About Our Program

• Graduates of Duquesne University's Ph.D. Program in Counselor Education and Supervision have been very successful in obtaining faculty positions throughout the United States, and supervisory and director positions within mental health and human services organizations and school districts.
• The program is accredited by the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP), which means that the program uses a nationally recognized and rigorous curriculum. Programs that receive CACREP accreditation have demonstrated a commitment to high admissions, academic and fieldwork standards and current best practices in counselor preparation and ongoing program improvement. Beginning in 2013, masters' and doctoral counseling programs that are accredited by CACREP must hire faculty who have earned a doctoral degree in counselor education and supervision, preferably from a CACREP-accredited program. This will increase the marketability of graduates of CACREP accredited doctoral programs. Counseling psychology or clinical psychology graduates will not be eligible to be hired to teach in CACREP accredited programs. Find out more about CACREP accreditation.
• Some full-time and part-time graduate assistantships are available, and doctoral students may receive tuition remission for providing supervision to Duquesne University counseling masters' students. Duquesne is one of the few doctoral programs in the mental health field within the Pittsburgh area that offers tuition remission.
• Doctoral students may apply for up to $1,000.00 per academic year to present at professional conferences.
• Doctoral students may complete the 60-credit program within two-and-a-half years.
• Doctoral students may maintain full-time employment as classes are offered on Saturdays and weeknights.
• Doctoral students receive extensive training in conducting supervision and research and teaching at the graduate level.
• The program emphasizes both qualitative and quantitative research.
• The faculty members have experience in the subject areas in which they teach.
• The faculty members have extensive relationships with the community agencies, universities, and schools in the Pittsburgh area.

1. Ensure that professional activities are guided by intellectual curiosity, social responsibility, compassion and high ethical standards.

2. Acknowledge that truth is not singular and seek a more complex and complete understanding of human behavior.

3. Create a learning community that promotes democratic values and constructivist learning practices.

4. Acknowledge the evaluation responsibility of educators including the promotion of informed, data-based, formative and summative feedback.

5. Challenge dogma encountered in classrooms and clinics and encourage inquiry.

6. Utilize critical thinking and social vision to promote program transformation and policy development.

7. Promote a systems perspective on intrapersonal and interpersonal dynamics, as well as on social and political transactions.

8. Commit to an interdisciplinary, collaborative approach to facilitating change.

9. Transcend the University's physical boundaries and link with the community in order to improve educational opportunities for children, adults and families.

10. Recognize the interconnectedness of teaching, research, service and clinical practice in the professional practice of counselor educators and supervisors.

11. Support helping professionals in their ongoing attempts to address their own emotional, intellectual, spiritual and physical well-being.

The Ph.D. Program in Counselor Education and Supervision is defined by its focus on the development of competence in the general areas of teaching, supervision, research and service.

Teaching
Doctoral students in the Counselor Education and Supervision Program will demonstrate high levels of teaching competence that meets or exceeds the standards of the Program, the University and the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP). To meet these standards and to demonstrate high levels of teaching competence, students will engage in varied classroom and practicum experiences. The faculty will help the students develop increased competence in teaching through modeling, team teaching and supervision.

Supervision
Doctoral students in the Counselor Education and Supervision Program will expand their knowledge and skills of supervision. This process involves academic instruction and practical experiences. Students learn supervision theories and techniques and apply these principles in their supervision of the counseling of counselors-in-training in our master's programs.

Research
Doctoral students in the Counselor Education and Supervision Program will propose and conduct research that supports their development, the mission of the University, and the counseling profession, and students receive training in both qualitative and quantitative approaches. The research should extend the knowledge base and improve counseling services. To meet these research goals, the faculty will support graduate students in their research activities and assist in the dissemination of research findings through appropriate journals and presentations at state, regional, national, and international conferences.

Service
Doctoral students in the Counselor Education and Supervision Program will utilize their teaching, supervisory, consultative and clinical skills to provide service in schools and other related settings. Doctoral service may include: workshops for practicing professionals, designing and delivering staff development activities for school personnel, and participating in state, regional, and national professional organizations.