Graduate Program

Counselor Education offers a CACREP accredited Doctoral degree in Counselor Education.

Counselor Education offers a Master of Arts degree in Counseling with areas of focus in either Community/Agency Counseling or School Counseling. These areas of focus are accredited by the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP). The Master’s degree is only offered as Plan II (no thesis). All students taking courses in the Counselor Education program are expected and required to abide by the American Counseling Association Code of Ethics and applicable state and federal laws governing standards of practice for counseling.

Graduate Advisor
Upon admission into the program, students are assigned an initial advisor. They have the option of selecting an advisor of their choice as they progress in their program of studies.

Application Deadlines
Fall semester:	January 31 (Doctorate in Counselor Education)
Fall semester:	February 15 (Master’s in Counseling)
Spring semester:	September 15 (Master’s in Counseling)

The Master’s Degree in Counseling

Counselor Education offers a 54 hour Master’s degree in Counseling with areas of focus in School Counseling or Community/Agency Counseling. These areas of focus are accredited by CACREP. Applicants to the Counselor Education program are encouraged to complete 18 hours of upper division behavioral science courses (e.g., education, psychology, family studies, sociology, anthropology) prior to admission. Additional information and application forms are available from the Counselor Education office.

Admission

Admission into the Master’s program is based on ratings of several factors including scholarship, academic background (especially in behavioral science), work experience, volunteer experience, letters of recommendation, and a personal statement including multicultural experience. Admission is competitive, with more applicants each semester than it is possible to admit. After the initial screening process, selected applicants are invited to interview with the faculty. Based on the results of both the initial screening and the interview, faculty selects candidates for admission to the program.

Master’s Degree Required Core Courses

COUN 520	Foundations of Counseling**
COUN 530	Dynamics of Human Behavior**
COUN 517	Theories of Counseling**
COUN 518	Group Counseling**
COUN 522	Communication Skills in Counseling
COUN 584	Multicultural Issues in the Helping Professions
COUN 590	Practicum in Counseling
COUN 519	Practicum in Group Counseling
COUN 576	Diagnosis of Mental Disorders
COUN 595	Field Practicum
COUN 513	Career Counseling
COUN 515	Testing and Assessment in Counseling
COUN 610	Professional Issues and Ethics
COUN 521	Community/Agency Counseling
-or-
COUN 545	School Counseling (depending on area of focus)
EDPY 503/FS 503	Principles of Human Development/Seminar in Human Growth and Development
EDPY 500	Survey of Research Methods in Education
-or-
EDPY 505	Conducting Quantitative Educational Research
EDPY 502	Survey of Statistics in Education
-or-
EDPY 511	Introductory Educational Statistics

**These four core courses may be taken by non-degree graduate students. An override must be obtained by non-degree students to register.

The Doctorate in Counselor Education

The Doctor of Philosophy degree in Counselor Education is designed for those who have completed a Master’s degree in Counseling or an allied field and who are licensed or are eligible for professional licensure in Counseling or a closely related profession. The doctoral program is accredited by CACREP. A minimum of 94 credits are required to successfully complete the program including a 24-hour supportive area and a dissertation. The Counselor Education program will accept up to 36 hours of graduate transfer credit to be applied to the Ph.D. program. All substitutions of courses must be approved by the Counselor Education program faculty before a substitute course can be used to fulfill a requirement. A course may be used to fulfill requirements in more than one area, but the student’s program of studies must still include 94 credit hours.

The program requires that students develop competency in teaching, research, supervision and consultation. These competencies, added to the professional expertise in counseling demonstrated at the point of admission into the doctoral program, enable the doctoral graduate to successfully carry out a wide range of supervisory, consultative, teaching, research and counseling activities in a variety of professional settings. Graduates are well suited to: college or university faculty positions in counselor preparation programs; supervisory roles in counseling services, mental health clinics, hospitals, schools and private practice settings; mental health consultation with individuals, groups and organizations, and direct preventive or remedial mental health services. The program is not a psychology program and does not prepare students for psychology licensure.

Admission

Admission to the program is based on scholarship, academic background, work experience, letters of reference, a writing sample, a statement of intent, culturally diverse experience and scores on the Graduate Record Examination. Final selection of candidates is made after an interview of finalists. For additional information on the program and application procedures, contact the Counselor Education Program. Admission to the program is for fall semester of each academic year only.

Doctoral curriculum Includes:

Counseling Core Courses (12 credits)
Research (16 credits)
Teaching (6 credits)
Supervision (6 credits)
Consultation (3 credits)
Diversity Studies (9 credits)
- The doctoral program requires 600 hours of internship involving practical experience in supervision, teaching and/or consultation. Internships are arranged with any program faculty and coordinated by the doctoral program coordinator.
Supportive Area (24 credits)
- Typical supportive areas from other programs that students select include, but are not limited to: Educational Leadership, Educational Psychology, Family Studies, Health Education, Management, Psychology, Public Administration, Public Health, Organizational Learning and Instructional Technology, and Language, Literacy and Sociocultural Studies. The courses selected from a supportive area are approved by the student’s advisor and Program of Studies Committee members.
Dissertation (18 credits)