Faculty Hiring Trends in Counselor Education: An 11-Year Content Analysis of 1514 Job Postings
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| Title: | Faculty Hiring Trends in Counselor Education: An 11-Year Content Analysis of 1514 Job Postings |
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| Language: | English |
| Authors: | Chi Li (ORCID |
| Source: | Counselor Education and Supervision. 2026 65(2):141-150. |
| Availability: | Wiley. Available from: John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030. Tel: 800-835-6770; e-mail: cs-journals@wiley.com; Web site: https://www.wiley.com/en-us |
| Peer Reviewed: | Y |
| Page Count: | 10 |
| Publication Date: | 2026 |
| Document Type: | Journal Articles Reports - Research |
| Education Level: | Higher Education Postsecondary Education |
| Descriptors: | Counselor Training, Counselor Educators, Teacher Selection, Content Analysis, Occupational Information, Educational Trends, Trend Analysis, Academic Rank (Professional), Geographic Regions, Accreditation (Institutions), Labor Market, Tenure, Career Pathways, Nontenured Faculty |
| DOI: | 10.1002/ceas.70023 |
| ISSN: | 0011-0035 1556-6978 |
| Abstract: | This study presents an 11-year content analysis of 1514 counseling faculty job postings advertised on the Counselor Education and Supervision Network (CESNET) from 2014 to 2024. Using a deductive content analysis design, we systematically examined trends across six dimensions: annual volume, academic rank, position type, geographic region, Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP) accreditation status, and work modality. Overall, the counseling faculty job market demonstrated marked volatility, with an early surge likely tied to the implementation of the CACREP 2016 standards, followed by pandemic-related contraction in 2020 and partially recovered thereafter. Assistant professor roles consistently dominated, while senior-level positions were sparse and often absent in recent years. Tenure-track positions remained the primary hiring pathway, though non-tenure track and clinical roles grew substantially. Geographic hiring was heavily concentrated in the Southern and North Central Association for Counselor Education and Supervision (ACES) regions, and the Rocky Mountain region remained consistently underrepresented. The majority of the postings originated from CACREP-accredited programs, and transparency in reporting accreditation status increased over time. Explicit in-person postings rose over the past decade, while flexible in-person and/or remote roles peaked in 2021. The proportion of postings omitting modality declined. Collectively, these trends reflect a faculty labor market that remains anchored in traditional hiring yet is increasingly diversified, raising implications for counselor education practice and research. |
| Abstractor: | As Provided |
| Entry Date: | 2026 |
| Accession Number: | EJ1508041 |
| Database: | ERIC |
| Abstract: | This study presents an 11-year content analysis of 1514 counseling faculty job postings advertised on the Counselor Education and Supervision Network (CESNET) from 2014 to 2024. Using a deductive content analysis design, we systematically examined trends across six dimensions: annual volume, academic rank, position type, geographic region, Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP) accreditation status, and work modality. Overall, the counseling faculty job market demonstrated marked volatility, with an early surge likely tied to the implementation of the CACREP 2016 standards, followed by pandemic-related contraction in 2020 and partially recovered thereafter. Assistant professor roles consistently dominated, while senior-level positions were sparse and often absent in recent years. Tenure-track positions remained the primary hiring pathway, though non-tenure track and clinical roles grew substantially. Geographic hiring was heavily concentrated in the Southern and North Central Association for Counselor Education and Supervision (ACES) regions, and the Rocky Mountain region remained consistently underrepresented. The majority of the postings originated from CACREP-accredited programs, and transparency in reporting accreditation status increased over time. Explicit in-person postings rose over the past decade, while flexible in-person and/or remote roles peaked in 2021. The proportion of postings omitting modality declined. Collectively, these trends reflect a faculty labor market that remains anchored in traditional hiring yet is increasingly diversified, raising implications for counselor education practice and research. |
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| ISSN: | 0011-0035 1556-6978 |
| DOI: | 10.1002/ceas.70023 |
