PROGRAM MODIFICATION FORM
(4/15)
Please attach/ submit additional documents as needed to fully complete each section of the form.
I. DEPARTMENT / PROGRAM
Department of Counselor Education.
II. SUMMARY
The Department of Counselor Education was recently approved (May, 2015) to begin to offer a Ph.D. in
Counselor Education and Counseling. When preparing documentation to request the new degree, the
authors closely followed anticipated accreditation standards from the Council for Accreditation of
Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP). Our aim is to apply, and be granted,
accreditation at the doctoral level by August 2016. We are currently in the process of writing our selfstudy.
When writing the request for the Ph.D. in the Fall of 2014, we were confronted with a precarious
timeline. CACREP was in the process of adopting a new set of accreditation standards, and had released
drafts of anticipated standards for public comment. In those drafts, models of accredited doctoral
programs required 128 credits. However, in July of 2015 CACREP approved final standards requiring 108
credits for a doctoral degree.
Our Ph.D. was approved at a level of 128 credits to comply with anticipated accreditation standards in
the summer of 2015. When the credits for doctoral accreditation were reduced to 108 with the approval
of CACREP standards in July 2015, our degree was no longer consistent with accreditation standards and
now holds 20 excess credits.
We are requesting a program modification to reduce the number of credits for our Ph.D. in Counselor
Education and Counseling from 128 to 108 in order to be in compliance with accreditation standards and
position the Department of Counselor Education for a successful accreditation review.
III. ENDORSEMENTS AND APPROVALS
Requestor: Kirsten Murray
Signature _______________________ Date____________
Phone / Email: 406-243-2650 / kirsten.murray@umontana.edu
Program Chair: Kirsten Murray
Signature _______________________ Date____________
*Other Affected Programs: None
Dean: Roberta Evans
Signature _______________________ Date____________
* Are affected because: (a) required courses incl. prerequisites or corequisites, (b) perceived overlap in content
areas, or (c) cross-listing of coursework
IV. TYPE OF PROGRAM MODIFICATION
Major
Minor
Option
Teaching major / minor
Other, Please describe: Degree Credit Modification
V. CATALOG LANGUAGE
Attach the current catalog language with the proposed changes clearly identified.
The 2015-2016 catalog has not been edited to include our Ph.D. degree; notice of the degree’s approval was
received only months ago.
VI. JUSTIFICATION
In our field, accreditation is closely linked with recruitment, quality preparation, state licensure
requirements, and employability. The department holds accreditation for our Clinical Mental Health
Counseling and School Counseling Master’s programs, and has seen an increase in applications for
admissions (last year we reviewed approximately 70 applicants for 20 positions), a 100% pass rate of our
students for the National Counseling Exam, and a 100% employment rate of our 2015 graduates. These
successes and our accredited status are not coincidental. Accreditation standards are closely aligned
with state licensure requirements for counselors and the standards of the National Counseling Exam.
Our students are very well positioned for workforce success. The savvy graduate student applicant is
well aware of the value of accreditation and will seek us out for this major quality assurance factor.
The Department of Counselor Education is seeking to extend the quality assurance of accreditation to
our Ph.D. in Counselor Education and Counseling. When admitted to the doctoral level of study,
students are coming to us with a 60-credit Master’s degree from a clinical program. In the counseling
profession, a master’s degree is the hallmark of working as a clinician and the doctoral degree adds
expertise in research, supervision, pedagogy, scholarly development, leadership, and advanced clinical
skills. Essentially, doctoral students in our field are prepared to become University faculty in counseling
programs. Doctoral graduates of CACREP accredited programs have a major advantage when applying
for positions, as academic search committees know the advantage and quality assurance of completing
an accredited program. Above all else, we aim to have a rich and rigorous experience for our doctoral
students that will connect them with success in the workforce. Accreditation is the best path for this
goal.
Aligning with the CACREP standard for a 108 credit doctoral degree (this credit requirement includes the
60 credits students bring from their master’s program) allows the department to do two things: (1) align
with other accredited programs across the nation, making our program more competitive to recruit
students and (2) streamline the 48 credit hours of coursework into a three year cohort model program
that supports affordability and retention of students. An adjustment to 108 doctoral credits supports
the mission of our department to align with accreditation standards that support quality and rigor while
also making strategic changes to best recruit, retain, and produce graduates that are successful in the
marketplace.
VII. SUBMISSION
After all signatures have been obtained, submit original, and an electronic file to the Faculty Senate Office, UH 221.
An electronic copy of the original signed form is acceptable.