School Counseling (M.Ed.)
The program described below is designed to provide for the acquisition of skills and competencies needed by counselors working in educational settings.
A grade of "B" or better is required in the professional major sequences.
Counselor educators are ethically required to ensure that students meet academic requirements and demonstrate clinical competencies. Satisfactory progress will be predicated on a combination of factors such as academic success, clinical competence, adherence to ethical standards, and appropriate interpersonal functioning. Students who do not demonstrate satisfactory competence within any of these critical areas of professional performance may be terminated from the program. Core faculty will evaluate students on a continuing basis to determine students' satisfactory progression through the program. Other policies, procedures, and guidelines are addressed in the Counselor Education Graduate Student Handbook.
Admissions requirements
The curriculum for the Counselor Education program begins each summer semester and proceeds in a sequenced manner. Applications for graduate programs in counseling are reviewed in the spring of each year and students are admitted beginning in summer semester. The deadline for all application materials is February 1st.
Requirements for admission are:
- A completed application for admission to the Graduate School.
- One official copy of all undergraduate and graduate transcripts.
- Three letters of recommendation from persons familiar with the applicant's academic and/or professional abilities.
- A typed double-space statement of 3-5 pages in length regarding the applicant's career goal(s) and purpose(s) for pursuing the Master's program in counseling.
- Results of the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) or the Miller Analogies Test (MAT).
- Resume
- Applicants whose application portfolio is deemed to be acceptable are required to participate in an interview by counseling program faculty.
- Two full years of full-time, acceptable professional educational work experience, unless pursuing CACREP route.
Applications, transcripts, letters of recommendation and all supporting materials should be submitted to the Office of Admissions, 2500 Meisler Hall, University of South Alabama, Mobile, Alabama 36688-0002 by the deadlines noted above.
Final admission decisions involve evaluation of the following: grade-point average; scores on the GRE or MAT; letters of reference; professional experience; the applicant's statement of purpose; interview by counseling faculty and program enrollment and availability. All new students are required to attend the Counselor Education Graduate Student Orientation in the first semester following admission to one of the programs.
Students who are not enrolled for three consecutive semesters must complete all admissions requirements again and be reviewed by the program admissions committee.
Comprehensive Examination Type I is required.
The Alabama State Department of Education (ALSDE) now offers an expanded certification option for CACREP- accredited programs. Requirements under this option include "completion of a school counseling program that is accredited by the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP), and attainment of passing scores on the National Counseling Examination for Licensure and Certification, the basic skills assessments of the Alabama Prospective Teacher Testing Program, and Praxis II test #0421, Professional School Counseling. Note that certification in a teaching field or another area of instructional support is not required for admission to a CACREP-accredited program in school counseling".
School counseling | Credit Hours |
---|---|
Requirements for school counseling | 48 Minimum |
Major Instructional Support Area: | 36 |
CED 565 | |
CED 566 | |
CED 572 | |
CED 574 | |
CED 576 | |
CED 582 | |
CED 584 | |
CED 586 | |
CED 588 | |
CED 591 | |
CED 595 Internship (6 semester hours required; 600 contact hours) | |
School Counselors are required to successfully complete the PRAXIS II Subject Test prior to enrolling in internship. | |
Related Studies in Educational Foundations* | 6 |
EPY 521 | |
EPY 555 | |
Research in Education Area | 3 |
IDE 510 | |
School Counselors are required under the CACREP Certification Option to successfully complete the National Counselor Exam. | |
*SPE 500 Must be taken for 3 additional hours by students who have not previously satisfied the special education requirement. |
Department of Counseling and Instructional Sciences website
http://www.southalabama.edu/colleges/ceps/cins
Department of Counseling and Instructional Sciences
The Department of Counseling and Instructional Sciences offers the Master of Education degree in Educational Media (leading to certification in Library Media), and in School Counseling leading to certification as a school counselor, and the Master of Science degree in Educational Media & Technology, Clinical Mental Health Counseling, and Instructional Design. The department also offers the Doctor of Philosophy degree in Instructional Design and Development. The department collaborates with the Department of Psychology in the College of Arts and Sciences to deliver the Ph.D. degree in Combined-Integrated Clinical & Counseling Psychology. Finally, the department offers the B.S. degree and minor in Instructional Design & Performance Improvement.
Interdepartmental education
Faculty within the department offer foundational coursework in Education Technology, Educational Psychology, Educational Foundations, and Educational Research. These courses are offered for students in the undergraduate and graduate programs throughout the college and are designed to broaden and strengthen degree-area preparation.