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Doctor of Philosophy in the Field of Counseling
The doctor of philosophy in counseling degree program balances training in rigorous research with advanced counseling and supervision. Graduates typically serve in faculty positions in universities, or in leadership positions in counseling practices.
The program offers challenging coursework and continued development of counseling and counseling supervision skills at the Graduate School of Education and Human Development's Community Counseling Service Center. Designed to be completed in three to four years, the program builds students' knowledge and capacity to conduct research, publish, provide advanced counseling services, develop counseling supervision skills, and teach at the graduate level. Faculty expertise is represented in several areas including trauma, human sexuality, child and adolescent development, ethics and counselor development, grief and loss, substance abuse, and multicultural counseling. The program is accredited by the Council for the Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP).
Visit the program website for additional information.
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Admission deadlines: |
Fall - December 15 |
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Standardized test scores: |
GRE general test (institutional code 5246) is required. This requirement is waived for applicants who already hold a doctoral degree conferred by an accredited institution of higher learning. |
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Recommendations required: |
Three (3) recommendations |
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Prior academic records: |
Transcripts are required from all colleges and universities attended, whether or not credit was earned, the program was completed, or the credit appears as transfer credit on another transcript. Unofficial transcripts from all colleges and universities attended should be uploaded to your online application. Official transcripts are required only of applicants who are offered admission. Transcripts from institutions outside the United States must be accompanied by an official transcript evaluation from an accredited independent evaluating agency. Please be sure you request a detailed evaluation that includes all course titles, credit hours, grade-point average (GPA), United States degree equivalency, and date of degree conferral. Please see the list of acceptable foreign credential evaluation services. |
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Statement of purpose: |
In an essay of 500-750 words, state your purpose in undertaking doctoral level study in counseling. Include your academic objectives, research interests, and career plans. We are interested in determining your fit with our program and faculty, so be sure to identify faculty that could serve as potential mentors to you in research. If you are applying for an assistantship or fellowship, you should also describe any research or teaching experience you have had. |
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Additional requirements: |
A master’s degree and a resumé is required. |
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International applicants only: |
Please review International Applicant Information carefully for details on required documents, earlier deadlines for applicants requiring an I-20 or DS-2019 from GW, and English language requirements. |
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Supporting documents not submitted online should be mailed to: Contact for questions: |
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Applicants must possess a master’s degree by the time they start the program. If the master’s degree is not CACREP-accredited, then significant master’s-level course work will be added to the program plan described below.
The following requirements must be fulfilled:
A minimum of 75 credits, including 33 credits in core courses, 12 credits in research courses, 6 credits in human development courses, 9 credits in an area of specialization, 15 credits in dissertation courses, and successful completion of the comprehensive examination.
Requirements of the Doctor of Philosophy program.
| Code | Title | Credits |
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| Counseling core | ||
| CNSL 8251 | Advanced Psychopathology and Pharmacology | |
| CNSL 8252 | Leadership and Advocacy in Counseling | |
| CNSL 8254 | Advanced Multicultural Counseling | |
| CNSL 8255 | Supervision in Counseling | |
| CNSL 8256 | Doctoral Practicum in Counseling (taken for a total of 6 credits) | |
| CNSL 8257 | Doctoral Internship in Teaching | |
| CNSL 8258 | Advanced Theories of Counseling | |
| CNSL 8259 | Doctoral Internship in Supervision I | |
| CNSL 8260 | Doctoral Internship in Supervision II | |
| CNSL 8961 | Doctoral Internship in Research (taken for 3 credits) | |
| Research | ||
| EDUC 8120 | Group Comparison Designs and Analyses * | |
| EDUC 8122 | Qualitative Research Methods | |
| EDUC 8171 | Predictive Designs and Analyses | |
| One of the following courses selected in consultation with the advisor to coordinate with the dissertation: | ||
| EDUC 8100 | Experimental Courses (taken for 3 credits) | |
| EDUC 8130 | Survey Research Methods | |
| EDUC 8131 | Case Study Research Methods | |
| EDUC 8140 | Ethnographic Research Methods | |
| EDUC 8142 | Phenomenological Research Methods | |
| EDUC 8144 | Discourse Analysis | |
| EDUC 8170 | Educational Measurement | |
| EDUC 8172 | Multivariate Analysis | |
| EDUC 8173 | Structural Equation Modeling | |
| EDUC 8174 | Hierarchical Linear Modeling | |
| EDUC 8175 | Item Response Theory | |
| EDUC 8177 | Assessment Engineering | |
| Human development emphasis | ||
| Two of the following courses: | ||
| HDEV 6129 | Cultural Effects on Human Development | |
| HDEV 8100 | Issues and Special Topics in Human Development (taken for 3 credits) | |
| HDEV 8241 | Emotional and Cognitive Development | |
| HDEV 8244 | Adult and Aging Development | |
| HDEV 8253 | Work, Identity, and Adult Development | |
| Area of specialization | ||
| 9 credits in courses selected in consultation with the advisor. | ||
| Dissertation | ||
| CNSL 8998 | Predissertation Seminar | |
| CNSL 8999 | Dissertation Research (taken for a minimum total of 12 credits.) | |
| An approved dissertation proposal is required. | ||
| Comprehensive examination | ||
| Successful completion of a comprehensive examination is required. | ||
*Prerequisite statistics courses must have been taken during the student's master's degree program or must be completed prior to taking required advanced courses. For students who have not had an introductory statistics course, have not had such a course in recent years, or do not feel confident in their understanding and application of basic statistical techniques (i.e. through one-way analysis of variance), EDUC 6116 Introduction to Educational Statistics should be completed prior to enrolling in EDUC 8120 Group Comparison Designs and Analyses.