Many of our graduates teach in counseling programs as full time or part time faculty. Counselor education also prepares you for advanced clinical work and supervision. Many of our students choose portfolio careers which include leadership, teaching, clinical work and supervision.

You attend classes in person for the first two years of your program. Classes are held online the third year.

Our classes meet in person twice every term on Friday and Saturday. There are four quarter terms each year. The terms, except summer, are ten weeks long.

The classes meet from 9-5. During the academic year, classes are typically held, with some exceptions, the second and eighth weekend of each term. During the summer, classes meet the third and sixth week. 

Many of our classes involve synchronous and asynchronous instruction. This means that they may meet together as a group once a week at a preassigned time using Zoom or other platform. Additionally, there is often work to complete on your own schedule via Canvas that may include readings and discussion forums or quizzes.

Although the degree may be completed in three years, the typical student takes four years to complete.

Internship activities (supervision, counseling, university teaching, and advocacy/leadership) are completed where you live usually. Most of our students are already engaging in counseling, so their work site is also their internship site. Additionally, they form relationships with local universities, agencies, and/or counseling organizations to complete other requirements.

No, the Ph.D. with a major in Counseling is designed to prepare you for a career of teaching, advanced clinical practice, and supervision.  You do not qualify for any licensure beyond master’s-level licensure (LPC, LCSW, etc.).

The minimum requirements for the Doctoral degree are a Master of Counseling or closely related field with a minimum GPA of 3.0. You must have completed a 600-hour clinical internship with documented programmatic supervision to apply. Academic background, personal and emotional suitability, volunteer or paid experience in the helping professions, and the educational and professional goals of each candidate are evaluated before admission is granted. Screening includes, but is not limited to, three letters of recommendation, one of which must come from a current or recent clinical supervisor, and a writing sample. A personal interview is required for those applicants who meet the initial application criteria.

You may apply, but we rarely admit students who do not have several years of clinical experience. Since you are training to become an advanced practitioner and supervisor, experience in counseling is a must. Our typical successful applicant has at least two years of post-masters experience.

No, this is an Ecampus program designed for students who are working across the country. At this time, there are no available assistantships for part-time students.

Generally, this is not possible given the amount of travel and synchronous instructions requirements. The time zone changes make it very difficult.

Our students travel from all over the United States. Many do travel from the East Coast.

Again, you must have completed a 600 hr. clinical internship to apply. We have students with degrees in counseling, counseling psychology, and social work currently. Preference is given to students who have graduated from CACREP counseling programs. Admitted students who do not have master’s-level course work that covers all CACREP entry-level core areas will be required to complete those requires prior to starting the program or concurrently during their doctoral studies.

Applications are due on Jan. 15. We admit a cohort of students each year for the summer term which begins in late June.

150 quarter hours are required. 56 hours may be transferred from your master’s degree. If your previous degree was semester hours, you may convert them to quarter hours using a ratio of 2:3 semester hours to quarter hours.

For Ph.D. inquiries and pre-admission advising contact:

Misty De Lei
Counseling Program Lead
OSU College of Education
misty.delei@oregonstate.edu