Professional School Counseling, MS
Accreditation
The Department of Counseling and Educational Psychology offers programs leading to the Master of Science degrees in Professional Counseling and Professional School Counseling as well as the Doctor of Philosophy degree in Counselor Education. Programs in the Department of Counseling and Educational Psychology are accredited by The Council for the Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP), 500 Montgomery Street, Suite 350 Alexandria, VA 22314.
Mission Statement
The Department of Counseling and Educational Psychology at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi, devoted to excellence in instruction, research, and service, prepares graduate-level counselors and counselor educators to facilitate impactful societal changes at the local, state, national, and international levels.
Program Description
The Master of Science in Professional School Counseling (60 semester hours) prepares students to counsel in PK-12 school settings. Upon completion of the degree program, students will have met all relevant educational requirements for Texas Education Agency school counselor certification. Additionally, the degree plan is designed to meet the current educational requirements for the Texas Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) credential as specified by the Texas Board of Examiners of Professional Counselors. Students seeking school counseling certification should consult with the school counselor program coordinator and the certification office on campus regarding current state certification requirements to ensure eligibility prior to graduation.
Student Learning Outcomes
Students will:
- Knowledgeably integrate fundamental principles of professional orientation and ethical practice into contemporary counseling practice.
- Knowledgeably integrate fundamental principles of social and cultural diversity into contemporary counseling practice.
- Knowledgeably integrate fundamental principles of human growth and development into contemporary counseling practice.
- Knowledgeably integrate fundamental principles of career development into contemporary counseling practice
- Knowledgeably integrate fundamental principles of counseling and helping relationships into contemporary counseling practice.
- Knowledgeably integrate fundamental principles of group counseling into contemporary counseling practice.
- Knowledgeably integrate fundamental principles of assessment and testing into contemporary counseling practice.
- Knowledgeably integrate fundamental principles of research and program evaluation into contemporary counseling practice.
- Knowledgeably integrate fundamental principles of comprehensive guidance curriculum development and delivery into contemporary school counseling practice.
- Work as professional school counselors and promote the academic, career, and social-emotional development of PK-12 students.
Academic Standards
Students pursuing a Master of Science Degree in Professional School Counseling must maintain the following standards:
- A cumulative GPA of 3.0 or better.
- Only two courses with a grade of C can be applied to the degree.
- No course with a grade below C will be applied toward the degree.
- No grade below B in Practicum or Internship will be applied toward the degree.
- Students may not proceed to practicum or internship unless they meet the standards in 1-3 above.
- All requirements, including coursework at Texas A&M University—Corpus Christi and transfer credit coursework, must be completed within seven (7) calendar years from the date of initial enrollment in coursework.
Fitness to Practice
In addition to meeting or exceeding academic standards, students pursuing a Master of Science Degree in Professional School Counseling must meet fitness to practice standards that are assessed by faculty throughout the program. These standards include demonstration of emotional and mental fitness in their interaction with others as well as conformance with professional counseling associations and State of Texas codes of ethics and standards of practice.
At regular intervals throughout the program, and at any time a faculty member deems it advisable, students will be evaluated on the Professional Issues and Behavior Rating Scale. Students who fail to demonstrate fitness or conformance to appropriate codes may be asked to enter a remediation plan to remain in the program. If a remediation plan is developed, students must demonstrate satisfactory remediation prior to being allowed to proceed toward graduation. Specific information concerning fitness to practice and codes to which students are expected to conform may be found in the Department of Counseling and Educational Psychology Master’s Student Handbook.
Experiential Learning
Students in the Department of Counseling and Educational Psychology Master of Science programs will, in some coursework, be expected to participate in experiential learning that will involve some degree of self-exploration and self-reflection. Some training components will encourage personal growth and self-disclosure as part of the training process. While faculty members will exercise professional judgment and make ethical and responsible efforts to ensure the well-being of students when designing such experiences, they recognize that personal growth, reflective practice, and self-exploration can generate discomfort. Students are encouraged to engage in personal counseling. In addition, students who are unable to make use of reasonable opportunities for personal growth and reflection or who are unwilling to participate in appropriate self-disclosure may be referred for departmental remediation processes. Students who have concerns about participating in such activities may wish to speak with a departmental advisor prior to entering the program.
Admission Requirements
Students are eligible to pursue graduate-level course work in Counseling if they meet COEHD graduate admission requirements as specified in the COEHD’s Graduate Policies and Regulations section of this catalog.
The above minimum criteria, along with the following factors, are reviewed by the Department of Counseling and Educational Psychology faculty selection committee in determining admissions.
Deadline for Master of Science Student Applications are:
- March 1 - fall semester
- October 1 - spring semester
- March 1 - summer semester
Requirements
- Undergraduate performance – GPA (3.0 in last 60 hours)
- Graduate level work with a B grade or higher
- Interview
- Three letters of recommendation
- 500-700 word written essay, including one’s personal/professional career plans, goals, and a statement indicating one’s ability to work individually and in groups with diverse populations.
Students who do not meet the requirements for full admission into the Department of Counseling and Educational Psychology may be admitted on conditional status and take courses approved by the faculty. This conditional status applies to the first nine hours of the students’ program of study. Within these nine hours, students are required to take CNEP 5304 Introduction to Counseling (3 sch) and CNEP 5308 Counseling Theories (3 sch). Students must earn a grade of B or higher in each course taken during their conditional admit status in order to proceed to full admission. Students are not permitted to enroll in additional coursework beyond the nine hours specified as part of their conditional admit status.
Program Requirements
The Master of Science in Professional School Counseling is a 60 semester hour program of study that prepares students to become state certification-eligible school counselors. The degree plan for the Professional School Counseling program is as follows:
Code | Title | Hours |
---|---|---|
Institutional Requirement | ||
EDFN 5301 | Introduction to Research | 3 |
Core Courses | ||
CNEP 5304 | Introduction to Counseling | 3 |
CNEP 5306 | Career Counseling | 3 |
CNEP 5308 | Counseling Theories | 3 |
CNEP 5312 | Addictions Counseling | 3 |
CNEP 5314 | Theory and Practice of Multicultural Counseling | 3 |
CNEP 5327 | Ethical and Legal Issues in Counseling | 3 |
CNEP 5328 | Abnormal Human Behavior | 3 |
CNEP 5354 | Developmental Issues in Human Personality and Behavior | 3 |
CNEP 5361 | Group Counseling | 3 |
CNEP 5371 | Psychometrics | 3 |
CNEP 5381 | Psychodiagnosis and Treatment Strategies | 3 |
CNEP 5384 | The Counseling Process | 3 |
CNEP 5397 | Practicum | 3 |
CNEP 5698 | Internship | 3 |
CNEP 5698 | Internship (II) | 3 |
Special Emphasis Courses | ||
CNEP 5315 | Consultation and Responsive Services in Schools | 3 |
CNEP 5316 | Developmental School Counseling | 3 |
CNEP 5320 | Introduction to Marriage, Couple, and Family Counseling | 3 |
Elective Courses | ||
Select three hours | 3 | |
Total Hours | 60 |
Professional School Counselor Certification Eligibility
Individuals currently holding a counseling master’s degree who are seeking to meet certification requirements for the TEA School Counselor Certificate through TAMUCC will be required to complete the equivalent of a 48-semester hour school counseling program of study under TEA policy. The professional school counseling program coordinator will review student transcripts to determine specific coursework needed to become certification-eligible. Students are required to successfully complete CNEP 5316 Developmental School Counseling and then obtain a passing score on the TAMUCC certification practice examination before sitting for the state certification examination. Issuance of School Counselor certification by the Texas Education Agency requires two years of PK-12 teaching experience and passing the state TExES 152 school counselor examination.
Comprehensive Examination
In addition to successful completion of all courses required for graduation, students are required to pass a comprehensive written examination. Students will take this examination while enrolled in practicum. All students should have completed pre-requisites prior to enrollment in Practicum.
TExES Endorsement for Non-Graduates of TAMUCC
Educators who did not receive their Master of Science degree in Professional School Counseling from this program and who wish to be endorsed to take the TExES examination must have their transcript evaluated by professional school counseling program coordinator. Coursework will be compared to courses required in this program and the extent of their education and skills will be assessed. If the student’s coursework is judged to be deficient in any area, including practicum and internship, the student will be required to take courses to address these deficiencies.
Courses
* May be taken concurrently.