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Our degree prepares you for a career in counselor education, mental health, and school counseling. You will complete practica in advanced counseling, research, supervision, and teaching. You will also have an internship with both educational and professional goals. 

Degree Overview

Our students complete 64 credit hours over the three-year program. This is a post-masters degree program, requiring a masters degree from a CACREP-accredited program prior to entry into the doctoral program. 

Students complete practica in the following professional practice areas:

  • Teaching

  • Clinical Supervision

  • Advanced Clinical Counseling

  • Research

The internship (600 hours) incorporates programmatic and student professional goals. All students complete a doctoral portfolio and dissertation. In addition, our program requires engagement in professional leadership and advocacy that integrates social justice, diversity, and equity.

Application Information

Deadline: February 1

Required Materials:

  • Graduate school application and payment

  • Transcripts

  • 3 Reference Forms

  • Statement of Intent

  • Cultural statement

  • Resume or CV

  • TOEFL report (for international students)

Apply Here

Costs and Financial Support

Barring significant changes in financial resources, the department is committed to ensuring that all incoming students have a graduate assistantship that includes a monthly stipend (for 9-12 months of the year) and a full tuition waiver. Students can hold assistantships within the department or in other units on campus. Assistantships are essentially jobs that also provide additional training in the profession (e.g., teaching, research, administrative roles). Prospective students should be aware that some fees do still apply for students with a full tuition waiver. In addition, students need to pay for required books and supplies, as well as personal living expenses.

We include several links below for prospective students to consider, including tuition and fee information if a student did not receive a tuition waiver (for example, if they did not want to work in an assistantship).

Financial Resources

Applicants who want to review Auburn's current tuition can find it here. As noted above, students in the program can receive a full tuition waiver through a qualifying graduate assistantship.

  • Students with an assistantship that is between .33 and .50 full-time equivalent (FTE) do not pay tuition.

  • Students in a .25 to .32 FTE assistantship within our academic department can also receive a full tuition waiver.

  • Students in a .25 to .32 FTE elsewhere on campus will pay in-state tuition at a reduced rate.

  • All students who receive a tuition waiver are still required to pay university fees.

  • Applicants should be aware of certain conditions and limits to tuition waivers. These are subject to change by the Graduate School. For more information, view the Graduate School’s Guidelines for Graduate Assistantships.

There are numerous graduate assistantships available within the Department of Special Education, Rehabilitation, and Counseling (SERC). Most are teaching assistantships. We also have some research assistantships and general graduate assistantships. Students can also apply for assistantships in other units on campus.


All new graduate student employees must have an approved consumer report and/or investigative consumer report (background check) as a condition for appointment. The information contained in these reports may be used to deny an individual new or continued employment with Auburn University (including first-year students who would otherwise receive an assistantship in the department).


Assistantships

Auburn University has several fellowship programs with significant financial support. Some examples include:
  • Presidential Graduate Research Fellowship (PGRF): A funding package of at least $37,000 per year (plus tuition waiver) for the first three years. The program can nominate applicants with high research potential for this fellowship.
  • President's Graduate Opportunity Program (PGOP): A funding page of at least $30,000 per year (plus tuition waiver) for the first three years. The program nominates both applicants and current students for this program, which is designed to increase diversity of Auburn's graduate student population.

The Graduate School maintains a list of additional external fellowships.

 

The Department of Special Education, Rehabilitation, and Counseling (SERC) provides financial support to student research in two primary ways.
  1. Travel Support: SERC students who are presenting at a scholarly conference can apply for a travel stipend of up to $1,000 per year. Students who are first-author presenters can apply for an additional $500 through the College of Education.
  2. Research Grants: Each Fall term, the department announces a Request for Proposals for the SERC Student Research Grant. Students awarded this grant can receive up to $1,400 to cover costs associated with conducting a research project (e.g., participant compensation, supplies, etc). This can be used for dissertation research or other research projects led by the student.

Faculty

Jill Meyer
Professor and Director of Counselor Education
Nicholas Derzis
Clinical Professor
Sarah Flint
Assistant Clinical Professor
John McCall
Assistant Professor
Jinhee Park
Associate Professor
Danielle Pester Boyd
Assistant Professor
Lindsay Portela
Assistant Clinical Professor
Margie Taylor
Assistant Clinical Professor
Chippewa Thomas
Professor
Malti Tuttle
Associate Professor and School Counseling Program Coordinator
Kevin White
Assistant Clinical Professor
Yuhyun Park
Assistant Professor

Ready to join the Auburn Family?

Visit Auburn’s Graduate School homepage for checklists, resources, valuable graduate student information and to begin your application. Please contact department faculty listed above with program-specific questions.

Last updated: 07/30/2024