Counselor Education and Supervision - Application Requirements

Ph.D. in Counselor Education and Supervision Application and Matriculation Information

It is your responsibility to begin the process early and follow up with the various institutions and individuals who must submit supporting documentation.

Now accepting Ph.D. in CES applications for Fall Semester, 2025

• • Priority application deadline: February 17, 2025


• • Ending application deadline: March 31, 2025 (space permitting)

Note: Applications will be reviewed on a program space available contingency. Interviews will be scheduled accordingly.

Applications will not be accepted for the summer semester. The number of admitted applicants may be affected by accreditation standards and requirements.

Admission to the Ph.D. in Counselor Education and Supervision program is competitive. There is no guarantee of admission just because an applicant meets or exceeds the minimum criteria. To be considered for admission to the Ph.D. in Counselor Education and Supervision program, students must complete a counseling application packet, and meet the minimum criteria for admission consideration as described following.

• 1. Submission of all following required documents by the application due date


• a. Doctorate in Counselor Education and Supervision Application Form and the $75 fee.


• b. Statement describing personal and professional goals (see personal and professional goals statement prompt below*).


• c. One copy of official transcripts of all previous college work (see minimum Graduate level degree requirements below**).


• d. Professionally written essay addressing your professional counselor identity and integration of social justice advocacy (see professional essay prompt below***).


• e. Three letters of recommendations by professionals who hold a doctorate or master’s degree in counseling or related fields.


• 2. Cumulative MA GPA of 3.0 higher.

After the application review, a select number of applicants will be invited to campus for an interview.

Governors State University’s application link website: https://apply.govst.edu/apply/

For additional information, please contact:

Office of Admission and Student Recruitment
Governors State University
1 University Parkway
University Park, Illinois 60484
(708) 534-4490

*Statement of Personal and Professional Goals Statement Prompt

In your Professional Statements please address any of the below that apply to you and your experience/interests:

• 1. Professional activities at the local, state, national and international level (e.g.. presentations, offices held in professional organizations, serving on advisory boards, etc.)


• 2. Your academic potential for being successful in a doctoral program (e.g. ability to write at a professional level, knowledge of the field, research experience, research interests, knowledge of statistics, publications, etc.)


• 3. Clinical experience.


• 4. Supervisory experience.


• 5. Exposure to diverse populations and professional experiences.


• 6. Why you want to go on for a doctorate in Counselor Education and Supervision.


• 7. Strengths and weaknesses.

**Required Graduate Level Degree Requirements

Applicants with a CACREP accredited graduate degree will automatically meet this requirement. Applicants with a master’s degree in a non-CACREP accredited counseling or counseling-related program will be considered for the Ph.D. in Counselor Education and Supervision program. In addition to degree transcripts, individual course syllabi may be required to ensure that the applicant has met all the minimum requirements for the program (course work and supervised clinical training required hours). Some of the unmet requirements may be taken concurrently with the Ph.D. in CES program as long as completed within the first two years of the program.

• 1. Required Master Level Instruction in CACREP’s Eight Entry-Level Core Curriculum (or equivalent):


• • Professional Counseling Orientation and Ethical Practice


• • Social and Cultural Diversity


• • Human Growth and Development


• • Career Development


• • Counseling and Helping Relationships (including Counseling Theories)


• • Group Counseling and Group Work


• • Assessment and Testing


• • Research and Program Evaluation


• 2. Required CACREP Entry-Level Professional Practice standards (or equivalent)


• 3. Plus at least one CACREP curricular requirements (or equivalent) of a specialty area (e.g. addiction counseling, school counseling).

***Professional Essay Prompt

Note: The following will be the specific application prompt for this essay paper:

Governors State University’s (GSU) Doctor of Philosophy in Counselor Education and Supervision (Ph.D. in CES) focuses on training students to be advanced clinicians, educators, researchers and scholars, and leaders enhancing advocacy in the counseling field. The specific mission of the Ph.D. in CES is:

Graduates with a Ph.D. in Counselor Education and Supervision at GSU will be prepared to be highly knowledgeable, skilled, dedicated, and ethical professionals, researchers, educators, leaders in the field, and practitioners. Our doctoral graduates will provide leadership and expert service that enhances diverse student development in the school, family, community, and cultural contexts that advance the accountability of counseling services.

Considering GSU’s Ph.D. in CES focus and mission, write a maximum 10-page double-spaced essay addressing the following:

• 1. How you define your professional counselor identity?


• 2. From this professional identity, and as a future leader in the profession how do you:


• a. Define Social Justice?


• b. See yourself contributing to the advocacy of the profession and for others within your Social Justice definition?

There are no right or wrong answers to these questions. We are looking for your thoughtful reflection of how you understand and see yourself in the professional counseling field and as a future educator, supervisor, researcher, scholar, leader, and advocate. Note: references from literature to support your position are encouraged, but not required. If you use citations within your paper, please provide a reference page.

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Graduate Matriculation Student Status

Those interested in admission to the Ph.D. in Counselor Education and Supervision program should apply as a degree-seeking student. Graduate degree-seeking students are those who meet the established admission requirements of the university, college, and specific program for which the doctoral degree is sought. Admission to a graduate major does not carry with it, nor guarantee, admission to degree candidacy in the major.

Those who are not ready to apply for full admission to the counseling program may apply to GSU as a Graduate non-degree seeking student Graduate non-degree seeking students are defined as those who hold a bachelor’s or higher degree and have not declared a major at the time of admission. No more than six (6) credit hours earned as a graduate non-degree seeking student shall be transferable toward the requirements of any graduate degree program, and such transfer will be subject to the degree requirements in effect at the time of admission to the specific major. Graduate non-degree seeking students may not take graduate-level courses designated by division faculty as reserved for master’s degree candidates only. Non-degree seeking students for the MA in Counseling program can take COUN 6600 Professional Orientation & Ethical Standards in Counseling and COUN 6630 Counseling Theories before admission to the program.

Students must follow the sequence, program, college, and university requirements and policies.

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