Counselor Education and Supervision

Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)

Counselor with clients

Earn A Ph.D. at UW

When you become a Ph.D. student in counselor education and supervision at the University of Wyoming, you will have the opportunity to follow the path of your curiosity into coursework and research that match the questions you hope to pursue in the field.

Offered at the University of Wyoming’s main campus in Laramie, this small, rigorous program will provide you with an individualized and dynamic experience that will lay the foundation for your future as a teacher-scholar.

Program Details

Program Requirements

Curriculum & Courses

About Counselor Education and Supervision

Counselor with clients

The UW Ph.D. program in counselor education and supervision is targeted to students who already hold a master’s degree from a CACREP-accredited institution or equivalent and are seeking to become counselor educators and advanced practitioners. Students who do not come from CACREP school may have to take additional coursework.

Integrating theory and practice, this program will provide you with expertise and experience in counseling, supervision, teaching, leadership, advocacy, research and scholarship.

Counselor education and supervision Ph.D. graduates from UW go on to establish counseling practices and academic careers.

Questions? 
Speak with an advisor!

The counselor education and supervision Ph.D. program is a three-year program and only admits students every few years. We will be admitting fall of 2026. The application portal will not open again until spring of 2025. At that time, please apply for fall 2026. 

Admission Requirements

Domestic Students

  • GPA: 3.0
  • GRE: Not required

International Students

  • TOEFL: 80 minimum online score, 20 minimum score in each subset and the score must be from within the last 2 years, OR 
  • IELTS: 6.5 minimum overall score with 6 minimum in each subset. 
  • GRE: 151 minimum verbal and 153 minimum quantitative 

Other Requirements

  • Master of Arts or Master of Science Degree in Counseling

Visit our program's admission page for more information.

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Professor watching student work with client

 

What Can You Do with a Counselor Education and Supervision PhD Degree?

The UW Ph.D. in counselor education and supervision prepares you for a career in academia, readying you to teach the next generation of counselors and advance the discourse in our field.

Counselor Education and Supervision Careers

UW Ph.D. alumni in counselor education and supervision have worked in institutions such as:

  • Universiti Putra Malaysia
  • University of Northern Colorado
  • Bridgewater State University
  • Aquinas College
  • University of Wyoming
  • University of Wisconsin-Stout
  • Cathedral Home for Children
  • Lindsey Wilson College
  • Peak Wellness Center
  • Austin Peay State University
Counselor working with client

As a doctoral student you will be expected to conduct systematic inquiry into the counseling field. Some recent dissertation titles include:

  • “Exploration of the Relationship between a Counselor Preparation Program and a Collegiate Athletic Program”
  • “Get Out of Your Way: Educators’ Perceptions of the Self-Defeating Behaviors of High-Achieving Students During Senior Year of High School”
  • “Psychological and Personal Variables as Predictors of the Willingness of International Students to Seek Formal and Informal Counseling Help”
  • “Healthy Marital Relationships among Farming Couples: A Narrative Inquiry”
  • “Assessing the Methods of Identification, the Availability of School-based Support and the Perceived Barriers to Providing Support for Children of Substance Abusing Parents”
  • “Silent Voices in Session: A Narrative Inquiry of How Male Clients Who Identify as Gay Experience Counseling from Male Clients Who Identify as Straight”

 

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Counselor Education and Supervision Doctor of Philosophy Degree Program Highlights

The counselor education and supervision Ph.D. program at UW will provide you with the freedom and flexibility to pursue a unique path of intellectual inquiry while also making it possible for you to develop college-level teaching skills, acquire supervisory experience and hone new counseling skills.

Here are some reasons to consider UW’s counselor education and supervision Ph.D. program:

 

Co-Teaching

Acquire college-level teaching experience co-teaching with an undergraduate class with a UW counseling faculty member.

Accredited

The UW College of Education is nationally accredited by NCATE. The counselor programs are accredited by the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP).

Faculty/Scholars

Work with professors who are researching play therapy, expressive arts in counseling, addiction, counselor development and underserved populations, childhood mental health, the development of ethnic identity in children and other important areas.

 

 

Assistantships

Explore graduate assistantships, which provide stipends, opportunities to help faculty with research and college-level teaching experiences. Graduate assistants also help with the day-to-day functions of the counseling clinic.

 

 

Wellspring Counseling Clinic

Work in the College of Education’s Wellspring Counseling Clinic, which boasts the latest in digital technology and offers individual, group and couples counseling, play therapy and substance abuse evaluations. Doctoral students help with the day-to-day operations of the counseling clinic and supervise students working there. As a Ph.D. student, you will support master’s students working in the clinic as they complete their practicum hours.

Scholarships

Explore graduate scholarships that are available through the UW College of Education that include:

Arden White Student Excellence Scholarship
Lyle L. Miller Counselor Education Fellowship
Relaxation Foundation Donald R. Austin Student Scholarship Fund

Travel Assistance

Apply for funding to attend conferences. Both the School of Counseling, Leadership, Advocacy and Design and College of Education and Office of the Dean offer funding opportunities.

Play Therapy

Take part in the work of the Rocky Mountain Center of Play Therapy. As one of only a few approved centers for play therapy education, you can work towards becoming a Registered Play Therapist (RPT) or a School-Based Registered Play Therapist (SB-RPT) through the Association for Play Therapy.

Biennial Play Therapy Conference

Network with over 200 mental health professionals, school counselors, social workers, and early childhood teachers from around the world as you participate in intensive hands-on workshops from renowned experts during the UW hosted play therapy conference.

Practica

Take part in doctoral practicums in counseling (100 clock hours/40 direct hours) and supervision. Enjoy the opportunity to complete your practica here on campus in the state-of-the-art UW WellSpring Counseling.

Minor

Incorporate a graduate minor in qualitative or quantitative methodologies into your Ph.D. program.

Psychological First-Aid Day

Practice trauma work during this community-disaster simulation that involves both UW and the Red Cross.

 

As a professional counselor, counselor educator, and clinical supervisor, the doctoral program at the University of Wyoming provided me with both the knowledge and experience that I was seeking, and fostered within me a strong professional identity in these areas through its integration of theory and practice. I also gained valuable training in the practice and supervision of Play Therapy and was provided with expertise in advocacy and a tremendous opportunity to advance causes of social justice. The program additionally offered a unique and structured approach to support the incubation of research ideas. Coupled with the faculty's open-door approach to collaboration, this helped to advance my research agenda, which led to my receipt of a prestigious national academic research fellowship to fund my research on the counseling experiences of gender-diverse populations.

- Benjamin Aiken, Ph.D. ’20