Programs

Information about faculty and research can be found on the Counseling and Counselor Education website.

AdmissionsLink to section

ApplyingLink to section

The Warner School uses an online self-managed application process. Applicants are required to complete all portions of the online application and submit the following documents through an upload:

• Current resume or curriculum vitae (CV)
• Transcripts of all prior college-level work. Unofficial transcripts are accepted for the admissions process; however, official transcripts of all previous post-secondary education are required if admitted to the program, within the first semester the student enrolls.
• Letters of recommendation from members of the academic community and/or workplace professionals who know your qualifications for graduate study are required. Preferably, at least one recommendation should be from a former professor. At least two letters are required for master’s applicants and three for doctoral applicants. Letters of recommendation are managed on the online application.
• A statement of purpose describing your academic or professional background and your interest in pursuing graduate study at Warner is required. The statement of purpose is generally between two and four pages, double-spaced. You can upload a file or cut and paste into the online application.
• An academic writing sample written in English. This may be a term paper from your earlier academic work or a five- or six-page commentary on an issue in education that you have written for this purpose only. The paper should support an academic argument, reference citations, and use a research style sheet.

A $70 application fee is required when submitting the application.

After the application is initially reviewed, candidates may be contacted to schedule an interview with a Warner faculty member. A holistic review of each individual application takes place by the faculty in the program. Warner reviews applications on a rolling basis for MS, CAS, and EdD candidates; applicants typically receive a decision on their application within 4 to 6 weeks from the priority application deadline.

Applying to Doctoral ProgramsLink to section

Applications are accepted to the PhD program only one time per year, in our December cycle. Applications are accepted to the EdD program on a rolling basis within any of our priority deadlines. Applications to the Doctoral programs are required to submit all of the materials described above. Doctoral applications require three letters of recommendation.

AcademicsLink to section

Doctoral Degrees and RequirementsLink to section

The Warner School offers two types of doctoral programs: Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) and Doctor of Education (EdD). The PhD program is designed specifically to prepare students for careers devoted to research and scholarship, particularly in a university environment. The EdD is designed to enable outstanding professionals to apply research to their field of practice.

Both degree programs require 90 credit hours (96 for students specializing in counseling). Students who have already undertaken relevant graduate-level coursework may be allowed to transfer it to their program (up to a limit of 30 credits for PhD students and 36 credits for EdD students) provided that: (l) the course(s) in question was taken within 10 years of the date of matriculation; (2) a grade of “B” or higher was earned; (3) they are approved by the student’s advisor, program chair, and associate dean of graduate studies. If the courses were completed more than 10 years ago, students are required to submit a curriculum vitae and written narrative, describing how they have remained involved in their field of study, to help the advisor, chair, and associate dean to determine whether exceptions could be made. Transfer credit decisions are made at the time of approving each student’s program of study. Courses taken at institutions other than the University of Rochester after matriculation into the doctoral program may not be used toward the doctoral degree.

In addition to coursework, doctoral students also need to successfully complete a set of milestone experiences. First, after having completed at least 18 credits in the program, all doctoral students must submit a portfolio for review. The portfolio review is evaluative, with feedback offered by faculty that is intended to nurture developing research expertise and intellectual and professional development. After passing the portfolio assessment and having completed most of the coursework for the degree, all doctoral students undertake an individualized comprehensive examination. Specific requirements for the comprehensive exam vary by program area. Finally, all doctoral programs culminate in the completion of a doctoral dissertation.

Advancement to candidacy for the PhD or EdD degree occurs upon successful defense of the dissertation proposal. The degree is awarded after completion of all degree requirements, and upon successful oral defense and acceptance of the doctoral dissertation.

All work for the doctoral degree, including the final oral examination on the dissertation, must be completed within seven years from the date of initial registration. Students with 30–36 credit hours accepted in the doctoral program must complete all work within six years from the date of matriculation in the doctoral program. Students who for good reason have been unable to complete a program within the above stated limits may, upon recommendation by the faculty advisor and the program chair, petition the associate dean of graduate studies for an extension of time. Such extension, if granted, will be of limited duration, must be re-approved at least biannually, and it may require additional coursework.

Students must maintain continuous registration through the program. Full-time students must register for at least nine credit hours during every fall and spring semester (excluding summer session) until the degree program is completed. Continuous registration for part-time students means registration for a total of nine credit hours every academic year sequence of summer-fall-spring semesters until the degree program is completed. If a student does not register for coursework during any fall or spring semester, that student must register for continuation of enrollment for that semester. Students have to either register for courses or for continuation of enrollment every fall and spring semester until the program degree is completed.

PhD in Education

The Warner School offers several areas of study within the PhD in Education. Students may concentrate in one of the following areas: Counseling and Counselor Education; Educational Policy and Theory; Higher Education; Human Development; and Teaching, Curriculum, and Change. PhD dissertations should provide an original and scholarly contribution to research in the student’s major field. A minimum of one year full- or part-time residency is required of all PhD students.

Doctor of Education Degrees

The Warner School offers four EdD programs with additional concentrations in the following areas: K–12 Educational Administration; Higher Education; Teaching and Curriculum; Mental Health Counseling and Supervision; Counseling; and Human Development. There is no minimum residency requirement for this program, although students are strongly encouraged to make arrangements so that they can devote the necessary time to their dissertation.

Students completing the EdD in Mental Health Counseling and Supervision are automatically eligible for the New York State mental health counseling license. Students graduating from this program would be eligible for a New York State limited permit and would need to complete 3,000 postgraduation supervised practice hours and pass the state examination to become a fully Licensed Mental Health Counselor (LMHC).

The Warner School offers an accelerated option for EdD students who are experienced practitioners in their field of specialization and want to pursue the degree part time while holding a professional job in the same field, with a specially structured and supported yearlong dissertation cohort process. This option makes it possible for eligible students to earn a doctorate in education in as few as three years on a part-time basis for most EdD programs. Additional admission criteria and program requirements must be met by students choosing the accelerated option. Courses listed below may not include all electives eligible for this program.

Graduate Course TitlesLink to section

• ED 418: The Family and Social Dynamics
• ED 481: School, Family, and Community Relations
• ED 504: Quantitative Research Methods
• ED 505: Advanced Quantitative Research Methods
• ED 506: Concepts and Issues in Social Science Research
• ED 507: Qualitative Research Methods
• ED 520: Program Evaluation
• ED 523: Mixed Research Methods
• ED 527: Advanced Qualitative Research Methods
• ED 528: Using Quantitative Data Analysis Software (1 credit)
• ED 561A: Counseling and Human Development Doctoral Cohort Seminar 1A
• ED 561B: Counseling and Human Development Doctoral Cohort Seminar 1B
• ED 561C: Counseling and Human Development Doctoral Cohort Seminar 1C
• ED 562A: Counseling and Human Development Doctoral Cohort Seminar 2A
• ED562B: Counseling and Human Development Doctoral Cohort Seminar 2B
• ED 562C: Counseling and Human Development Doctoral Cohort Seminar 2C
• ED 563: Counseling and Human Development Dissertation Proposal Seminar
• ED 564: Counseling and Human Development Dissertation Seminar I
• ED 565: Counseling and Human Development Dissertation Seminar II
• ED 593: Ed:D: Research (Dissertation) (variable credits)
• EDE 422: Motivation in Human Development
• EDE 555: Comprehensive Exam Research: Counseling and Human Development PhD
• EDE 556: Comprehensive Exam Research: Counseling and Human Development EdD
• EDE 562: Portfolio Review: Counseling and Human Development
• EDF 558: Supervised Internship in Counselor Education I (Doctoral)
• EDF 559: Supervised Internship in Counselor Education II (Doctoral)
• EDU 455: Policy and Practice in Developmental Differences
• EDU 479: Promoting Mental Health in Midlife and Old Age
• EDU 494: Adult Development and Aging
• EDU 510: Working with Clients Defenses: Psychodynamic and other Emotion-Focused Approaches
• EDU 514: Mind/Body Approaches to Healing Chronic Pain
• EDU 552: Counselor Education
• EDU 553: Counselor Supervision
• EDU 554: Advanced Theory, Research, and Practice in Group Work
• EDU 555: Advanced Counseling Theory, Research, and Practice
• EDU 557: Selected Theories of Human Development
• EDU 560: Research in Cognitive Development
• EDU 563: Advocacy, Consulting, and Systems Change as Counseling and Human Development Practice
• EDU 564: Contemporary Trends in Mental Health, Appraisal, Intervention and Research
• EDU 565: Research in Life Course Studies
• EDU 572: Development of Selves