Ph.D. Degree in Rehabilitation Counseling and Administration
Student Handbook
The Department of Rehabilitation Studies of East Carolina University offers a Ph.D. degree program in Rehabilitation Counseling and Administration to provide the student with the opportunity to specialize in one of the following areas:
• Substance and Clinical Counseling
• Vocational Evaluation
• Rehabilitation Research
• Area of focus chosen by the candidate and approved by the program director
The faculty of the Department of Rehabilitation Studies at ECU has the expertise and national reputation on each of the specialized areas in order to prepare doctoral students to become leaders in the higher education and applied service delivery fields. The Department of Rehabilitation Studies has a culturally and disability diversified faculty as mentors and role models to provide a very positive and enriching learning experience for its students.
• Paul P. Alston, PhD, CRC
• Martha H. Chapin, PhD, LPC, CRC , NCC, CDMS
• Lloyd R. Goodwin, PhD, LPC, CRC, MAC
• Nathalie Mizelle, PhD, CRC
• Shari Sias, PhD , LPC
• Steven Sligar, EdD
• Mark A. Stebnicki, RhD, CRC , LPC, CCM
• Stephen W. Thomas, EdD, CRC
• Paul Toriello, RhD, CRC
• Daniel W. Wong, PhD, CRC
The program is designed to meet two basic needs:
• Doctoral level faculty for rehabilitation counseling and substance abuse programs in North Carolina and nationwide.
• Doctoral level administrators and clinicians for rehabilitation counseling and substance abuse treatment programs in North Carolina and nationwide.
Financial support is available for doctoral students:
• Graduate Assistantship
• Teaching Assistantship
• Graduate Stipend
The doctoral students will benefit from the following departments' courses and resources within East Carolina University:
• Department of Biostatistics
• Department of Community Health
• Department of Counselor Education
• Department of Political Science
• Department of Child Development and Family Relations
The curriculum is designed to provide individualized program of study for each doctoral student. For a projected sequence of courses, click on Course Schedule Information.
Admission Criteria
The following criteria will be considered collectively for the admission to the program:
• An earned master's degree in rehabilitation counseling or a related field from an accredited university or college.
• Earned GPA of 3.5 in all graduate work.
• A minimum of 1000 (quantitative and verbal) on the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) or a score of 50 (400 on the new version) on the Miller Analogy Test (MAT) (highly recommended).
• A minimum of two (2) years of post-masters related professional experience is preferred..
• A personal statement.
• Professional and personal accomplishments.
• A personal interview with the faculty.
Note: Individuals with outstanding academic and/or clinical backgrounds with a bachelor's degree may be considered on a highly selective basis. Students are admitted for the fall semester only. Admission is expected to be competitive.
Application deadline: March 1st
The Application Process
Students are admitted to the program once a year in the fall. Deadline for receipt of admission materials to begin the program Fall is March 1 st . The ECU application process is designed to be self managed by the applicant. You will need to collect all your application materials, including transcripts and recommendations, and send them to the Graduate School . Applicants may apply on-line or by traditional hard copy application. To apply to the program, applicants should:
Secure a self managed admissions application packet from the Graduate School, East Carolina University, 131 Ragsdale, Greenville, NC 27858-4353 (telephone: 252-328-6012). The degree code used for the doctoral (Ph.D.) is 332. Applications can also be completed on-line or downloaded from http://www.ecu.edu/gradschool/ecuhtm_files/appinfo.htm.
Have GRE or MAT scores sent to the Graduate School directly. You must retake the GRE or MAT if your scores are more than five years old. Your scores MUST be received by the Graduate School by the March 1st deadline.
It is recommended that all transcripts for all undergraduate and graduate work , writing samples, resume, and the three letters of recommendation included in the application packet. If applying on-line, simply mail transcripts, resume, letters of recommendation, and writing samples to the ECU Graduate School .
On the outside of the envelope enclosing your application materials print: Application for Ph.D. in Rehabilitation Counseling and Administration.
Once the application file is received and completed at the Graduate School , it will be sent to the Department and the faculty will then review all materials and make a recommendation to the Graduate School . The Graduate School notifies all applicants as to whether the application has been accepted or rejected.
Program Requirements
Students will plan their course of study with an advisor assigned upon acceptance. A minimum of 98 semester hours of graduate study including previous acceptable graduate credit hours earned in an accredited institution. Students must take three examinations – a qualifying exam after the first 12 semester hours, a comprehensive exam after completing course work, and a defense of the dissertation. In addition, the graduate school requires annual reviews to consist of:
written statement by the student indicating accomplishments during the past academic year
a written evaluation of the student ' s progress, completed by the advisor
a statement indicating the advisor has discussed the evaluation with the student
an appeal process if the student disagrees with the evaluation
Dissertations are research based under the supervision of a faculty committee; the student is responsible for selecting the committee and securing a faculty chair to lead the committee. The Ph.D. in Rehabilitation Counseling and Administration requires one full year of residency (9 credit hours for two consecutive semesters). A student has eight (8) years in which to complete all requirements for the degree.
Required Courses
Total graduate hours:
Minimum of 98 semester hours (including acceptable hours in Masters Program)
Curriculum
The concentration in Rehabilitation Counseling requires a minimum of 98 s.h. of graduate course work including acceptable graduate course work in a counseling or closely related graduate program. Required course credit which may be completed as part of a prior graduate program include the following courses (or the equivalent): REHB 5000, 5100, 6000, 6250, 6300, 6310, 6320, 6350, 6360, 6370, 6401, 6550, 6991, 6992, 6993, 6994.
This concentration requires a minimum of 45 s.h. beyond the masters degree, including BIOS 7021, 7022, 7550; REHB 7601, 8350, 8360, 8380, 8550, 8810, and 9000. The counseling concentration also requires the completion of a 12 s.h. area of focus. The area of focus is selected from one of the following.
A. Substance Abuse and Clinical Counseling requires REHB 6330, 7340, 8710 and an approved elective.
B. Vocational Evaluation requires 12 s.h. selected from REHB 6405/6406, 7403, 7404, 8410, and 8420.
C. Rehabilitation Research requires 12 s.h. selected from BIOS 5010, 7501, 7560: NURS 7250, EDUC 7001, and NURS 7235 or EDUC 7430.
D. Area of focus chosen by the candidate and approved by the program director.
The concentration in Rehabilitation Studies requires a minimum of 98 s.h. of graduate course work including acceptable graduate course work in a counseling or rehabilitation related graduate program. Required course credit which may be completed as part of a prior graduate program include a masters’ degree in a related rehabilitation or health care field and the following courses (or the equivalent): REHB 5000, 5100, 6000, 6301, 6401.
This concentration requires a minimum of 45 s.h. beyond the masters degree, including BIOS 7021, 7022, and 6 s.h. selected from BIOS 7550, 7560, NURS 7235, 7250, EDUC 7001, 7430; REHB 7601, 7650, 8420, 8550, 8630, 8810, and 9000. This concentration also requires the completion of a 9 s.h. area of focus selected by the candidate and approved by the program director.
For more information, please contact Daniel Wong, Ph.D, Professor, Director of Doctoral Studies.
