Doctoral Program


For students with an acceptable master’s degree in counseling, full-time doctoral study in the Counseling and Human Development Services program usually involves two to three years of course work and an additional year for finishing internship requirements and completing a dissertation.

Our degree is available to both full-time and part-time students.  We do, however, require at least one year of full-time study, i.e., enrollment in a 12-month period totaling at least 22 semester hours (e.g., two semesters of 11; two semesters of 9 plus a contiguous summer of 4).

Our curriculum is structured around the belief that doctoral level graduates should be well grounded in areas basic to the counseling profession.  These include:  theory, teaching / pedagogy, scholarly activity, supervision, teaching, leadership / advocacy, provision of direct service to clients, and professional identity.  In addition, the program is structured so that students develop one or more areas of special knowledge.

The expectation is that doctoral students will be prepared with entry-level knowledge and skills in their master's degree program, and that advanced work in basic areas and specialization will occur at the doctoral level.  Beginning with those individuals admitted to the Counseling and Human Development Services doctoral program in 1998, advisors will check to see that students have completed the coursework for the Professional Clinical Counselor license in Ohio.

A person whose prior master's degree was in counseling may already meet many of the doctoral prerequisites.  Persons from other fields are shifting their career direction and may need to make up considerable coursework that would normally be taken in a counseling master's degree.
Graduate coursework in the following content areas is considered prerequisite to the doctoral program.  Such coursework must meet CACREP standards in order to be approved.

  • Counseling theory
  • Counseling procedures
  • Counseling practicum (including authentic clinical experiences)
  • Group dynamics and group work theory and procedures for intervention
  • Measurement and appraisal
  • Career development theory and career guidance/counseling
  • Professional orientation appropriate to the counseling profession
  • Administration and coordination relative to some program area in human services
  • Consultation theory and procedures
  • Legal and ethical issues pertinent to counseling
  • Research methods appropriate to the behavioral/social sciences
  • Human growth and development (child, adolescent and adult)
  • Social/cultural foundations
  • Human psychopathology/diagnosis

The total program must include at least 104 semester hours of study, including approved master's level work but excluding dissertation credit. Following are the coursework requirements and options comprising the doctoral program in CHDS.

Program Core (24 semester hours)

This is designed to develop the counselor identity of the doctoral student, and to offer advanced training in fundamental areas.

  • CHDS 80090: Doctoral Residency Seminar
  • CHDS 87566: Advanced Counseling Theories
  • CHDS 88281: Research Seminar in CHDS
  • CHDS 88284: Supervision of Counseling
  • CHDS 78538: Advanced Multicultural Counseling
  • CHDS 88294: College Teaching in CHDS
  • CHDS ???: An advanced practicum (individual, group, or marriage/family) All students enrolled in an Advanced Practicum need to provide documentation to their instructor of current professional liability insurance before they can meet directly with clients.
  • CHDS 6/78128: Individual Appraisal in Counseling

Specialization in the CHDS Major (at least 9 semester hours)

The specialization area is a joint student and advisory committee decision structured around the following principles: (a) that courses be organized around a theme or focus, (b) that courses have a depth beyond the eight (entry-level) CACREP core curriculum areas, and (c) that the specialization reflects the student's professional goals and interests. We try to design specialization areas flexibly to meet the objectives of individual students and the needs of various work settings, and to maintain the integrity of particular fields of practice.  Typical areas of specialization include:

  • Individual and/or group counseling
  • Research
  • Education and supervision of counselors
  • Couples and family counseling
  • Multicultural counseling

Additional Coursework (at least 6 semester hours)

You will choose electives to give greater depth or breadth to your program. Electives may be chosen in any area within or outside of counseling; for example, outside areas might include family studies, health education, etc.

Program Minor or Interdisciplinary Cognate (optional)

A minor or interdisciplinary cognate is not required and is optional; the student and her/his advisory committee make a joint decision.  A program minor or interdisciplinary cognate is a discipline-based or thematically planned sequence of study outside the offerings sponsored by the Counseling and Human Development Services Program, but clearly related to it.  Minor areas might include areas like administration and organization development, and family and consumer studies.  Illustrative interdisciplinary areas might include adolescence, human sexuality, and health and wellness.
College Core (12 semester hours as shown below).

Students must take all Basic Research courses. Students must select one Advanced Research course.

Basic research courses include:

  • EVAL 75510: Statistics I for Educational Services (3 credits)
  • EVAL 85515: Quantitative Research Designs and Application for Educational Services (3 credits)
  • EVAL 85516: Qualitative Research Designs and Application for Educational Services (3 credits).
  • Advanced research courses include:
  • EVAL 85517: Advanced Quantitative Research for Educational Services (3 credits)
  • EVAL 85518: Advanced Qualitative Research for Educational Services (3 credits).

Internship (at least 6 semester hours)

The internship consists of at least 600 clock hours at the doctoral level of professional work in counselor education or human service setting under approved field supervision.  (Those not having an acceptable master’s internship will be required to complete an additional 600 hours. Such additional work may well be engaged in early in the student’s doctoral program.)

  • The doctoral internship is a culminating experience, with no more than eight hours of coursework (excluding dissertation) to be completed.  An internship may be pursued on a full- or part-time basis (not less than 20 hours per week). Students cannot register for six (6) hours of internship in one semester.
  • A student who is already employed in a human service position is not automatically required to change positions for the internship; however, modifications in the present position may be necessary to reflect opportunities to test and implement program learning.  It is the purpose of the internship to offer an opportunity for integrative learning and to add breadth and depth to a student’s experience.
  • All students planning to enroll in internship need to provide documentation to their instructor of current professional liability insurance before they can begin their internship experience.
  • Internship activities may include teaching, supervision, research, administration, counseling, consulting, and/or other professional activities related to Counseling and Human Development Services.

The doctoral internship must include at least 240 hours of direct service. Direct service includes counseling, clinical supervision, scoring and interpreting tests, and doing psycho-education in groups.

Dissertation (at least 30 semester hours over two terms)

The dissertation is an empirical, philosophical, theoretical, or historical investigation on a topic consistent with this program and with faculty scholarly pursuits.  Students are expected to be familiar with procedures for entering data into a computer and for analyzing the results.

tag line