PhD in Counselor Education and Supervision Online

Credit Hours

Intensive-based

Transfer in up to 50% of the degree total

Next Start Dates: January 19, 2026 | August 24, 2026 | January 18, 2027

Mentor Students with a PhD in Counselor Education and Supervision

Do you want to use your counseling experience to aid the next generation of counselors in helping more people heal and grow? With a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Counselor Education and Supervision, you can learn how to help students blend theory and praxis so they can help clients who are in need. Whether your goal is to become an educator or to further develop your clinical skills with new tools, our PhD in Counselor Education and Supervision is the perfect fit to help you meet your goals.

The mission of Liberty University’s Department of Counselor Education and Family Studies is to develop ethically and spiritually aware mental health counselors and counselor educators. Liberty seeks to foster experts in the field who demonstrate the values, knowledge, skills, and personal disposition to promote the mental health and holistic wellness of their clients. Through A PhD in Counselor Education online program, you can impart what you have studied to others and turn knowledge into wisdom.

Your officially conferred degree name will be Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Counselor Education and Supervision.

This program is intensive-based with most courses available in an online, synchronous format. Students are required to attend 3 of these courses in person in Lynchburg, Va.

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600+ Online Degrees
No Standardized Testing for Admission
Transfer in up to 75% of an Undergrad Degree
Transfer in up to 50% of a Grad/Doctoral Degree

Top 10 Reasons to Choose Liberty

Why Choose An Online Doctorate in Counseling?

After gaining experience in the field of counseling, you can be more equipped to apply theory to real-world situations with clients who need your help. As students enter the field of counseling for the first time, your experience could be a valuable tool to help them meet challenges with grace and competence. With Liberty’s PhD in Counselor Education and Supervision, you can help students prepare for the field of counseling and help others.

Our PhD in Counselor Education and Supervision program is CACREP accredited and provides you with advanced training in:

Counseling techniques
Counselor education and supervision
Leadership and advocacy
Research and scholarship

This program is designed for those who want to expand their career options and receive mentoring from experts in the field of counseling and counselor education.

Our faculty possesses a passion for training you in advanced clinical mental health techniques so you can make a positive difference in schools and with families. As you graduate from our PhD in Counselor Education and Supervision program you can leave more prepared to emerge as a counseling leader in college and university counselor education departments. Whether you desire to work in public, private, or government settings, a PhD in Counselor Education and Supervision can help you achieve your goals.

What Will You Study in a PhD in Counseling Online Degree?

Liberty’s Counselor Education and Supervision PhD is designed to prepare you to be a mentor in a professional counseling preparation program. Our PhD in Counselor Education and Supervision courses can help equip you with knowledge and skills in important areas such as:

Advanced counseling
Counselor education
Leadership and advocacy
Research and scholarship
Supervision

Our courses integrate a biblical worldview while preparing you to effectively and ethically serve diverse cultures. To ensure that you have extensive training and preparation, our program includes advanced field experiences and internships. These hands-on opportunities can help you connect with professionals in the field and gain the experience employers seek. At Liberty, you can be confident that you are receiving a world-class education that can help sharpen and equip you as you pursue positions of added responsibility.

Through this program, demonstrate your expertise and practice as a leader in the field of counseling. You can be well-equipped to develop programs to train up new counselors that will show ethics and biblical values.

Potential Career Opportunities

Administrator in community and public roles
Advanced professional counselor
Advanced researcher or scholar
College or university administrator
College or university professor
Executive administration for private and government departments

The PhD in Counselor Education and Supervision program is designed for students who wish to become counseling experts, clinical supervisors, leaders, advocates, and scholars in the field of counseling.

Featured Courses

Degree Information

The primary aim of our PhD in Counselor Education and Supervision program is to mentor a diverse body of doctoral students who sense a calling to extend their foundational knowledge on ethical and effective counseling, counselor education, and supervision through the dissemination of research and scholarship. Graduates can be prepared to influence the counseling field in leadership positions within clinical settings, higher education, and counseling associations.

This program is intensive-based with a 3-credit-hour practicum, 9-credit-hour internship, and 9-credit-hour dissertation.
This program falls under the School of Behavioral Sciences.
View the Graduate Behavioral Sciences Course Guides (login required).

Degree Completion Plan

Speak to one of our admissions specialists to help you choose the program that best fits your needs.

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Tuition & Aid

At Liberty University, a private Christian education is less expensive than you think. Over the last 10 years, Liberty University’s Online Program has only raised its standard tuition costs by less than 5% – and most of our online tuition rates rank in the top 35% for affordability for 2025 when compared to our leading online competitors.

Doctoral Full Time	$610/Credit
Doctoral Part Time	$675/Credit

Eligible current and former military service members and their spouses may qualify for a special rate of $375/credit hour (learn more).

These rates are reflective of academic year 2025-2026. Tuition rates may change annually. For the most current information, please visit our LU Tuition Cost page.

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Admission Requirements for Our PhD in Counselor Education and Supervision

Admission Requirements

Apply online or over the phone with an admissions counselor by calling (800) 424-9596.
- A non-refundable, non-transferable $50 application fee will be posted on the current application upon enrollment (waived for qualifying service members, veterans, and military spouses – documentation verifying military status is required).
Send official college transcripts (mailed as sealed, unopened copies or sent via a direct electronic transcript system) for both undergraduate and graduate degrees. A regionally or nationally accredited master’s degree that reveals evidence of fulfilling CACREP entry-level standards (our current prerequisite courses) with a minimum of 3.25 GPA is required for admission in good standing.
Additional Requirements for this program:
- A Ph.D. graduate status record form.
- Two recommendations from professionals familiar with the applicant’s work and character.
- A 300-word letter of intent.
- Professional Vita – Must indicate counseling licensure or a minimum of one year of clinical experience in the counseling field with a commitment to obtain counseling licensure prior to graduation from the program.
- Case Vignette: An APA-formatted research paper of 3-5 pages length (not including title page, abstract, and references). The university provides applicants with the paper’s topic. Applicants will choose between a Case Vignette for School Counseling Applicants or Case Vignette for Clinical Counseling Applicants.
- Selected applicants may be required to participate in a personal interview with core Ph.D. program faculty.
Applicants whose native language is other than English must submit official scores for the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) or an approved alternative assessment. For information on alternative assessments or TOEFL waivers, please call Admissions or view the official International Admissions policy.

Preliminary Acceptance

If you are sending in a preliminary transcript for acceptance, you must:

Be in your final term and planning to start your doctoral degree after the last day of class for your master’s degree.
Complete a Master’s Self-Certification Form confirming your completion date. You may download the form from the Forms and Downloads page or contact an admissions counselor to submit the form on your behalf.
Submit an official transcript to confirm that you are in your final term. The preliminary transcript must show that you are within 6 credit hours of completion for a 30-48 credit hour master’s degree or within 9 credit hours of completion for a 49+ credit hour master’s degree.
Send in an additional, final official transcript with a conferral date on it by the end of your first semester of enrollment in the new doctoral degree.

Transcript Policies

Official College Transcript Policy

An acceptable official college transcript is one that has been issued directly from the institution and is in a sealed envelope. If you have one in your possession, it must meet the same requirements. If your previous institution offers electronic official transcript processing, they can send the document directly to luoverify@liberty.edu.

Admissions Office Contact Information

Program Dates and Deadlines

Applicants to the Counselor Education and Supervision program may apply at any time, keeping in mind the following deadlines:

Fall-starting applicants:

Initial application deadline: April 30
Extended material collection deadline: July 1
All decisions made by department: July 20
Fall start date is usually August 20-25 (varies each year)

Spring-starting applicants:

Initial application deadline: September 30
Extended material collection deadline: November 1
All decisions made by department: November 20
Spring start date is usually January 15-18 (varies each year)

Submit your application online or over the phone.

Start Online Application

Apply by phone: (800) 424-9595

Liberty University is dedicated to providing world-class educational experiences to military students across the globe.

Who May Qualify?

Active Duty
Reserve/National Guard
Veterans/Retirees
Spouses of Service Members and Veterans/Retirees

Military Tuition Discount

We want to help you find the doctoral degree you want – at a price you’ve earned. As a thank-you for your military service, Liberty University offers eligible current and former service members like you or your spouse multiple pathways to earn a doctoral degree for only $375/credit hour. Find out how you can take advantage of this unique opportunity as you work toward your goal of reaching the pinnacle of your profession – for less.

These rates are reflective of academic year 2025-2026. Tuition rates may change annually. For the most current information, please visit our LU Tuition Cost page.

View Military Benefits

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Counselor Education and Supervision?

Counselor education and supervision is the discipline of creating excellent programs to teach students to be effective counselors. This practice requires advanced expertise in the practice of counseling — through applying a comprehensive mastery of psychology and holistic mental health treatment. A PhD in Counseling focuses on counselor education and supervision. This can help prepare you for academic roles with counseling programs that teach and nurture new counseling students.

Is a doctorate worth it?

Earning a PhD in Counseling online is an important and substantial decision — but there are many benefits to earning a PhD if you are in the counseling field.

Having a PhD may assist you with pursuing positions outside of private practice or clinical settings with greater success than with a master’s degree in counseling alone. Working with a university counseling program, you can teach at the college level and gain the benefit of additional income.

What is a PhD in Counselor Education?

A PhD in Counselor Education can help equip you to use your counseling skills and knowledge of psychology to prepare students to enter the counseling field. The purpose of this program is to bridge the gap from your hands-on experience as a counselor to teach leading approaches and methods to the next generation of counselors.

Liberty University’s counselor education and supervision PhD is designed to give you this training and expertise. Our program can help equip you to prepare students entering the counseling profession with the tools they need to help people heal and grow. You can make a positive impact in the lives of many people by helping these students develop effective counseling practices.

Why should I get a PhD in Counselor Education and Supervision?

While researching online doctoral programs, you may question why a counselor education and supervision degree would be a good fit for your career. Aside from the potential for higher income, earning a doctorate in counselor education can broaden your professional experience by letting you invest in future counselors. A PhD can allow you to enter into a new phase of your career where you can explore critical skills and pass them on to your students while helping people in new ways.

With new expertise and skills, you can also be equipped to help your patients in innovative and effective ways. Teaching and mentoring professionals in your field can be an extremely rewarding experience — and one that earning a PhD in Counselor Education and Supervision online with Liberty University can help you accomplish.

Are you ready to change your future?

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*Some restrictions may occur for this promotion to apply. This promotion also excludes active faculty and staff, military, non-degree-seeking, DGIA, Continuing Education, WSB, and certificate students.

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PhD in Counselor Education and Supervision Aid the Next Generation of Counselors

Mentor Students with a PhD in Counselor Education and Supervision

What Sets Us Apart?

Why Choose An Online Doctorate in Counseling?

What Will You Study in a PhD in Counseling Online Degree?

Potential Career Opportunities

Featured Courses

Degree Information

Not sure what to choose?

Tuition & Aid

Financial Aid & Scholarships

Admission Requirements for Our PhD in Counselor Education and Supervision

Admission Requirements

Preliminary Acceptance

Transcript Policies

Admissions Office Contact Information

Program Dates and Deadlines

Ready to Apply?

Military

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Counselor Education and Supervision?

Is a doctorate worth it?

What is a PhD in Counselor Education?

Why should I get a PhD in Counselor Education and Supervision?

Are you ready to change your future?

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