The Ph.D. in Pastoral Counseling

The Ph.D. program in Pastoral Counseling is a unique education experience designed for those who wish to further their graduate-level training as clinicians, supervisors, educators, and researchers. By interrelating theory and techniques of the helping professions with the insights of theology, spirituality, and faith, the program encourages students to develop their own holistic paradigms of professional and personal integration for the purpose of helping others and furthering the Counselor Education profession.
 
The program seeks to prepare graduates to make quantitative and qualitative research contributions to the helping professions through the integration of psycho-theological issues with counselor education's interdisciplinary models which embrace subjects like ethics, prevention, diversity, education, efficacy, and treatment of psychopathology.
 
The doctoral program, with its unique emphasis on supervisory training, prepares candidates for teaching and supervisory positions in the counselor education field as well as, developing clinical expertise, theological/spiritual/religious understanding, and research acumen.
 
The program gained CACREP (Council for the Accreditation of Counseling and Related Education Programs) accreditation for its Ph.D. program through the American Counseling Association under the Doctoral Counselor Education standards in January 2008.
Doctoral programs accept as primary obligations:

• extending the knowledge base of the counseling profession in a climate of scholarly inquiry;
• supporting faculty and students in publishing and/or presenting the results of scholarly inquiry;
• preparing students to contribute to the conversations that inform professional practice by generating new knowledge for the profession through dissertation research focusing on areas relevant to counseling practice, counselor education, and/or supervision; and
• preparing students to assume positions of leadership in the profession, their area(s) of specialization, or both.

The fulfillment of these obligations should take into account the societal changes of the 21st century and prepare graduates to be leaders and advocates for change.

The Ph.D. in Pastoral Counseling may also be pursued in combination with the Master of Science degree. For information regarding the M.S./Ph.D. Combination program click here.

An ideal Ph.D. applicant will have graduated from a CACREP approved counseling program (or academic equivalency to the Pastoral Counseling MS program) and have had clinical experience as part of their Master’s program. Candidates without such background may wish to pursue the combined M.S./Ph.D. program.

View the Program of Study.

For Academic Advising Information, please visit our academic advising section.

View the Doctoral Program Learning Goals.

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