Qualified applicants will have earned a Master’s degree in counseling or a related field (e.g., clinical social work, clinical or counseling psychology). Qualified applicants must have completed at least 700 hours of clinical practicum and internship during their Master’s degree program.

Preference is given to students who graduated from a CACREP-accredited Master’s program. Applicants who have not completed a 60-hour CACREP-accredited counseling program may be eligible, but additional coursework will be required during the doctoral program of study. Please reference Section 2 of the CACREP standards for more information on the eight core areas of Master’s level required coursework: https://www.cacrep.org/section-2-professional-counseling-identity/

1. Complete the UVM graduate college application: http://www.uvm.edu/graduate/application_instructions.
2. Write a personal statement that addresses your qualifications, interest in the program, and responses the following prompts:

• What experiences have you had that prepare you to become a counselor educator?
• How will this degree help you achieve your career goals?
• Describe a time that you struggled with incompetence, and how did you grow from that struggle?
• Please tell us about an experience when you engaged in systemic advocacy.

3. Provide three letters of recommendation. One recommendation must be from a professional who can speak to your academic aptitude, and one recommendation must be from a professional who can speak to your clinical counseling aptitude and experience. The third recommendation can be a professional reference of your choice.

Two years post-master’s clinical experience is preferred, but not required for applicants.

Graduate assistantships (GAs) are available for full-time PhD students. Generally, students work 10-20 hours a week on a combination of teaching and/or research with a faculty advisor. These assistantships generally cover 6-9 credit hours per semester and provide a stipend.

Doctoral student scholarships are available through UVM, and our students seek out external funding through National Board for Certified Counselors (NBCC) Scholarships.

Students are required to complete 600 hours of internship work (in required areas of teaching, supervision, counseling, and one additional area of choice). For the supervision internship, PhD students will supervise master’s degree students in school or CMHC programs who are in either practicum or internship. For the teaching internship, PhD students will teach or co-teach undergraduate or master’s level counseling courses for a minimum of one semester. Counseling and leadership/advocacy internships are collaboratively designed by the student and faculty.

PhD students will be involved in research in several ways. Students will complete 12 credit hours of research coursework where class projects may expand to research projects. PhD students can also seek out involvement with faculty already conducting research. Faculty often will invite students to participate in research activities. Finally, students will complete a dissertation with faculty mentorship that is a thorough, self-directed research project. These avenues often result in conference presentations and manuscript submissions for publication.

Students will have opportunities to publish as a main author and co-author. The counselor education and supervision core coursework will require students to develop a manuscript or project proposal for each class. The faculty hope students will publish 3-4 pieces of work while here.

PhD students will also have opportunities to present with faculty and fellow students at professional counselor education and supervision conferences (e.g., ACES, ACA). Faculty members encourage students to present and often co-present their research with student peers.

Scholarly publications and conference presentations will provide key experience needed to be an attractive applicant for faculty positions in Counselor Education and Supervision at major research universities.

Please see the International Student Admissions page on the UVM Graduate College website.

The average number of students admitted is 4-7 per year. We allow students to attend part-time or full-time.

The 75-credit hour program of study is designed to be completed either full-time in 4 years or part-time in 6 years. If students need to prolong their program of study for any reason, consultation with their advisor is required. The university requires PhD students to complete their degree within 9 years of matriculation.

The PhD program is currently seeking CACREP accreditation, with an anticipated decision by 2028. The program objectives and curriculum are designed in alignment with CACREP 2024 standards. Considering the faculty’s qualifications and the long-standing accreditation for the Master’s program in Counseling, the faculty expect the PhD program to be accredited before the inaugural cohort of students graduate in 2028. Per CACREP policy 5.a, students graduating within 18 months of accreditation conferral will be verified as completing CACREP program requirements.