M.A. in C.H.D. - School Counseling

In accordance with the CACREP accreditation standards for School Counseling, the Counseling and Human Development program with School Counseling emphasis consists of 16 courses totaling 48 semester hours. Course work is divided into three areas:

• FOUNDATIONS (3 courses) which must be taken early in the program and are prerequisites to higher level courses;
• AREA OF CONCENTRATION (12 courses) which are sequenced to build a strong counseling skill base;
• ELECTIVES (1 course) that allows students to pursue further course work in an area of interest within education or counseling.

Courses in the program are numbered 500 through 700. The lower-numbered courses should be taken prior to the higher-numbered 700 courses. Prerequisites are specified within the course descriptions listed in this catalog. Students are responsible for planning their course of study with their assigned advisor and for ensuring that all requirements are met. Within the first semester of admission to the CHD program, students must complete the CHD Prospectus in consultation with their advisor. Changes to the Prospectus must be approved by the student's advisor. Your advisor keeps track of your progress throughout the program by using a Student Profile Form which is updated every semester.

"Practice oriented" courses included in the curriculum are:CHD 790, Practicum; and CHD 795, Internship in School Counseling. The Practicum course is designed to provide students with counseling experience under the supervision of the instructor and the individual's Practicum supervisor. Such experience is necessary to enhance counseling competencies in practitioners. Practicum requires 100 hours of work, of which 40 hours must be face-to-face counseling.

Internship is served in an off-site school setting under the supervision of a licensed school counselor. Internship includes 600 hours of counseling work with at least 240 hours of direct service with clients. The 240 hours of direct service with clients must include a variety of activities such as individual and group counseling, career/vocational counseling, and other counseling experiences suitable to a school counselor.