North Dakota State University  

The Counselor Education Program at North Dakota State University is housed within the School of Education and is located in the College of Human Development and Education. We offer degrees (M.S. or M.Ed.) in Clinical Mental Health Counseling and School Counseling. We offer the Doctor of Philosophy Degree (Ph.D.) in Human Development, Counselor Education Track. The Master’s of Science (M.S.) and Master’s of Education (M.Ed.) degrees in counseling are considered entry-level preparation for qualification as a practitioner. Either degree serves a foundation for national certification and state licensure. The M.S. degree places more emphasis on research than the M.Ed. For the M.S. a thesis is required in addition to 600 hours of internship. The M.Ed. requires no thesis but 900 hours of internship. The Ph.D. in Human Development (Counselor Education Track) requires 71 credits beyond the Master’s Degree.

The Counselor Education Doctoral Track at NDSU adheres to the interdisciplinary approach of the College of Human Development and Education and emphasizes the integration of teaching, research, and clinical practice. A major focus of the Counselor Education program is on training students for faculty positions in higher education. Other possible career opportunities include an array of counseling and administrative positions in clinical mental health, higher education, public school and community services.

As all areas of study in the College of Human Development and Education, the Counselor Education Doctoral Track focuses on people. Working relationships with faculty are professional, yet personal. Students receive one-to-one attention and mentoring. There are multiple opportunities for teaching and clinical practice, and supervision as well as support for presenting and publishing research.