Rehabilitation Counselor Education PhD

The Ph.D. program in rehabilitation counselor education prepares graduates to serve as university professors in rehabilitation counseling and closely related academic programs. The program is a leader in preparing Ph.D. professionals who go on to serve in teaching, research, and program administration at universities throughout the US and internationally.

Through a rigorous program combining scholarly inquiry with opportunities for university level teaching practice and applied internship practice, students gain outstanding research, leadership and professional skills. Employment opportunities following graduation include public and private educational, rehabilitation, and mental health agencies, colleges and universities, and research settings. Further evidence of the quality and recognition of the graduate programs at the University of WisconsinMadison is provided by the current number one ranking of the rehabilitation counseling program by U.S. News & World Report.

Faculty members work closely with doctoral students on research projects including the PROMISE grant, several Rehabilitation Research and Training Centers, and technical assistance projects focused on promoting evidence-based practices in vocational rehabilitation and program evaluation. In addition, faculty routinely involve students in a full array of professional activities. These may include serving as editors or editorial board members for journals, preparing materials for litigation involving civil rights violations of persons with disabilities, preparing research and training grant applications, preparing training materials, and involvement in clinical cases.

Financial support is available to qualified graduate students and may include scholarships, traineeships, teaching assistantships, and research/project assistantships.

1. Articulates research problems, potentials, and limits with respect to theory, knowledge, or practice within the field.
2. Formulates ideas, concepts, designs, and/or techniques beyond the current boundaries of knowledge within the field.
3. Creates research, scholarship, or performance that makes a substantive contribution to the field.
4. Communicates complex ideas in a clear and understandable manner.
5. Demonstrates breadth within their learning experiences in the doctoral program in rehabilitation psychology.
6. Shares knowledge and research in the field with students in a clear and engaging manner; effectively communicates with students within and outside of class; advances contributions of the field to society.
7. Participates in public and professional service.
8. Serves as a model of ethical and professional conduct. Promote the ethical and professional conduct of researchers, educators, and practitioners of rehabilitation psychology and rehabilitation counseling.

A bachelor’s degree from a regionally accredited U.S. institution or a comparable degree from an international institution is required. International applicants must have a degree comparable to a regionally accredited U.S. bachelor’s degree. You must have completed your undergraduate degree, or similar, before starting graduate school.

A minimum undergraduate grade-point average (GPA) of 3.00 on the equivalent of the last 60 semester hours (approximately two years of work) or a master’s degree with a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.00 is required. Applicants from an international institution must demonstrate strong academic achievement comparable to a 3.00 for an undergraduate or master’s degree. The Graduate School will use your institution’s grading scale. Do not convert your grades to a 4.00 scale.

Every applicant whose native language is not English, or whose undergraduate instruction was not in English, must provide an English proficiency test score. TOEFL scores must be submitted electronically via ETS. IELTS scores can be submitted electronically or by paper.  Our office address is: UW-Madison Graduate School, Office of Admissions, 232 Bascom Hall, 500 Lincoln Drive, Madison, WI 53706.  Your score will not be accepted if it is more than two years old from the start of your admission term. Country of citizenship does not exempt applicants from this requirement. Language of instruction at the college or university level and how recent the language instruction was taken are the determining factors in meeting this requirement.

Applicants are exempt if: