Doctorate in Philosophy Education (Educational Counselling)

Please note that, in May 2016, changes were made to the concentration in Educational Counselling at the master's level, now known as Counselling Psychology. The concentration in Educational Counselling at the PhD level is suspended until further notice.

With approximately 1,600 students and 150 full-time and part-time professors, the Faculty of Education at the University of Ottawa stands out as an enriching environment in which professors, students and community partners contribute to our innovative graduate programs.

Regardless of whether you are looking to become an expert educator, a school/board administrator, a research leader or a program evaluator, our professors will give you the means to have a positive impact on the community and graduate qualifications to advance and enrich your careers.

To acquire the tools for your professional success, among its unique programs, the faculty offers you:

• The Graduate Diploma (Dipl);
• The Graduate Diploma (Dipl); fully online
• The Master of Education (M.Ed.) with course-based option;
• The Master of Education (M.Ed.) with research paper option;
• The Master of Education (M.Ed.) fully online;
• The Master of Arts in Education (M.A.);
• The Doctor of Philosophy in Education (Ph.D.).

The facultys location in the heart of Ottawa offers you an exceptional range of programs in both official languages, which enables you to fully enjoy all the benefits of Canada's capital.

The programs are offered in English and French and are governed by the academic regulations in effect for graduate studies.

Doctoral Program

The program participates in the collaborative program in Canadian Studies at the PhD level.

The PhD program is offered in the following five concentrations:

• Educational counselling (suspended until further notice)
• Health professions education
• Leadership, evaluation, curriculum and policy studies
• Societies, cultures and languages
• Studies in teaching and learning

(Please note that this concentration is suspended until further notice.)

Given the individualized nature of the PhD program, each student's program is determined by an interim adviser (appointed by the program director), in consultation with the student. Because the Faculty believes that the student's coursework and research should be integrated into the overall program, determining which courses the student should take depends to some extent on his or her research topic. For this reason, students are strongly encouraged to begin exploratory work and make tentative decisions regarding their research topic early on in the program so that course work and research can be interrelated.

Doctoral students typically take a minimum of six courses (18 units). However, with the approval of the Admissions Committee and their thesis supervisor, students who have completed a master's degree in Education (MA/MEd) and have been admitted to the PhD program may reduce their course load to five courses (15 units).

Doctorate with Concentration

Taking into account the student's previous studies, the Faculty reserves the right to add to the program of studies any course(s) deemed necessary. The additional requirements are normally specified at the beginning of the program.

The individual program of study is prepared by the thesis director and approved by the program director.

Courses and thesis research in the Educational Counselling concentration are focused on issues related to the education and supervision of counsellors. 

Candidates in Educational Counselling are required to complete 600 hours of supervised internship, as well as the following requirements:

Note(s)

Registration of Thesis Topic

Students must register their thesis topic by the end of the third term of studies.

Thesis Supervision and Thesis Submission

The program director ensures that all procedures for thesis supervision and submission in effect for graduate studies and for the Program Council of the Faculty are followed.

At the time of admission, the Faculty of Education designates a thesis adviser in consultation with the professor concerned.

Comprehensive Examination

The overall purpose of the comprehensive exam (EDU 9998) is to assess the candidate's mastery of his or her field of study. More specifically, the purpose is to examine the candidate's integrative breadth and depth of knowledge within the context of his or her domains of study and professional/scientific perspective. 

The examination is conducted according to a format approved by the program council. It comprises the preparation, submission, evaluation and oral defence of a written text (the Comprehensive Document).

• Apply online through the Ontario Universities’ Application Centre (OUAC), by completing form 105.
• Declare all your current and previous postsecondary studies, completed or not, even if they are not related to your application. Failure to do so may lead to the cancellation of your application or the withdrawal of your offer of admission at any time.
• Enter your email address, making sure it is accurate. We will use this address to communicate with you for all matters. Also, check your inbox (and junk mail folder) regularly for messages from the University of Ottawa.
• Pay the application fees for all your admission applications. Applications are forwarded to the University of Ottawa only after fees are paid in full and the payment has cleared. Learn more about application fees.
• Note that OUAC is not part of the University of Ottawa. It handles applications to all Ontario universities and is responsible for transferring your application to our admission office.