The Master of Education in School Counseling is a 48-hour program, which takes 24 months to complete and seeks to provide graduate students with a strong foundation for school counselor positions in Texas public schools. Students in this program will take courses in Spring, Summer, and Fall terms. Upon completion of the required program, students will be eligible to sit for the TExES exam in school counseling.
The Master of Education in School Counseling offers some courses online, while the rest are offered in an online synchronous format (with an on-campus option). The curriculum will provide students with substantive training in human growth and development, abnormal human behavior, assessment techniques, counseling theories and techniques, lifestyle and career development, sociocultural factors, integration of faith in counseling, and professional issues. Additionally, students will take courses promoting their capacities for research consumption, applied research methodology, and program evaluation.
The program curriculum also includes a careful focus upon current legal, social, governmental, and economic issues facing school counseling professionals. Courses are richly supported by contemporary literature of the discipline that prepares the students to seek Texas state certification as a school counselor.
Students who already have a 48-hour master’s degree in counseling and would like school counseling certification can enroll to take only the 12-15 hours needed to take the examination. This specialization includes online courses and practicum experience.
** Graduate students in this program must be admitted to the Graduate Program and the School of Education.
The program director for the School of Education provides oversight for this degree.
TEA CERTIFICATION REQUIREMENTS
GRADUATE ADMISSIONS INFORMATION
Cost | Admission Requirements | Transfer of Credit
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Reasons a candidate will be withdrawn from the ETBU educator preparation program (EPP) are as follows:
- A candidate who chooses to withdraw from the EPP must notify the certification officer by stating their intentions by written letter or ETBU Tigermail. A copy of the notification will be placed in the candidate’s department file.
- If a candidate chooses to enroll in a different EPP, the receiving program will need to request a TEA Candidate Transform Form to be completed by the ETBU certification officer. At that time, the certification officer will be required to inform the receiving program if the candidate was in good standing.
- If a candidate is not meeting the requirements of the EPP (e.g., disciplinary reasons and/or academics), the candidate will begin the Departmental Student/Candidate Review Process. Upon completion of the process, the EPP will determine whether the candidate will be required to withdraw or continue in the program.
- If a candidate is inactive and fails to communicate with EPP and/or advisor for one semester, the candidate will not be able to return to the EPP, and TEA will be notified.
- If a candidate is not successful in passing 50% of their required certification exams by the written deadline, they will be automatically withdrawn from the EPP.
Courses
To see course descriptions, visit the Academic Catalog.
The M.Ed. in School Counseling is a 48-credit hour program consisting of 16 courses. The following courses constitute the M.Ed. in School Counseling curriculum:
EDSC 5301 Theories of Counseling
EDSC 5303 Counseling Children and Adolescents
EDSC 5304 Professional Orientation in Counseling
EDSC 5305 Group Counseling
EDSC 5309 Assessment for Counselors
EDSC 5312 Lifespan Development
EDSC 5321 Research and Program Evaluation
EDSC 5327 Sociocultural Issues in Counseling
EDSC 5330 Professional Issues and Ethics for Practice
EDSC 5335 Techniques in Counseling
EDSC 6305 Career Counseling Across the Lifespan
EDSC 6306 School Counseling
EDSC 6307 Practicum I
EDSC 6308 Practicum II
EDUC 5330 Legal and Ethical Responsibilities in the Teaching Profession and three additional credit hours from one of the following: EDSC 5302 Introduction to Play Therapy
EDSC 6322 Crisis and Trauma Intervention
EDSC 6326 Addictions Counseling
STATEMENT OF PHILOSOPHY
The nature of graduate education is to foster an environment with the student as an active participant in the learning process as a leader, scholar, and practitioner. As a result, more time is spent on the review of literature of the discipline with much of that reading being completed outside class. The activities of the course are more writing intensive and applied in nature. In turn, this includes an increased expectation of independent learning, which requires students to search for outsider resources to bring to class to inform discussion and professional development.
In counseling, the personhood and the interventions of the counselor are both essential aspects of the helping relationship. Thus, students will engage in significant self-reflection and experiential learning during their preparation. This requires appropriate self-care outside of the class environment and significant rehearsal and practice both within and beyond the classroom. In an effort to promote integration of scholastic and practice competencies, students will also complete a supervised practicum necessary for certification as a school counselor
GRADUATION REQUIREMENTS
For the Master of Education in School Counseling, there are 48 graduate credit hours required. Students must complete all credit hours with a grade of “C” or higher and maintain at least a 2.75 grade point average. Students must complete all requirements for the degree within five years of starting the program.
STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES
- Candidates with a major in School Counseling Education will demonstrate mastery of the required standards in the TEA School Counselor Domains.
- Candidates with a major in School Counseling will demonstrate competency of the required standards related to professional responsibility as specified by the Texas Education Agency.