Overview
With a strong background in human growth and development and communication skills, counselors assist clients in developing cognitive, emotional and behavioral strengths.
The majority of candidates prepare for a career in school counseling. School counselors develop and manage comprehensive counseling programs, provide individual and small group counseling and classroom guidance, and consult and collaborate with parents, teachers and administrators in order to help students be successful in school.
Other MEd candidates prepare for careers in higher education, addictions counseling or working with children and adolescents in the community.
The counseling program offers training to become a registered play therapist as recognized by the Association for Play Therapy. Graduates can pursue licensure as a licensed clinical professional counselor in Kansas or the other 48 states tha tlicense professional counselors.
The MEd meets the basic core requirements for future licensure as a Licenses Professional Counselor in Kansas.
Prerequisites
The following prerequisites must be met for admission to the master's in counseling program.
- A minimum GPA of 3.00 on the last 60 hours of the undergraduate degree.
- Evidence of completion of nine (9) hours of undergraduate psychology plus six (6) additional hours in the behavioral sciences. No specific undergraduate degree is required.
- Admission to the MEd program in counseling does not require the teaching license; however, students whose career goals include Kansas school counseling licensure. Students who plan to become licensed school counselors must have a Kansas professional teaching license or have a master's degree in counseling, three years of counseling experience and complete the conditions for a restricted license. These requirements, in addition to passing the Praxis, must be met prior to recommendation for conditional school counselor licensure.
Contact an Advisor
We would be happy to answer your questions or provide you with additional information about our progarm.
Program Checksheet
The program checksheet will help you tract the courses and requirements for the Counseling Program.
Program Outline
Most students complete the degree in 2-3 years. All courses in fall and spring semesters are offered at 4:30 pm or 7:05 pm, Mondays through Thursdays. Occasionally exceptions to this scheduling occur. Classes usually meet once each week in three hour blocks and an effort is made to match courses on the same evening, allowing students to get six hours of course credit while coming to campus a single evening. Some core courses are offered during summer sessions (usually during daytime hours). Currently, no courses are offered on-line. Most courses are content oriented, but some are lab courses where students practice counseling skills. A supervised practicum (field experience) is required at the end of the program.
A course rotation sheet showing which courses will be offered in future semesters, allowing students to create of timeline for taking courses and completing the degree.