The M.A. in Professional School Counseling (427*) is a sixty semester hour program. The master's program is designed to meet the requirements for North Carolina School Counselor Licensure (K-12) and to follow guidelines and standards of the NCATE (National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education) and the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP). Approval by these additional accrediting agencies allows graduates to be eligible in many other states for reciprocal licensure. Our 60-hour program affords our graduates the opportunity to further develop their counseling skills and to graduate at the Specialist (S) level status.
All courses are taught from a multicultural perspective which emphasizes the differing experiences, cultures, histories, and perspectives of people from a variety of ethnic, gender, racial, and social class backgrounds. Courses are also taught with didactic and experiential components with activities such as lectures, role plays, interviews, out of class observations, presentations to class, group work, and organizational meetings. All core courses are taught on campus.
Required Courses
- CED 5310 Introduction to Professional School Counseling (3)
- CED 5110 Social and Cultural Diversity in Counseling and Therapy (3)
- CED 5790 Group Methods and Processes (3) - (See advisor if you had HPC 4790 as an undergraduate)
- CED 5000 Counseling Research and Evaluation (3)
- CED 5140 Counseling Assessment & Testing (3)
- CED 5210 Career Development and Counseling (3)
- CED 5220 Counseling Theory and Techniques (3)
- CED 5225: Helping Relationship (3)
- CED 5272 Individual & Family Development Across the Lifespan (3)
- CED 5754 Legal and Ethical Issues in Professional School Counseling (3)
- CED 5900 Practicum in Counseling (3) - (Prerequisite: HPC 5220, 5310, 5790 and departmental chair approval*)
- CED 6120 Developmental Assessment and Diagnosis (DSM) (3)
- CED 6290 Child & Adolescent Counseling & Therapy (3)
- CED 6620 School-Based Consultation (3)
- CED 6900 Internship in Professional School Counseling (6) - (Prerequisite: CED 5140, 5210, 5220, 5310, 5754, 5790, 5900, 6620 and departmental chair approval*)
- Guided Electives (must be approved by the advisor in advance) (12)
Total: 60
*Permission forms available in the departmental office must be completed prior to registration.
Departmental Expectations
Program faculty expect students to demonstrate commitment and proficiency in:
- Gaining the necessary knowledge as identified in program objectives.
- Understanding and applying appropriate ethical standards.
- Developing facilitative interpersonal skills.
- Developing the personal qualities necessary to integrate and apply their knowledge and skills.
- Demonstrating good judgment and appropriate emotional functioning prior to contact with clients in any practicum or internship. {Those students who are recovering from a personal addiction to alcohol or drugs are expected to have 12 months of continuous sobriety prior to registering for the Practicum in Counseling and 15 months of continuous sobriety prior to registering for the internship.}
Matriculation
In addition to successfully navigating admission to the program, once enrolled, students will have to complete course work, receive favorable program reviews, be admitted into candidacy, pass the Counselor Preparation Comprehensive Examination (CPCE), and complete 700 hours of supervised fieldwork to successfully graduate from the program.
Reminders
- It is the student's responsibility to develop a Program of Study with your advisor during your second semester.
- Students must meet for a minimum of 10 clock hours in a planned group activity intended to provide direct experience as a participant in a small group. This requirement is met during HPC 5790.
- HPC 5900: Practicum in Counseling (100 clock hours) may be scheduled in fall or spring after completion of all prerequisites. Application deadlines are March 1st for Fall practicum and October 1st for Spring practicum.
- HPC 6900: Internship in Professional School Counseling (600 clock hours) may be scheduled in fall or spring after completion of all prerequisites. Application deadlines are March 1st for Fall Internship and October 1st for Spring Internship.
- Students are required to complete a criminal background check and receive clearance prior to beginning Practicum and Internship.
- Students are required to take a TB test prior to beginning Practicum and Internship
- Students may be required to receive professional counseling to aid them in their personal growth.
- Endorsement for school counseling licensure from ASU requires that applicants complete a master's degree program in professional school counseling. Application from graduates of another HPC program will be considered on an individual basis. Applicants with master's degrees in other fields must complete a second master's degree after following the regular admissions process through the Graduate School.
- Endorsement for licensure to NCDPI requires PSC program faculty recommendation and a passing score on the School Counseling Specialty Area of the PRAXIS.
Examples of Guided Electives
During the PSC program of study, students are required to take 4 elective classes. All electives below have been previously offered, but there is no gurantee that every elective will be offered every semester. Electives in each semester will depend on faculty availability and interest by students.
- CED 5550: Equine Assisted Therapy
- *Equine Assisted Therapy and Learning Course *Click on the link to view a brief video about our Equine Assisted Therapy Course
- CED 5565: Introduction to Play Therapy
- CED 5274: Substance Abuse in Family Systems
- CED 5532: Teaching Life and Career Planning
- CED 5560: Addictive Process
- CED 5840: Human Relations and Interactions
- CED 5870: Creative Process, Movement, and Therapy
- CED 6350: Body/Mind
- CED 6360: Therapy and the Expressive Arts
- CED 6370: Intermodal Expressive Arts
- CED 6380: Therapeutic Writing
- CED 6539: Poetry & Therapy
- CED 6570: Appalachian Addictions Institute
- CED 6710: Human Sexuality
- CED 6730: Sexual Abuse Counseling
...and/or many of the courses offered through the Departments of Special Education (SPE), Sociology (SOC), Family & Consumer Science (FCS) Psychology (PSY), Social Work (SW). Consult with your advisor if you have questions regarding appropriate electives.