there may be reasons why a field experience needs to be postponed, or the readiness course may not be needed if a field experience opportunity has already been secured. In this instance, students may opt-out of the course.  By opting out of the Field Experience Preparation course without having submitted a complete field experience application you are notifying Walden that you have chosen to delay the beginning of your field experience indefinitely, it is your responsibility to notify Walden when you plan to begin the field experience component of your program. In some instances, opting out of the Field Experience Preparation course indicates the foundational components of the field experience process have been satisfied and submission of the field experience application is pending. While the course is not yet available for Tempo students, the same readiness resources are available to Tempo students seeking field experience.