University Park, IL–(ENEWSPF)– Governors State University has announced its fourth doctoral program, the Ed.D. in Counselor Education and Supervision. The new doctoral program was approved for accreditation in June by the Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools.
Seven doctoral students will enter the program this fall, said Dr. Shannon Dermer, Chair of the Division of Psychology and Counseling in GSU’s College of Education. Classes for cohorts of doctoral students will begin every fall, with up to 12 students being admitted each year.
Doctoral students who are graduates of a counseling program accredited by the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP) must complete 48 credit hours of course work, including a practicum, internship, research seminar, and a capstone/dissertation project. Each student will take two classes a semester for eight semesters.
“This program was designed to meet the need for training counselor educators, and does so in a way that makes this the most accessible doctorate in counselor education in the state, and perhaps the nation,” Dr. Dermer said. The doctoral program has been in the planning stages for the last two years, she said.
GSU is seeking CACREP certification for the new program within the next two years; the university’s three master’s level sequences in counseling are already CACREP certified.
According to Dr. Dermer, the purpose of the doctoral program is to produce advanced clinicians, supervisors, researchers, and educators. She said one significant strength of the program is that it will provide graduates with direct supervised experience in counseling, supervision, and teaching at the university level.
The Ed.D. in Counselor Education is based on the practitioner-scholar model with emphasis on helping individuals, couples, families, the community, and educational and societal systems. Students will also gain expertise in scholarly writing for research and grant proposals.
Governors State also offers three accredited doctoral programs in the College of Health and Human Services – in Physical Therapy, Occupational Therapy, and Nursing Practice. In June, 2010, GSU’s first doctoral graduates received degrees in Physical Therapy and Nursing Practice.
For additional information on the Ed.D. in Counselor Education and Supervision, contact Shannon Dermer at [email protected] or (708) 534-3142.
