Best Doctorate in School Counseling Programs in 2026

Capella University offers a fully online Ph.D. in Counselor Education and Supervision, delivered through its GuidedPath format and CACREP accredited through March 2028. The single track is built for already-licensed counselors who want to move into teaching, supervision, and scholarship rather than earn a new clinical credential. Coursework leads into a substantial field component, including a 100-hour online practicum and 600 total internship hours distributed across teaching, research, supervision, and leadership and advocacy. The online delivery makes it accessible to working professionals nationwide who cannot relocate. Graduates are positioned for counselor educator and supervisor roles that build on their existing licensure. As a doctoral degree in school counseling, it is one of the programs that lead to careers as education teachers in Minnesota.

The University of West Georgia offers the Ed.D. in Professional Counseling and Supervision, an online, asynchronous, cohort-based practitioner doctorate built for already-licensed counselors seeking advanced practice and supervision credentials. As an applied Ed.D. rather than a research Ph.D., it embeds a dissertation-in-practice across the curriculum and admits a single cohort of twelve to fifteen students each summer. Students enter through one of two tracks: a thirty-nine-hour path for those arriving with an Ed.S. in counseling, and a sixty-hour path for those without one, completing the degree in two or three years accordingly. The program is designed for working practitioners who want to lead and supervise, not for candidates seeking initial licensure. Earning a doctoral degree in school counseling is a common route toward becoming one of Georgia's education teachers.

National Louis University offers the Ph.D. in Counselor Education and Supervision through its College of Psychology and Behavioral Sciences, a CACREP-accredited doctorate delivered in a Live-on-Line format that combines real-time video sessions with asynchronous coursework. Designed for practicing, master's-credentialed counselors, it prepares graduates for supervision, counselor-education, and leadership roles rather than entry-level licensure. The curriculum is organized in three components: an eighteen-hour Counselor Education and Supervision core, an eighteen-hour block in advanced counseling skills, supervision, and practice, and a twenty-four-hour professional research sequence. Courses meet as a ninety-minute weekly real-time video session across ten weeks, typically in the evenings, with a six-hundred-clock-hour supervised internship built in. The scheduling and online delivery make it a fit for working counselors advancing into academic and supervisory careers. Earning a doctoral degree in school counseling is a common route toward becoming one of Illinois's education teachers.

Syracuse University's School of Education offers a Ph.D. in Counseling and Counselor Education, a residential CACREP-accredited doctorate requiring 96 graduate credits beyond the bachelor's degree, typically completed in three years of full-time study. The curriculum spans clinical supervision and counselor training, college mental health counseling, counseling technology, and teaching preparation through the Future Professoriate Program. That teaching apprenticeship, paired with a full-time on-campus commitment, marks the program as a genuine pathway into the professoriate. Students can pursue certifications such as Approved Clinical Supervisor, Mental Health Facilitator, or Registered Play Therapist as they specialize. The school reports a 100 percent graduate employment rate within six months, underscoring strong placement into faculty and advanced practice roles for those who complete the intensive residential experience. This doctoral-level school counseling program prepares graduates for work as education teachers in New York.

George Washington University offers a Ph.D. in Counseling on its Foggy Bottom campus, a CACREP-accredited program with an accreditation lineage running continuously since 1984 and extending through 2030. Built on a scholar-practitioner model, it pairs rigorous research training with hands-on clinical work at the in-house Community Counseling Services Center, and classes meet once a week in late afternoons and evenings to accommodate professional schedules. The degree requires a minimum of 75 credits including the dissertation, with an average time to completion of just over five years, and graduate assistantships and merit scholarships help fund candidates. Students prepare for Licensed Professional Counselor eligibility, subject to varying state requirements, while developing the scholarship expected of counselor educators. The evening cadence and balance of clinical and research work make it well suited to working counselors advancing toward faculty and advanced practice roles. Graduates of this school counseling program at the doctoral level often go on to work as education teachers.

Regent University offers a CACREP-accredited Ph.D. in Counselor Education and Supervision delivered online with three mandatory week-long on-campus residencies. The 66 credit hours beyond the master's take roughly four years, with a full-time lockstep cohort model anchoring the first two years, a structure that keeps distance learners moving together toward the same milestones. A defining feature is its Christian worldview integration, weaving biblical and spiritual interventions through the counseling and supervision curriculum. An original dissertation and comprehensive written and oral exams mark it as a genuine research doctorate rather than a coursework-only path. Graduates may become eligible for supervisor privileges through state licensing boards, but the degree does not add a license beyond master's-level requirements. As a doctoral degree in school counseling, it is one of the programs that lead to careers as education teachers in Virginia.

The University of Missouri offers a Ph.D. in Educational, School, and Counseling Psychology with a counseling psychology emphasis, a research doctorate built on the scientist-practitioner model. Accredited by the American Psychological Association continuously since 1953, the program is designed for students aiming toward licensure as psychologists rather than a school counselor or CACREP counselor-education credential. It is highly selective, admitting only five to eight students each year from a pool of one hundred to one hundred fifty applicants, which signals close faculty mentorship and a small cohort. The on-campus structure and psychology licensure orientation suit those who want to blend original research with clinical practice. Graduates leave prepared for careers in academic settings, clinics, and health systems where the psychologist credential is the recognized qualification. Earning a doctoral degree in school counseling is a common route toward becoming one of Missouri's education teachers.

Minnesota State University, Mankato offers a Doctor of Education (Ed.D.) in Counselor Education and Supervision, a practitioner-oriented doctorate whose curriculum is structured around CACREP standards for doctoral programs. Historically it required roughly 60 credits beyond a CACREP-accredited master's, and a stated program objective is for graduates to become license-eligible, positioning the degree as a route to credentialed practice as well as to supervision and teaching. Prospective applicants should know the program is closed to new students, with the page stating it is no longer accepting applications. The university is completing its current students under established completion guidelines. As a doctoral degree in school counseling, it is one of the programs that lead to careers as education teachers in Minnesota.

Western Michigan University offers a Counselor Education Ph.D., a CACREP-accredited research doctorate that prepares counselor educators and supervisors alongside advanced mental health and school counseling practitioners. Requiring a minimum of 69 credit hours beyond the master's, the on-campus program develops competencies spanning counseling practice, teaching, supervision, multicultural counseling, research, leadership, and advocacy rather than dividing into formal tracks. The department is candid that the degree is not designed to meet licensure requirements for psychologists, keeping its identity rooted in the counseling profession. Competitive assistantships and scholarships help fund doctoral study and build the teaching and research experience expected of future faculty. With 98 percent of its counselor education graduate students employed or continuing their education within three months of graduating, the program signals strong outcomes for those entering the professoriate and clinical leadership. Earning a doctoral degree in school counseling is a common route toward becoming one of Michigan's education teachers.

The University of Alabama offers a Ph.D. in Counselor Education and Supervision, a CACREP-accredited doctorate based on the Tuscaloosa campus and accredited through October 2028. Coursework is organized around the five core domains of the field, counseling, supervision, teaching, research and scholarship, and leadership and advocacy, reflecting a design meant to prepare counselor educators and scholars rather than entry-level practitioners. Students conduct digitally recorded practicum work in the Counselor Education Developmental Counseling Laboratory, blending clinical supervision with research training. As a residential Ph.D. anchored in scholarship and teaching, it reads as a route into the professoriate and academic leadership for those already grounded in counseling practice. As a doctoral degree in school counseling, it is one of the programs that lead to careers as education teachers in Alabama.

Texas Tech University offers a Ph.D. in Counselor Education through its College of Education, a face-to-face program that has held CACREP accreditation for more than two decades. The 93 total credit hours, commonly reduced by around 30 hours transferred from a master's, signal a comprehensive doctoral course of study rather than a quick credential. A fall-semester cohort start and close faculty mentorship in consultation, counseling, research, supervision, and teaching frame the experience as an apprenticeship into the profession. The emphasis on counseling theories, supervision, and ethical practice prepares graduates for a wide range of roles, from faculty and administration to private practice, research, and consultation. The doctorate advances expertise and career reach but is not itself a separate license. This doctoral-level school counseling program prepares graduates for work as education teachers in Texas.

The University of Louisville offers a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Counseling and Personnel Services with a specialization in Counselor Education and Supervision, an on-campus research doctorate that sits among several PhD tracks in its counseling and human development department. The curriculum carries an explicit social-justice orientation and grounds practice in supervised clinical work, pairing one advanced practicum with two semesters of doctoral internship totaling at least 600 hours. The program expects a CACREP-accredited master's for entry, though students arriving without one can complete the coursework and clinical hours needed for mental health counselor licensure during doctoral study, making licensure a conditional rather than automatic outcome. As a PhD emphasizing scholarship and supervised training, it is designed for future counselor educators and researchers committed to equity-focused practice. Prospective applicants should note the program page currently states it is not accepting applications. Earning a doctoral degree in school counseling is a common route toward becoming one of Kentucky's education teachers.

Oregon State University's College of Education offers a CACREP-accredited Ph.D. in Counseling with a Counselor Education option designed for working professionals rather than full-time residential students. The hybrid, part-time structure brings students together for face-to-face classes only twice per quarter, on a Friday and Saturday at the OSU Portland Center, so they can continue working full time. Students move through the program in cohorts of about twelve, building a shared community across the distance format. The plan of study requires a minimum of 150 credits beyond the bachelor's degree, including 36 thesis and dissertation-track credits along with nine practicum and seven internship credits. This combination reads as a research-oriented doctorate that accommodates practicing counselors, and it is not framed as leading to a new advanced license on its own. This doctoral-level school counseling program prepares graduates for work as education teachers in Oregon.

Hampton University offers an online Ph.D. in Counselor Education and Supervision through its CACREP-accredited Department of Counseling. Designed for counselors who are already licensed and seeking advanced credentials, the accelerated 64-credit-hour program is built to be completed in about three and a half years. Students choose between a School Counseling and a Community Mental Health Counseling emphasis, tailoring the degree to the setting they serve. Three sequential dissertation courses, a comprehensive exam and defense, and two internship courses centered on teaching and supervision give the online format the substance of a full research doctorate. Graduates of this school counseling program at the doctoral level often go on to work as education teachers.

Georgia State University offers the Counselor Education and Practice, Ph.D. through its College of Education and Human Development, a CACREP-accredited research doctorate delivered predominantly on campus with some hybrid and online coursework. Built on a scientist-practitioner model, it prepares graduates for university faculty, clinical supervisor, administrator, and researcher roles rather than initial licensure. Students shape their work around cognate areas such as multiculturalism, health and wellness, positive psychology, trauma and crisis, suicide assessment and prevention, sexuality and gender, religion and spirituality, counseling children and adolescents, and disability and chronic illness. Because the program pairs each student with a faculty mentor, applicants are asked to identify the specific faculty they wish to work with in their goals statement. This is a program for aspiring scholars who already know the research questions they want to pursue. This doctoral-level school counseling program prepares graduates for work as education teachers in Georgia.

Lindsey Wilson College offers a Doctor of Philosophy in Counselor Education and Supervision, a CACREP-accredited research doctorate organized as an on-campus cohort that moves through sequenced coursework together. Students complete 63 credit hours beyond a 60-hour CACREP master's, and rather than choosing from named tracks they work with an advising committee to shape the degree around individual professional goals. A minimum of nine dissertation hours anchors the program in original scholarship, marking it as a traditional path toward the professoriate and supervision roles. Graduate assistantships of up to ten hours per week give doctoral students hands-on experience in teaching and clinical training alongside their studies. The program is not presented as a licensure credential, so it fits counselors aiming to educate, supervise, and research rather than to earn a new practice license. A doctoral-level path in school counseling, it builds toward a career among education teachers in Kentucky.

LSU New Orleans, formerly the University of New Orleans, offers a Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) in Counselor Education that it describes as Louisiana's only CACREP-accredited Counselor Education doctorate at a public university. The program is expansive, requiring a minimum of 117 semester hours that fold in master's-level core, doctoral core, research, and emphasis-area credits, and it lets students concentrate through nine emphasis areas ranging from clinical mental health and school counseling to play therapy and private practice. The research core supports a qualitative, quantitative, or mixed-methods dissertation, marking it as a traditional research doctorate aimed at future faculty and researchers rather than a state-licensure pathway. Its breadth of emphases gives doctoral students unusual latitude to align scholarship with a specialized clinical interest. The uno.edu web address now redirects to lsuneworleans.edu, reflecting the campus's integration into the LSU System. As a doctoral degree in school counseling, it is one of the programs that lead to careers as education teachers in Louisiana.

The University of Arkansas offers a CACREP-accredited Ph.D. in Counselor Education and Supervision, housed in the Department of Counseling, Leadership, and Research Methods. The program is built to develop counselor educators, advanced clinicians and supervisors, and scholar-researchers, a breadth that speaks to its dual emphasis on teaching and inquiry. Candidates complete a portfolio checklist requirement alongside the dissertation, tying applied competencies to original scholarship. As a residential doctorate in the field, it reads as a preparation ground for faculty careers and leadership in counseling for students already holding a master's credential. Graduates of this school counseling program at the doctoral level often go on to work as education teachers.

Auburn University offers a CACREP-accredited Ph.D. in Counselor Education, a post-master's doctorate that requires a CACREP-accredited master's for entry and delivers most coursework online while keeping core counselor education courses primarily in person in Auburn. Spanning 64 credit hours over roughly three years, it moves students through practica in advanced counseling, research, supervision, and teaching, capped by a dual-goal internship, a doctoral portfolio, and a dissertation. Graduate assistantships with stipends and tuition waivers are available, signaling a program that invests in candidates preparing for careers as counselor educators and supervisors. The hybrid structure paired with funded research and teaching experiences suits working counselors moving toward faculty and leadership roles. Earning a doctoral degree in school counseling is a common route toward becoming one of Alabama's education teachers.

The University of Wyoming offers a Ph.D. in Counselor Education and Supervision on its Laramie campus, admitting cohorts through an in-person interview day. The 72-credit program historically could be completed in three years by graduates of a CACREP-equivalent master's in counseling, and it trains counselor educators and advanced practitioners rather than granting a new license. Applicants have been required to hold a master's degree in counseling before entering. Prospective students should note that, per an October 2024 program notice, the university is no longer accepting applications and will not run another doctoral cohort at this time. This doctoral-level school counseling program prepares graduates for work as education teachers in Wyoming.

Sam Houston State University offers a CACREP-accredited Ph.D. in Counselor Education built on a cohort model that blends online fall and spring coursework with summer on-campus residencies. That hybrid rhythm, paired with the requirement that applicants already hold or be working toward LPC eligibility under Texas rules, signals a program shaped for practicing counselors advancing into teaching and supervision. The 60 post-master's credit hours move students through counseling, supervision, and teaching internships before culminating in a dissertation. As the only CACREP-accredited doctoral program in the greater Houston and southeast Texas area, it fills a clear regional need. Graduates emerge prepared for faculty and supervisory roles, though the doctorate itself is not a separate licensure credential. Earning a doctoral degree in school counseling is a common route toward becoming one of Texas's education teachers.

The University of Texas at San Antonio offers a CACREP-accredited Ph.D. in Counselor Education and Supervision through a full-time, on-campus program on its Downtown Campus. With 69 semester credit hours completed in roughly three to three and a half years and admission requiring a 60-credit CACREP-accredited master's, the structure points squarely toward the academic and research side of the field. Graduate teaching assistantship funding and a fall-only admission cycle reinforce that this is a cohort experience built for scholars in training. Faculty research spans creative interventions, Relational Cultural Theory, multicultural counseling, trauma treatment, and online counseling, letting students align with mentors rather than fixed tracks. The program prepares graduates to supervise future counselor educators across research, academic, and clinical settings, and it does not add a separate license. As a doctoral degree in school counseling, it is one of the programs that lead to careers as education teachers in Texas.

St. Mary's University offers a CACREP-accredited Ph.D. in Counselor Education and Supervision, with accreditation confirmed through March 2029. The evening and late-afternoon scheduling makes clear that the program accommodates working clinicians while still holding to a rigorous on-campus experience. Spanning a minimum of three years, with two years of coursework followed by a year devoted to research, the degree requires a comprehensive exam and a dissertation. A Play Therapy concentration gives students a distinctive area of specialization, and each doctoral intern trains under a full-time faculty member holding a doctorate in a mental health field. The program prepares advanced clinicians, educators, supervisors, and researchers rather than granting a new license. This doctoral-level school counseling program prepares graduates for work as education teachers in Texas.

Florida State University offers the Ph.D. in Combined Counseling Psychology and School Psychology through the Anne Spencer Daves College of Education, Health, and Human Sciences, and it is APA-accredited as the only combined program of its kind in the state. This is a scientist-practitioner research doctorate rather than a standalone counselor education degree, built for students headed toward careers as health service psychologists and faculty. All students share a common core in research and practice, then concentrate in counseling psychology, school psychology, or a dual focus spanning both. Faculty research teams in suicide prevention, career development, and technology in counseling anchor the mentored inquiry that defines the program. Graduates are eligible for licensure as a psychologist in Florida, which is a psychology credential rather than a school counseling or counselor education license. As a doctoral degree in school counseling, it is one of the programs that lead to careers as education teachers in Florida.

The University of Maryland's CACREP-accredited Counselor Education and Supervision PhD is closed, with its final cohort having graduated in May 2021. The department's only current related doctorate is an APA-accredited Counseling Psychology PhD, which is a separate program from Counselor Education. Prospective applicants seeking a counselor education doctorate here would no longer find an active pathway. A doctoral-level path in school counseling, it builds toward a career among education teachers in Maryland.