Counseling

Doctoral Degree Program

Opportunities for graduate studies

The University of North Texas is a pioneer in the counseling profession and has earned a national reputation for its contributions. Housed within the College of Education, our counseling program continuously strives to develop highly competent professionals through education, research and service.

Our Doctor of Philosophy degree in Counseling stimulates student inquiry, develops advanced knowledge and enhances skills necessary for counseling practice, supervision, teaching, scholarship and leadership. Upon earning your Ph.D., you will be prepared for positions in schools, colleges, universities and the public sector as a(n):

• administrator
• counselor
• counselor educator
• counselor supervisor
• director of guidance and counseling programs
• researcher

The doctoral track is theoretical and experiential and meets the specifications for Texas licensure as a professional counselor.The academic core emphasizes counseling and counseling-related areas while providing you the flexibility to develop an expertise in a specialized area. A research core and either a minor or elective are included in the course of study.

All students engage in a six-semester, on-campus clinical sequence under direct supervision and complete a portfolio designed to develop skills essential to the doctoral-level counselor and counselor educator.

Many of our faculty members are recognized as experts in their profession. They have earned regional and national recognition from organizations such as the American Counseling Association, Association for Counselor Education and Supervision,Texas Counseling Association, and Chi Sigma Iota International. Their research interests have focused primarily on:

• counseling methods and techniques
• counseling with at-risk and diverse populations
• current issues within the discipline
• theoretical perspectives

More targeted research has been conducted on suicide prevention, mental health services for low-income clients, counseling and play therapy in schools, near-death experiences, and spiritual transformation.

Our doctoral counseling program is nationally accredited by the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (1001 North Fairfax Street, Suite 510, Alexandria,Va. 22314, 703-535-5990, www.cacrep.org). This accreditation means we have met or exceeded strict academic standards for excellence.We've also received the Association for Counselor Education and Supervision's Outstanding Program Award and its Publication in Counselor Education and Supervision Award multiple times.

The College of Education's graduate programs were rated fourth of the nine public Texas universities ranked by U.S. News and World Report's America's Best Graduate Schools. The programs were rated third in total grant funded research and fourth in the average annual externally funded research expenditures per faculty. It is also one of the top producers of teachers, administrators, counselors, health professionals and other school professionals in Texas.

Admission requirements

You will need to meet the admission requirements for the Toulouse Graduate School (available at catalog.unt.edu) as well as the following program requirements:

• completed program admission application
• master's degree from an accredited college or university that, alone or with deficiency course work, constitutes the equivalent of a CACREP-accredited counseling program master's degree (You must send official transcripts from all graduate institutions attended.)
• minimum 3.5 GPA on all graduate course work
• GRE verbal score of at least 340, a quantitative score of at least 370 and completion of the analytical writing portion with no minimum required score (for advising purposes only)
• three professional references (forms provided by the program)
• a resume including professional experience and creative endeavors
• a personal statement
• a counseling skills demonstration video
• written permission from the counseling program doctoral admissions committee chair to participate in the doctoral admissions examinations (This is granted only after the foregoing items are on file in the counseling program office.)
• written and oral doctoral admission examinations (Admission examinations for the counseling program are offered once each academic year early in the spring semester.)

After the written and oral doctoral admission examinations, the program faculty members conduct a holistic review of all applicants. Within one month of the orientation and interview, you will receive a letter regarding your provisional admission. If you are granted provisional admission, you should contact the counseling program for academic advising before registration.

Degree requirements

The Ph.D. degree requires a minimum of 75 semester hours beyond the master's degree:

• 48 semester hours of counseling core courses
• 12 semester hours of electives or in a minor
• 9 semester hours of counseling specialty courses
• 6 semester hours of research core courses

The doctoral degree also requires 9 hours of a research tool not included on the degree plan.

Financial assistance

Our department funds many assistantships and scholarships to help you pursue a graduate degree. Students interested in an assistantship should submit an application with the doctoral program application. For more information on scholarships, visit www.coe.unt.edu/che. Visit graduateschool.unt.edu or financialaid.unt.edufor information about other financial assistance opportunities.

Counseling program services

Counseling and Human Development Center

The center offers individual counseling for clients of all ages as well as couple, family and group counseling. Low-cost counseling services are provided by counselors-in-training under the supervision of counseling program faculty members using the latest in audiovisual technology.

Child and Family Resource Clinic

The clinic provides diagnostic and remedial services to children, adolescents, adults and families experiencing difficulties at home or school. Graduate students in the counseling program acquire valuable field experience by providing the clinic's low-cost services under the supervision of counseling program faculty members.

Center for Play Therapy

The center encourages the development and emotional growth of children through the process of play therapy, a dynamic interpersonal relationship between a child and a therapist trained in play therapy procedures. To fulfill its objectives, the center provides training, research, publications, counseling services and scholarships, and it acts as a clearinghouse for literature in the field.

Center for Animal-Assisted Therapy

The center trains professionals and volunteers to work with their pets to facilitate the development of students in kindergarten through 12th grade. These pet-assisted educational programs enhance people's emotional well-being through positive human-animal interactions. Workshops and courses are offered for national certification training to people wishing to perform animal-assisted volunteer service or provide professional animal-assisted therapy.

Continuing education opportunities

Each year, our program offers conferences where nationally known speakers present current perspectives on counseling issues. Licensed professional counselors, nationally certified counselors and Texas Association of Alcohol and Drug Abuse counselors may earn continuing education credit by attending these conferences:

• Animal-assisted therapy training workshops (September and April)
• Play Therapy Conference (October)
• Summer Play Therapy Institute ( July)
• Institute in Counselor Supervision ( January or February)