Expand your impact. Empower others. Teach the next generation of counselors.

Are you ready to apply your counseling expertise to a new challenge? Earning a PhD in counselor education and supervision could be how you take your career to the next level, whether in the classroom or in a leadership capacity. Your courses will cover the advanced leadership skills you’ll need to drive change as an administrator in behavioral health agencies and beyond. Coursework in areas like research design, counselor education, and inferential statistics will also help you prepare to contribute original knowledge to the field of counseling. 

Anchor: Stats
Anchor: Programs & Requirements
Programs & Requirements

Programs & Requirements

PhD in Counselor Education and Supervision

The fully accredited online PhD in Counselor Education & Supervision from University of the Cumberlands teaches the knowledge and skills you need to launch a career in research and postsecondary teaching in counseling programs across the United States. Our program also covers the advanced leadership skills needed to drive change as an administrator in behavioral health agencies and beyond.  

Our curriculum covers the five major domains of contemporary counselor education curriculum: advanced clinical work, supervision, teaching, research and scholarship, and leadership and advocacy. The program breaks down into three essential components: core CES coursework, professional research and field experience coursework. In total, you’ll complete 66 post-master’s credit hours, including courses such as: Advanced Counseling Theories and Skills, Theories and Techniques of Clinical Supervision, Leadership & Advocacy in Professional Counseling, Online Teaching & Learning in Counselor Education, and Advanced Educational Research. 

Finally, you’ll work in collaboration with graduate faculty members to research, write and defend an original dissertation that advances knowledge in the counseling profession. You’ll graduate equipped with: 

  • Mastery that prepares you for a teaching career in higher education environments 
  • Administrative expertise preparing you for leadership in clinical and educational settings 
  • Advanced clinical skills aimed to maximize proficiency in an independent practice milieu 
  • Independent research skills preparing you to make original contributions to your field 

Course Requirements

  • CES 700  Program Orientation (0 Hours)
  • CES 704  Professional Writing
  • CES 705  Introduction to CES: Professional Identity
  • CES 715  Online Counseling and Supervision
  • CES 730  Andragogy in Counselor Education and Supervision
  • CES 731  Multicultural Issues in Counselor Education and Supervision 
  • CES 733  Ethical and Legal Issues in Counselor Education and Supervision 
  • CES 735  Advanced Counseling Theories and Skills
  • CES 831  Theories and Techniques of Clinical Supervision 
  • CES 833  Leadership & Advocacy in Professional Counseling 
  • CES 835  Online Teaching & Learning in Counselor Education
  • CES 837  Neuroanatomy & Behavioral Medicine for Professional Counseling

And one elective from the following:

  • CES 737  Trauma Counseling: Etiology, Treatment, and Interventions 
  • CES 710  Mindfulness Based Cognitive Behavioral Interventions in Mental Health Counseling
  • COUN 538  Intro to Play Therapy
  • COUN 540  Human Sexuality in Counseling 

*CES 738 or CES 851 may also be used to fulfill elective credits

  • CES 931  Advanced Practicum  
  • CES 953  Advanced Internship  
  • CES 955  Advanced Internship II   

Nine hours of the degree are earned through a series of courses focusing on research methods and research activities. The research courses culminate in the completion of a dissertation. Both CES 734 and CES 850 are required for all students. Each student will select either CES 851 or CES 738 depending on the methodology you intend to pursue with your dissertation research. Students may take both advanced research design courses and count one as their elective.

  • CES 734  Quantitative Research Design 
  • CES 850  Qualitative Research Design  
  • CES 851  Advanced Qualitative Research Design or CES 738  Advanced Quantitative Research Design 

Department of Counseling Sample Syllabi
*The syllabi in this folder are samples and may not reflect the most current syllabus content

  • CES 838  CES Comprehensive Exam (0 Hours)
  • CES 736  Dissertation Seminar  
  • CES 839  Advanced Educational Research   

Students must be enrolled in a minimum of two semesters of dissertation coursework for a total of six (6) credit hours. 

  • CES 950  Dissertation  
  • CES 951  Dissertation 

NOTE ON DISSERTATION CREDITS AND PROCEDURES:
The candidate must file an Intent to Graduate at the beginning of term of intended completion; must schedule Oral Dissertation Defense at least two weeks prior to Intended Date; and must file approved dissertation with Program Director prior to graduation. 


 

 

Anchor: Mission & Goals

Mission and Goals

The mission of UC’s PhD in counselor education and supervision degree program is to develop counselor educators and supervisors who are innovative in their contributions to the profession through research, leadership, advocacy, and clinical excellence.

Be competent in creating innovative, culturally responsive educational environments for diverse learning communities.
Conduct original research studies designed to benefit the field of CES.
Prepare advanced clinicians and counselor supervisors to serve their communities in socially responsive ways.
Develop leadership and advocacy skills for lifelong investment in promoting wellness in a diverse global community.
Develop culturally responsive and social justice-oriented professionals.
Anchor: Career Outcomes

Counselor Education and Supervision Careers & Outcomes

All stats from U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics

Licensed Professional Counselor Supervisor: $101,340

Licensed Professional Counselor Supervisor: $101,340

As a Licensed Professional Counselor Supervisor, you’ll provide an opportunity for your supervisees to discuss any work-related issues and difficulties they may have and help determine possible ways for them to be resolved. 

Psychologist: $81,040

Psychologist: $81,040

Psychologists study cognitive, emotional, and social processes and behavior by observing, interpreting, and recording how individuals relate to one another and to their environments. 

Mental Health Program Manager: $101,340

Mental Health Program Manager: $101,340

Mental Health Program Managers plan, direct, and coordinate the business activities of their mental health facility. 

Educational or Career Counselor: $60,140

Educational or Career Counselor: $60,140

Advise and assist students and provide educational and vocational guidance services. 

Compliance Manager: $71,690

Compliance Manager: $71,690

Examine, evaluate, and investigate eligibility for or conformity with laws and regulations governing contract compliance of licenses and permits, and perform other compliance and enforcement inspection and analysis activities not classified elsewhere. 

Postsecondary Teacher: $79,640

Postsecondary Teacher: $79,640

Postsecondary teachers instruct students in a variety of academic subjects beyond the high school level.

Anchor: FAQs

Common Questions

All programs at University of the Cumberlands are offered at some of the lowest rates in the nation – and we even include free textbooks through our One Price Promise! For more information on how affordable this program would be for you, visit our Financial Aid page.

A Ph.D. in counselor education is a doctoral degree that equips counseling professionals to teach in higher education classrooms. As a graduate counseling student at Cumberlands, you’ll learn the theory and practice of educating and supervising future counselors in clinical settings, as well as leadership skills you can apply in education, behavioral health, and human services settings. 

With your Ph.D. in counselor education, you’ll be able to choose from a variety of counseling career paths, including: counselor educator, licensed professional counselor supervisor, clinical director, regulatory affairs director, quality assurance director, compliance manager, compliance operations manager, risk manager, academic leadership, or assistant professor in a related field.  

As it turns out, University of the Cumberlands is one of the only higher education institutions to offer synchronous, CACREP-accredited programs online! When a Ph.D. in Counselor Education and Supervision program is available online, it provides a flexible, synchronous format to make it possible to pursue your studies even while working as a counselor. Admissions requirements typically include a CACREP-accredited master’s degree in counseling or the equivalent, as well as an active professional counseling license.

When considering pursuing a Ph.D. it is important to remember that a Ph.D. is the same as a doctorate, and degree programs at this level are typically research intensive and require an original dissertation. As a Ph.D. student studying counseling education, you’ll be taking courses in areas like research design, counselor education, and inferential statistics to help you prepare to contribute original knowledge to the field of counseling. 

Pursuing your doctoral degree in counseling education and supervision could be one way to enhance your career and drive change on a larger scale. Some reasons you may find it worthwhile to further your counseling education in a Ph.D. program are that postsecondary education roles in the field of mental health are expected to increase by 12 percent between 2021 and 2030; a Ph.D. in Counselor Education and Supervision offers the chance to build on your past education and experience while preparing to take your career in a new direction; and the median annual salary for postsecondary counseling professors was $77,500 in 2021, nearly $30,000 more than most other counseling professions.  

Anchor: Faculty

Faculty Experts

Get to know your future CES professors.

Dr. Julia Dell'Aquila-Linares

Dr. Julia Dell'Aquila-Linares

Assistant Professor
Counseling

Dr. Julia Dell'Aquila-Linares

Contact Information

julia.linares [at] ucumberlands.edu
Remote

Dr. Selina A. Hernandez

Assistant Professor
Counseling

Dr. Selina A. Hernandez

Contact Information

selina.hernandez [at] ucumberlands.edu
Remote
Dr. Lotes Nelson

Dr. Lotes Nelson

Associate Professor
Counseling

Dr. Lotes Nelson

Contact Information

lotes.nelson [at] ucumberlands.edu

CACREP Assessment

The CACREP Council accredits the Clinical Mental Health Counseling program, Addiction Counseling program, PhD in Counselor Education & Supervision, and the related Doctorate of Educational Leadership Online (EdD) Program. CACREP is a specialized accrediting body recognized by the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA) that accredits counselor-preparation graduate degree programs. For more information, visit https://www.cacrep.org

CACREP Outcomes for the Department of Counseling at University of Cumberlands:

Vital Statistics: 2017201820192020

Program Evaluation Outcomes Report: 2015-201820212022

Request Information

Interested in learning more about how our PhD in Counselor Education and Supervision program can help you achieve your professional goals? We're ready to talk.

Loading...