Main Office
Stovall Hall, Room 155
Mailing address:
1155 Union Circle #310829
Denton, TX 76203-5017
940-565-2910
Web site: www.coe.unt.edu/che
Advising:
Counseling - Stovall Hall, Room 155
940-565-2910
Higher Education - Mean Green Village, Building B
940-565-2045
Graduate Faculty: Baier, Barrio, Bower, Bratton, Bush, Chandler, Chen, Cutright, Edwards, Engels, Fann, Fernando, Holden, Jacobs, Kern, Landreth, Newsom, Portrie-Bethke, Ray.
The Department of Counseling and Higher Education provides programs designed to prepare professionals for leadership positions in schools, colleges, universities and the public sector.
Counseling offers graduate programs leading to the following degrees:
These programs are designed for people who wish to become professional counselors and/or counselor educators and supervisors in schools, colleges, universities and community agencies or to become student services professionals.
The Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP) (1001 North Fairfax Street, Suite 510, Alexandria, VA 22314; 703-535-5990), a specialized accrediting body recognized by the Council on Postsecondary Accreditation, has conferred accreditation on the following program areas in counseling at the University of North Texas: community counseling (MEd, MS), school counseling (MEd, MS), college and university counseling (MEd, MS) and the PhD program in counseling.
Higher education offers graduate degree programs leading to the following degrees:
The program’s faculty believe that higher education as a field of doctoral study may be presented in a cohesive, disciplined and scientific manner; that issues, activities and problems in higher education can be formally studied and taught through courses in foundations, research, teaching, curriculum, finance, law, administration, comparative education, learning theory, student affairs, business affairs, human development, resource development and others; and that study in higher education is strengthened and enhanced through administrative and research practicums, internships, assistantships and independent study.
Research interests of the counseling faculty are directed toward providing a strong academic and applied counselor preparation program and advancing the body of knowledge in counseling and human development. Research is focused on counseling methods and techniques, theoretical perspectives, measurement and evaluation, and current issues within the discipline. Specific areas of research are counselor effectiveness, cognitive style and personality type, descriptive longitudinal study of child and adolescent maturity, employability skills, group counseling, human relations training, human resources development in business and industry, measurement and evaluation of characteristics associated with student success in counseling, play therapy and filial therapy, relationship and family therapy and assessment of family functioning, single-parent and stepparent family functioning, transpersonal counseling and animal assisted therapy.
Current research interests of the higher education program faculty include studies of statewide coordination and control of higher education; information bases for decision making by higher education administrators; effects of colleges on student cognitive and social development; transfer issues in state policies and college procedures; access and equity issues in higher education; graduate student needs and services; higher education financing strategies for the 21st century; strategies for improving the quality of college teaching; measurement of educational outcomes in higher education; and the use of qualitative research methodology in the study of higher education subsystems and in the evaluation of teaching and administrative effectiveness.
The quality of graduate study in the higher education program is enhanced by the program’s close affiliations with the Bill Priest Center for Community College Education, the Center for Higher Education and the North Texas Community/Junior College Consortium. The Higher Education program has been represented on the editorial boards of six scholarly journals, including the College Student Affairs Journal; Journal of College Student Retention: Research and Practice; Reading Psychology; British Journal of Educational Gerontology; Journal of Applied Research in the Community College; and Journal of Staff, Program and Organization Development.
The higher education program’s Don A. Buchholz Endowed Chair in Community College Education in the Bill J. Priest Center for Community College Education began its service to two-year colleges and to the linkage between two- and four-year colleges and universities in the fall of 2000. While the chair and the center’s primary function is to provide graduate education, research and development activities for institutions, administrators and faculty in two-year colleges, the chair and center seek to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the linkage between two- and four-year colleges and universities in the provision of education to students in post-secondary education.
The Center for Higher Education was established in 1972 with foci to provide professional development activities to graduate students and to disseminate research findings through books, journals and monographs. The center expanded its goals to include support of the UNT Law Conference, the National Institute for the Study of Transfer Students and comparative international studies.
The counseling program’s Center for Animal Assisted Therapy (CAAT) trains professionals and volunteers to work with their pets to: (a) facilitate the development of students in kindergarten through 12th grade with pet-assisted educational programs; and (b) enhance the emotional well-being of persons of all ages though positive human-animal interactions. Workshops and courses are offered for national certification training for persons who wish to work with their pet to perform animal-assisted volunteer service or provide professional animal-assisted therapy.
The counseling program’s Center for Play Therapy exists to facilitate the unique development and emotional growth of children through the process of play therapy. The center carries out this commitment by providing graduate courses in play therapy, a play therapy summer institute, an annual play therapy conference, research, scholarships, a directory of play therapy training in the United States and Canada, a bibliography of play therapy literature, an international clearinghouse for play therapy literature, play therapy for children and training for parents.
The Counseling and Human Development Center (CHDC); Child and Family Resource Clinic (CFRC), and the Dallas Campus Counseling Clinic (DCCC) are instructional facilities in which master’s and doctoral level counselors-in-training provide counseling under faculty supervision. The CHDC and DCCC serve individuals of all ages, couples, families and groups. Fees are based on a sliding scale, making counseling affordable to a segment of the population that otherwise might not have access to mental health services.
Admission to the master’s degree programs in counseling is competitive because available facilities do not permit admission of all qualified applicants.
Admission to the master’s program in counseling is a three-stage process.
First, the student must be admitted to the Toulouse School of Graduate Studies. The general requirements for admission are specified in the College of Education section in this catalog. Second, applicants must submit a satisfactory GPA and scores on the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) to the Toulouse School of Graduate Studies prior to admission to the counseling program. Third, applicants must submit to the counseling program a counseling program application, three letters of recommendation (completed on special forms provided by the program), a writing sample, submission of GRE scores and any other program-specific admission materials. Contact the academic program for information concerning acceptable admission test scores.
All required admission materials must be filed in the program office by May 15 preceding the fall term/semester, October 15 preceding the spring term/semester, or February 15 preceding the summer term/semester for which the applicant wishes to begin the program. Shortly after the application deadline, each applicant is required to participate in an orientation and interview session.
All students granted provisional admission to the master’s program are required to enroll in COUN 5710 during the first term/semester of enrollment in graduate school and must receive a grade of B or higher. Concurrent enrollment in COUN 5680 and 5710 is encouraged. Students must receive a grade of B or higher in these two courses to be considered for full admission to the program.
Admission to the counseling program is provisional until the student’s progress is evaluated by the counseling faculty upon completion of COUN 5680. The student’s progress is evaluated on the basis of the demonstration of adequate subject matter knowledge and the personal and interpersonal skills required for counseling. After the progress review, the counseling faculty either recommends that the student continue the program or reserves the right to withdraw the student from the program.
Following this initial evaluation, the student will be routinely evaluated on the criteria of knowledge, personal and interpersonal skills and counseling skills to determine if progress is adequate, if remedial work is needed or if the student should be withdrawn from the program.
Both the Master of Education and Master of Science degrees in counseling are offered in the counseling program. The MEd degree requires a minimum of 48 semester hours, including successful completion of internship, COUN 5720/5721, and a final exit interview. The MS degree requires a minimum of 51 semester hours, including completion of all MEd requirements, successful completion of EPSY 5050 and a passing score on the comprehensive examination (written, oral or both) administered in the student’s last term/semester of course work. All degree programs must be planned in consultation with the student’s advisor. Students are required to file a degree plan during their first term/semester of graduate study. The following clinical courses must be taken in sequence. Students must earn a grade of B or higher in each course to proceed to the next: COUN 5680, 5660, 5690, 5720, and 5721.
Master’s degree students complete COUN 5720/5721 in lieu of a thesis. The internship should be the last enrollment in the master’s program. Placement for the internship is selected in cooperation with the supervisor and must be approved by the program.
All degree program areas listed below meet the educational requirements for licensure as a professional counselor in Texas. The elementary and secondary school counseling program areas meet the educational requirements for certification as a public school counselor in Texas. Students who wish to become licensed professional counselors or certified school counselors in Texas are required to have specified supervised experiences. Counseling program area heads should be consulted for details.
Required courses: COUN 5470, 5480, 5660, 5680, 5690, 5700, 5710, 5720, 5721, 5740, 5760, 5770 and 5790; EPSY 5210 and DFST 5123.
Elective: one course (3 hours) selected in consultation with the student’s advisor.
Required courses: COUN 5470, 5480, 5600, 5660, 5680, 5690, 5710, 5720, 5721, 5740, 5760 and 5790; EPSY 5210 and DFST 5123.
Electives: two courses (6 hours) selected in consultation with the student’s advisor.
Required courses: COUN 5470, 5480, 5660, 5680, 5690, 5710, 5720, 5721, 5730, 5740, 5750, and 5790; EPSY 5210; EDHE 5120; and DFST 5123.
Elective: one course (3 hours): COUN 5300, 5580 or 5590 selected in consultation with the student’s advisor.
Required courses: COUN 5300, 5470, 5480, 5660, 5680, 5690, 5710, 5720, 5721, 5730 or 5760, 5740 and 5790; EPSY 5210; DFST 5123.
Electives: two courses (6 hours) from the student’s area of emphasis selected in consultation with the student’s advisor.
Individuals with a master’s degree from an accredited institution may complete course work that constitutes the substantial equivalent of the elementary or secondary school counseling program area to meet the educational requirements for public school counselor certification in Texas. Certification also requires at least two years of teaching experience in an accredited school.
Applicants to the doctoral program must meet requirements for admission to the Toulouse School of Graduate Studies. The general requirements for admission are described in the College of Education section.
A completed application for admission to the doctoral program, including the names of three professional references, must be submitted to the program. The program makes independent inquiry of the applicant’s references.
Applicants must submit evidence of holding a master’s degree from an accredited college or university and have a grade point average of 3.5 or higher on all graduate credit hours. The applicant who has not completed a master’s degree in counseling or who does not hold appropriate counselor credentials must complete a prerequisite of a minimum of 30 hours in counseling. If the master’s degree is from an institution other than UNT, the applicant must enroll in the master’s practicum, COUN 5690, and earn a grade of B or higher; or submit evidence of a practicum experience comparable to COUN 5690 and demonstrate counseling proficiency to the review committee.
Applicants must submit GRE scores and any program specific admission materials. Contact the academic program for information concerning acceptable admission test scores.
The admission examinations for the counseling program are administered once each year during the spring term/semester. All required admission materials must be filed in the department office by November 1 preceding the fall term/semester for which the student is applying. All academic prerequisites must be completed by the end of the summer term/semester preceding that fall term/semester.
Upon successful completion of the admission examinations, admission to the counseling doctoral program is provisional until the student’s progress is evaluated by the counseling faculty upon completion of COUN 6022 and 6652. The student’s progress is evaluated on the basis of the demonstration of adequate subject matter knowledge and the personal, interpersonal and counseling skills required for counseling.
After the progress review, the counseling faculty will recommend that the student continue or continue with specific conditions attached, or reserves the right to withdraw the student from the program.
The Doctor of Philosophy degree in counseling is offered in the Department of Counseling and Higher Education. The degree requires a minimum of 75 semester hours beyond the master’s degree, of which approximately 48 hours are specified. Each student must complete a minor of at least 12 semester hours outside the academic program or an elective within the program area. Graduate faculty who chair doctoral committees are urged to include an outside member on each doctoral student’s dissertation committee. The student’s major professor and the student should work together to select an outside member whose expertise will contribute meaningfully to the dissertation. An outside member is defined as a graduate faculty member (category I, II or III) whose principal appointment is in a department other than the Department of Counseling and Higher Education.
The general core courses for the doctoral program are COUN 6021, 6022, 6031, 6032, 6090, 6130, 6651, 6652, 6680 and 6950 (12 hours); and EPSY 6010 and 6020. Students may not be enrolled in any COUN core course until they have been fully admitted to the doctoral program in counseling.
Placement for internship, COUN 6031 and 6032, is selected in cooperation with the internship director and the major advisor. Internship placement must be in a counseling setting approved by the department.
Students who wish to become licensed professional counselors in Texas are required to have specified supervised experiences. The counseling doctoral program area head should be consulted for details.
The master’s degree in higher education prepares students for entry-level and mid-management positions in higher education administration in such offices as student life, student housing, career centers, diversity centers, student unions, advancement offices, alumni offices, development offices, advising centers, international student offices, financial aid offices, dean of students offices, institutional research offices and business affairs offices. The student services administration track meets the requirements of the Council for the Advancement of Standards (CAS) for graduate programs in student affairs.
The master’s degree in higher education allows the student to specialize in one of five tracks: student services administration, advancement, community college administration, general administration or adult education.
Students should submit an application to the Toulouse School of Graduate Studies, an official copy of all transcripts and an acceptable GRE score. Second, students should file a program application form, three letters of recommendation to be completed on special forms provided by the program, and a writing sample with the higher education program. A bachelor’s degree GPA of 2.8 (based on a 4.0 grading system) is required.
The master of education degree requires a minimum of 36 semester hours in these areas: higher education core courses (18 hours), research (3 hours), internship in the specialty track (6 hours) and a specialization in higher education (9 hours).
The master of science degree requires a minimum of 39 semester hours in these areas: higher education core courses (18 hours), research (6 hours), internship in the specialty track (6 hours) and a specialization in higher education (9 hours). Additionally, the MS requires successful completion of a comprehensive exam at the end of the course work.
For additional information and for specific course requirements for the MEd and MS, potential students should contact the master’s degree program coordinator in the higher education program at 940-565-2045 or e-mail Kathleen.Whitson@unt.edu.
Students seeking admission should apply for either the EdD or PhD program depending on their academic preparation, prior experience and career goals. Admission to the program is selective and restricted.
In addition to the minimum requirements of the Toulouse School of Graduate Studies and the College of Education listed under the “Admission Requirements” heading in the appropriate section of this catalog, admission to the EdD and PhD doctoral programs in higher education is contingent upon the following:
1. The submission of GRE or GMAT scores. Contact the academic program for information concerning acceptable admission test scores.
2. The quality, quantity and relevance of the applicant’s prior undergraduate and/or graduate work and prior work experience in higher education administration, teaching and/or research.
3. The applicant’s career objectives.
4. The submission of three professional references.
5. The quality of the application essay.
6. An interview by program faculty.
Each semester has an application deadline. Contact the program for application deadlines.
After review of the application packet, eligible applicants will be invited to be interviewed by the faculty.
Both doctoral programs offered in higher education enable students to acquire knowledge about and evaluate major organizational, behavioral and learning theories applicable to higher education; to conduct applied and/or original research in the field of higher education; to become familiar with past, present and emerging patterns of organization and professional administrative practice in higher education; and to observe and participate in the actual practice of higher education administration and/or research. However, the two programs differ significantly in length and emphasis and in course work, research tool, minor field and dissertation requirements.
The EdD program in higher education is designed for individuals interested primarily in the application of theory to practice. It is particularly appropriate for persons who aspire to administrative leadership careers in one or more of the following areas.
1. Higher education doctoral core (15 hours). Provides the student with a broad overview and integrated perspective of higher education as a field of study and academic enterprise: EDHE 6050, 6510, 6520, 6700 and 6710.
2. EdD base course requirement (9 hours). Provides the student with a knowledge of the main areas of administrative specialization common to most institutions of higher learning. Each student must complete at least three of the following base courses: EDHE 6570, 6720, 6730, 6740, 6760, 6780 and 6790.
3. Internship (6 hours). Intended to help the student better relate theoretical concepts to administrative practice and to gain work experience in one or more areas of higher education administration.
A supervised administrative internship of up to 180 clock hours (90 clock hours for each 3 semester hours of course registration) is required of any student who has not been employed in a full-time administrative position in an institution, agency or professional association of higher education for at least one academic year, or the equivalent (as determined by the higher education faculty), prior to taking written comprehensive examinations.
4. Minor or cognate area (12–15 hours). The student completes a minor of at least 12 semester hours from courses outside the department, or a cognate of 15 hours in an area of specialization in higher education.
5. College of Education research core (6 hours). The College of Education requires that each student complete EPSY 6010 and 6020.
6. Higher education program research course requirement (3 hours): EDHE 6530.
7. Dissertation research requirement (minimum of 12 hours). The EdD dissertation may be related to immediate operational problems of any aspect of higher education, either in an analysis and solution format or in an application of theory or research context.
8. Minimum total for EdD (60–66 hours beyond the master’s or 90–96 hours beyond the bachelor’s degree).
9. To meet the residency requirement for the EdD, students must enroll in a minimum of 18 semester hours during a calendar year.
The PhD program in higher education is designed for individuals primarily interested in the scholarly inquiry and/or teaching of higher education as a field of study. The PhD in higher education is particularly appropriate to the following careers:
1. Higher education doctoral core (15 hours). Provides the student with a broad overview and integrated perspective of higher education as a field of study and academic enterprise: EDHE 6050, 6510, 6520, 6700 and 6710.
2. PhD base course requirement (9 hours). Provides the student with the contextual basis of higher education and organizational concepts common to the teaching, administration and study of higher education. Each student must complete at least three of the following courses: EDHE 6500, 6550, 6570, 6720, 6740, 6760, 6780 and 6790.
3. Higher education elective course requirements (6 hours). Courses are to be selected from the program’s course inventory and should enable the student to gain either a broader exposure to the various specializations in higher education or an in-depth knowledge of one particular area of specialization.
4. Internship (6 hours). An administrative and/or research internship of up to 6 semester hours is required of students who have not been employed in a full-time administrative position, or a teaching or research position in an institution, agency or association of higher education for at least one academic year, or the equivalent (as determined by the higher education faculty), prior to taking qualifying examinations. Administrative internships consist of at least 90 clock hours of closely supervised administrative work per 3 semester hours of credit and culminate with a written report of the internship experience. Research internships require the close supervision of the student’s research project by a graduate faculty member of the university and culminate in a publishable or presentable research paper.
5. Minor or cognate area (12–15 hours). The student completes a minor of at least 12 semester hours from courses outside the department, or a cognate field of 15 semester hours in an area of specialization in higher education.
6. College of Education research core (6 hours). The College of Education requires that each student complete EPSY 6010 and 6020.
7. Higher education program research course requirement (3 hours): EDHE 6530.
8. Research tool requirement (9 hours). Each PhD candidate must be competent in the modes of scholarly inquiry common to the major field of study. The higher education program requires PhD students to complete 9 hours in statistics and research methodology beyond EPSY 6010 and 6020.
9. Dissertation research requirement (minimum of 12 hours). The principal goal of the PhD dissertation is the demonstration of the student’s ability to conduct independent research. The research design, sampling procedures and methods of analysis must be congruent with the modes of inquiry used in conducting research on higher education and must be a report of independent research generating knowledge with generalizable characteristics discussed in depth. Moreover, the dissertation must be of publishable quality and make a bona fide contribution to pressing or emerging issues in higher education.
10. Minimum total for PhD (72–78 hours beyond the master’s or 102–108 hours beyond the bachelor’s degree).
11. To meet the residency requirement for the PhD, students must enroll in a minimum of 9 semester hours for two consecutive terms/semesters. This may be a fall and spring, or spring and summer, or summer and fall.
The UNT program in higher education and the Dallas Theological Seminary (DTS) offer a collaborative program of study for a doctorate in higher education for the development of senior-level administrators for private, religious-affiliated colleges, universities and seminaries. Students who have not completed a master’s degree may enroll at DTS and after completing 36 semester hours of approved master’s course work may apply to the doctoral program in higher education at UNT.
A DTS graduate faculty member will serve as minor professor on the doctoral committee of a student in this program. Applicants for this program must meet the standard admissions and program requirements at each institution.
For detailed information on this program, please contact both UNT and DTS. At UNT contact the coordinator of the program in higher education. At DTS contact the chair of the Christian Education Department.
All Courses of Instruction are located in one section at the back of this catalog.
The “Course and Subject Guide,” found in the Courses of Instruction section of this book, serves as a table of contents and provides quick access to subject areas and prefixes.
Date of initial release: July 1, 2009 — Copyright © 2008 University of North Texas
Page updated:
February 23, 2010
— Comments or corrections: catalog@unt.edu
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