Counselor Education - Masters Program
Dr. Karen Prichard,
Coordinator
- General Objectives: The Master's degree in Counselor Education is designed to develop students' potential as professional counselors. All faculty in the program recognize the uniqueness of human beings and are dedicated to helping students obtain the knowledge, skills, and experience necessary to facilitate development as counseling professionals. Uniqueness is emphasized in the program in that each student is expected to develop his or her counseling approach with clients.
- Application for Admission to Graduate Study
- Departmental Application
- Official Graduate Record Examination (GRE) scores
- Official transcripts from all universities attended
- A minimum of three letters of recommendation
- Resume
- A 3-5 page, double-spaced essay addressing the applicant's career goals, and views on personal and professional growth
- Application fee of $45.00
Employment Perspective: Although the exact nature of the labor force in the next decade is unpredictable, counselors will continue to provide services to fields such as education, training, management, research, mental health, business, industry, and governmental agencies. Supply and demand for counselors may vary in particular job categories. Yet with proper planning, some geographical flexibility, and a strong skill base in counseling, which the SIUC program provides, there will continue to be positive employment prospects.
Areas of Specialization: Counselor education consists of three areas of specialization: (1) community counseling, (2) school counseling and (3) couple and family counseling. Areas of emphasis within community counseling include child, adolescent, and adult. School counseling is designed primarily for those seeking certification (K-12) as a school counselor. Couple and family counseling is a program that builds on community or school counseling for an additional specialization. All specializations are accredited by the Council for the Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP). School counseling is also approved by the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE) and Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE). SIUC is accredited by the North Central Association of Colleges and Secondary Schools (NCACSS).
Admission: Applicants should have earned a 2.70 grade point average (A=4.00) in the final 60 semester hours of their undergraduate degree to be considered for unconditional admission to graduate study. There are no undergraduate program requirements for admission to the Master's program in Counselor Education.
All application materials must be received before an admission decision can be made. Admission decisions are made on a monthly basis when classes are in session. Applications completed when the University is on break between semesters will be reviewed during the first month of the new semester.
Application to the Counselor Education program requires submission of the following:
GRE scores and all transcripts must be submitted directly to the Department. Applicants may not personally submit the GRE score or transcripts.