The Doctor of Education degree program in Counseling is designed to prepare graduates who are highly competent in professional counseling skills in research as well as produce effective leaders in educational and human services arenas in the urban community. Building upon the prerequisite of a relevant master’s degree, the doctoral student is provided a series of academic, laboratory, and internship experiences aimed at the development of a broad base in educational foundations, a concentration in counseling, and additional breadth in preparation through exposure to a supporting area related to the field of the major. The minimum requirement for the doctoral degree is sixty (60) semester hours, including six (6) hours of doctoral dissertation. 

Doctor of Education Degree Programs

The policies governing admission to the Doctor of Education (Ed.D.) degree program are as follows:

1. Student must apply for admission to the doctoral program through the Graduate School by completing an application and submitting all required documents (including GRE scores).
2. Completed applications are reviewed by the Doctoral Admissions Committee in the
3. major area and the names of applicants recommended for admission are submitted to the Graduate School.
4. Upon approval, the Dean of the Graduate School will notify applicants of the Committee’s decision.

Prerequisite(s): A master's degree in counseling or a counseling-related field from an accredited college or university. Board rules specifically define "counseling -related field": §681.2. Definitions (9) Counseling-related field - A mental health discipline utilizing human development, psychotherapeutic, and mental health principles including, but not limited to:

• psychology,
• psychiatry,
• social work,
• marriage and family therapy, and
• guidance and counseling.

Non-counseling fields include, but are not limited:

• to dance therapy,
• sociology,
• education,
• administration, and
• theology.

The Doctor of Education degree program in Counselor Education is designed to prepare graduates who are highly competent in professional counseling skills in research as well as produce effective leaders in educational and human services arenas in the urban community. Building upon the prerequisite of a relevant master’s degree, the doctoral student is provided a series of academic, laboratory, and internship experiences aimed at the development of a broad base in educational foundations, an area of study in counseling, and additional breadth in preparation through exposure to a supporting area related to the field of the major. The minimum requirement for the doctoral degree is sixty (60) semester credit hours, including six (6) hours of doctoral dissertation.

Grades for Research Courses

Dissertation research courses receive grades of satisfactory or unsatisfactory only. Grades are assigned only after the defense of the dissertation. A successful defense or submission of the dissertation requires the supervising member of faculty to assign a satisfactory grade for the appropriate research course.

Admission Requirements

The criteria for admission to the Doctor of Education degree program are:

Unconditional Admission—The applicant must submit a Graduate Record Examination (GRE) score (combined verbal and quantitative; writing score) that will be used in conjunction with the applicant’s socioeconomic profile and the Masters grade point average to determine admission.

Non-negotiable Areas

In addition, the applicant must meet all of the following requirements:

1. Have an earned master’s degree or its equivalent in a degree program with a grade point average of at least 3.25 (“B+”) from an accredited institution of higher education.
2. Hold or earn, before completing the program, a teaching or administrative certificate, unless the area in which the individual specializes does not require certification.
3. Have a minimum of two (2) years of successful professional experience in teaching, administration, supervision, counseling or other career service, for example, personnel in business and industry, counselor, etc.
4. Submit recommendations from at least three persons including two (2) college faculty members in the applicant’s most recent academic program and at least one (1) immediate supervisor of the applicant’s professional work.
5. Demonstrate acceptable proficiency in the use of the English language based upon performance on a standardized English Proficiency Test. (Performance on the Verbal portion of the GRE may be considered as adequate by the Doctoral Admission Committee).
6. Have a personal interview with the department head and faculty in the area of the planned concentration.
7. Make a score of at least 79 on the TOEFL or IELTS (iBT) = 6.0 (if not from an English speaking country). The following are some factors that may be included in the socioeconomic profile used in the admission process.
   1. Economic status of family when applicant attended elementary, secondary, and undergraduate school.
   2. Applicant’s status of first-generation to attend undergraduate school.
   3. Applicant’s status of first-generation to attend graduate or professional school.
   4. Applicant is multilingual.
   5. Applicant’s employment while attending undergraduate school.
   6. Applicant’s role in helping rear other children in family.
   7. Applicant’s geographic residence in Texas at time of application.
   8. Geographic region of applicant’s high school.
   9. Applicant’s demonstration of performance in community activities.
   10. Applicant’s demonstration of commitment to a particular field of study.
   11. The presence or absence of role models with comparable graduate school training in the applicant’s region of residence.
   12. The applicant’s performance during a personal interview.
8. Other criteria specified in H.B. 1641 will be considered.

Conditional Admission  - The applicant  must submit a Graduate Record Examination (GRE) score (combined  verbal  and quantitative) thatwill beused in conjunction with the applicant’s socioeconomic profile and the Master’s grade point average to determine admission to graduate programs. Failed to acquire at least a 3.5 on the Writing section of the GRE.

Additional Items Needed to be Considered

Writing Sample: Applicant will submit a handwritten writing sample that must be 300-600 words; and score 3.5 on the analytical writing section of the GRE. Interview: Applicant will be interviewed by members of the COE Admissions Committee. Oral Presentation: Applicant will be required to orally present a piece of work to the COE Admissions Committee.

Summary

Course List

Code	Title	Hours
Core Curriculum		36
Foundation Core Requirements		12
Electives		6
Dissertation		6
Total Hours		60

Core Course Requirements

Course List

Code	Title	Hours
COUN 910	Counseling the Adolescent	3
COUN 911	Ind Appraisal In Coun 1	3
COUN 912	Prin & Found Of Coun	3
COUN 913	Coun & Ind Case Work 1	3
COUN 914	Supervised Counseling 1	3
COUN 915	Vocational Assessment 1	3
COUN 916	Sem Comm Col Stu Pers Servs	3
COUN 917	Sem IICounseling	3
COUN 918	Probs In Coun 1	3
COUN 919	Internship 1	6
COUN 920	Research in Counseling	3
Total Hours		36

Foundation Core Course Requirements

Course List

Code	Title	Hours
Select twelve (12) semester credits from the following:		12
EDFD 902	Theoretical Fdtns Of Ed
EDFD 903	Nature Methodology Ed Res
EDFD 905	Nature Meth Ed Res
EDFD 931	Ed Res Corr Stat Methods 1
EDFD 932	Ed Res Sig Tests Stat Methods 1
EDFD 997	Research Seminar 1
EDFD 980	Hist Of Ed In U S
Total Hours		12

INSTITUTIONAL REQUIREMENTS

Course List

Code	Title	Hours
Select six (6) semester credits from the following:		6
COUN 836	Mental Health & Psychopath
COUN 941	Parent & Family Counseling
COUN 942	Marriage & Couples Counseling
COUN 943	Child Coun & Play Therapy
COUN 944	Topics in Aging
COUN 951	Drugs & Addiction
COUN 989	Seminar in Counseling
PSY 739	Psychopathology
Total Hours		6

Dissertation Requirements

Course List

Code	Title	Hours
COUN 999	Dissertation	6
Total Hours		6