LEADERSHIP & COUNSELOR EDUCATION
Students must have a bachelor's degree, competitive scores on the GRE, and indicate a rationale for desiring to enroll in the M.A. in higher education/student personnel program.
A Master of Education in Counselor Education is offered in professional counseling with two program areas. The school counseling program is 48 hours and partially fulfills requirements for the AA license in the state of Mississippi. The community counseling program is 60 hours and meets course requirements for licensure as a professional counselor (LPC) in the state of Mississippi and certification as a national certified counselor (NCC).
Required courses for both programs include Introduction to the Counseling Profession (COUN 539); Multicultural Issues in Counseling (COUN 570); Play Therapy (COUN 594); Life Span Development (COUN 601); Research in Counseling (COUN 605); Assessment in Counseling I (COUN 621); Group Procedures (COUN 643); Career Counseling (COUN 680); Counseling Theory I (COUN 683); Seminar: Issues and Ethics in Counseling (COUN 672); Counseling with Children and Adolescents (COUN 686); Counseling Skills (COUN 690); and Practicum in Counseling (COUN 693). A 600-hour internship (COUN 695) also is required.
The school counseling program also requires Organization, Administration, and Consultation in School Counseling Programs (COUN 688). Individuals who do not hold a standard teacherÃs license in Mississippi and want to obtain licensure as a school counselor in Mississippi are required to complete an additional 600-hour internship (COUN 695).
The community counseling program also requires Diagnostic Systems in Counseling (COUN 674); Family Counseling (COUN 682); Organization, Administration, and Consultation in Community Counseling Programs (COUN 685); and two elective courses.
A grade of "B" or above is required in all clinical sequence courses for both degree programs (COUN 539, 570, 594, 672, 643, 683, and 690) in order to progress to Practicum (COUN 693).
Prerequisites for admission to the M.Ed. in educational leadership Include:
- Hold a Class A teacher's certificate;
- Minimum two years' successful (K-12) teaching experience;
- Have at least 3.0 GPA;
- Competitive scores on the Graduate Record Examination; must be less than five years old (verbal, quantitative, and writing sections);
- Exhibit proficient writing skills on position paper(s);
- Evidence of leadership potential;
- Three references, and
- Successful interview.
The 16-hour Ed.S. in counselor education degree requires completion of the 48-hour M.Ed. in counselor education.
Prerequisites for admission to the Ed.S. in leadership education include:
- Hold a master's degree outside of leadership,
- Hold Class AA teacher's certification,
- Minimum two years successful (K-12) teaching experience,
- Minimum 3.0 GPA,
- Competitive scores on the Graduate Record Examination; must be less than five years old (verbal, quantitative, and writing sections),
- Exhibit proficient writing skills on position paper(s),
- Evidence of leadership potential,
- Three references, and
- Successful interview.
A prerequisite for admission to the Ph.D. in counselor education is a master's degree in counseling that includes CACREP required core and program area curricular components. Preference will be given to applicants who are graduates of CACREP-accredited programs.
GRE verbal, quantitative, and writing scores are also required.
Applicants for the Ph.D. in higher education must have a master's degree, two years' employment experience at a college or university, competitive scores on the GRE, and excellent writing skills.