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Program: School Counseling

Degree: Master of Education
Delivery Method: Online, On Campus

Gain the skills necessary to support K-12 students' academic, social/emotional and career needs through individual counseling, small group counseling and classroom guidance.

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Designed for educators and other professionals who recognize the academic, social, emotional and career needs of students, and who wish to gain the skills necessary to help students grow and achieve. With a focus on equity and multicultural competence, school counselors are prepared to advocate for the needs of all students.

Why NC State’s School Counseling Program

  • Complete courses on-campus or online in as little as two years
  • Participate in hands-on school counseling experiences in a K-12 school through a 100 hour practicum and 600 internship hours and gain full academic experience in a school
  • Our program is 1:1 with iPad minis for each student for the duration of their program 
  • Learn from nationally recognized faculty who have K-12 classroom and school counseling experience
  • All students graduate having fulfilled the requirements for both, their N.C. School Counseling license, as well as their Licensed Clinical Mental Health Counselor Associate (LCMHCA), expanding their options for employment post-graduation

Program Details

Program Description

This M.Ed. in school counseling is designed to prepare students who can work with professionals in different fields to promote wellness and benefits of their clients. This program prepares students for counseling and advising positions in student service agencies in colleges and universities. Both on-campus and online deliveries are accredited by the Council for the Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP) till March 30, 2030.

Our program emphasizes:

  • Diversity, Multiculturalism, Anti-Racism, and Social Justice
  • Scientist-Practitioner Model
  • School-College-Community Collaboration Model
  • Clinical Counseling Theory and Practice
  • Developmental Theory

On-Campus Option

Students who enroll full-time and begin their studies in the summer session of their first year in the program can conceivable complete the program in two years by adhering to the following sequence:

  • Summer Session I
  • Summer Session II
  • Fall Semester
  • Spring Semester
  • Summer Session I
  • Summer Session II
  • Fall Semester
  • Spring Semester

Students who are unable to follow this sequence will need at least three years to complete the program as all internships are conducted during the spring semester.

Online Option

The online curriculum is a three-year, part-time cohort program that requires students to take courses year-round including summer. Students begin in Summer Session I, and typically take two online classes in fall and in spring.

Course descriptions can be found in the university course catalog.

Core Courses

  • ECD 510 – Orientation to Professional Counseling, Identity, and Ethics (3 credits)
    ECD 524 – Career Counseling and Development (3 credits)
    ECD 525 – Multicultural Counseling (3 credits)
    ECD 530 – Theories of Counseling (4 credits)
    ECD 533 – Introduction to School Counseling (4 credits)
    ECD 539 – Group Counseling (3 credits)
    ECD 540 – Gender Issues in Counseling (3 credits)
    ECD 541 – Substance Abuse Counseling (3 credits)
    ECD 542 – Research Issues (3 credits)
    ECD 545 – Counseling Couples and Families (3 credits)
    ECD 546 – Crisis Counseling (3 credits)
    ECD 561 – Strategies for Clinical Assessment in Counseling (3 credits)
    ECD 562 – Techniques in Counseling (4 credits)
    ECD 575 – Multicultural Life Span Human Development (3 credits)
    ECD 642 – Practicum in Counseling (3 credits)
    ECD 651 – Internship in School Counseling (6 credits)
    ECD 651 – Internship in School Counseling (6 credits)

Students are eligible to take the National Counselor Examination (NCE) in the final semester of the program. Completion of a master’s degree in counseling and passing the NCE are two of the prerequisites for becoming a Licensed Professional Counselor, a career goal for many of our students.

  • Completed online application,  resume and non-refundable application fee
  • Our masters program is no longer requiring the GRE/MAT exam.
  • Three recommendations from people who know your academic record and potential for graduate study (letters should be uploaded online)
  • A personal statement answering the prompts detailed in the application. Personal statements should not exceed 5 pages, double spaced, using 12 point Times New Roman
  • Official* transcripts of all post-secondary education
  • Official** statement of English Proficiency (TOEFL) for international students

Our admissions requirements align with the CACREP standards and admission decision recommendations, which includes consideration of each applicant’s

  1. relevance of career goals,
  2. aptitude for graduate-level study,
  3. potential success in forming effective counseling relationships, and
  4. respect for cultural differences.

Applications and all supporting documents must be received on or before the Graduate School priority deadlines or the program deadlines. International students should also consider their specific deadlines, whichever is earlier.

The Graduate School
North Carolina State University
Research Building III, Room 240
1005 Capability Drive, Box 7102
Raleigh, NC  27695

Review the Estimated Cost of Attendance associated with this master’s degree for the upcoming semester tuition and fees. Note that tuition and fees are subject to change.

For a complete and detailed description of the programs’ objectives and organization, as well as regulations, procedures and resources for all students, please refer to the Counselor Education Student Handbook.

  • PLO 1: Professional Counseling Orientation and Ethical Practice – Students will demonstrate knowledge of and skills related to ethical professional counseling practice (CACREP 2.F.1).
  • PLO 2: Social and Cultural Diversity – Students will demonstrate knowledge of the role cultural context plays in the practice of professional counseling and apply culturally relevant skills for working with diverse populations (CACREP 2.F.2).
  • PLO 3: Human Growth and Development – Students will demonstrate knowledge and application of human growth and development, as well as related contextual dimensions, to the practice of professional counseling (CACREP 2.F.3.).
  • PLO 4: Career Development – Students will demonstrate knowledge and application of career development to the practice of professional counseling (CACREP 2.F.4.).
  • PLO 5: Counseling and Helping Relationships – Students will demonstrate knowledge and skills of the helping process; counseling theories and techniques; prevention, education, consultation, and wellness models; counselor self-understanding; and the change process (CACREP 2.F.5.).
  • PLO 6: Group Counseling and Group Work – Students will demonstrate knowledge and skills of group development, dynamics, theories, and techniques (CACREP 2.F.6).
  • PLO 7: Assessment and Testing –  Students will demonstrate knowledge and application of culturally and developmentally appropriate clinical assessment and evaluation practices (CACREP 2.F.4.; CACREP 2.F.7.).
  • PLO 8: Research and Program Evaluation – Students will critically evaluate and utilize research, evidence-based practices, and/or program evaluation (CACREP 2.F.8.).
  • PLO 11: School Counseling – Students will demonstrate the professional knowledge and skills necessary to promote the academic, career, and personal/social development of all K–12 students through data-informed school counseling programs.

To earn a school counseling license, you must be a graduate of a 60-hour CACREP accredited master’s program in counseling (e.g. School Counseling, Clinical Mental Health, College Counseling, Career Counseling). At this time, students in our program need to enroll  in ECD 533 (SummerII) and ECD 651 (Fall) to become eligible for a N.C. School Counseling license. Contact Assistant Professor Adria Dunbar with any questions.

Adopting the School-College-Community Collaboration Model, we prepare students who can work with professionals in different fields to promote wellness and benefits of the clients while maintaining a commitment to diversity, multiculturalism, and social justice. In addition to the traditional core on developmental theory and the design and implementation of preventive interventions based on this theory, the program focuses on clinical counseling theory and practice. Another major focus is the commitment to multicultural diversity, which is reflected in the required coursework and in the faculty-student community.  Both the on-campus and online deliveries are accredited by the Council for the Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP).

Accreditation: NC State is accredited by SACS until 2024 and all the counseling programs are eligible for renewal of accreditation by CACREP March 31, 2024.
Founded in 1946, the Counselor Education Program at North Carolina State University has had a long and rich history of contributing to the needs of North Carolina and the nation.

In the design of the curriculum and throughout each course, the student’s competence in theory and practice is important. Students participate in individualized field experiences appropriate to their area of study in settings on and away from campus.

In light of our focus on multicultural diversity, we are particularly interested in attracting students from culturally-diverse backgrounds. In recent years, we have increased the proportion of culturally-different students from less than 5% to almost 20% of our degree candidates. Our curriculum content acknowledges the significance of cross-cultural perspectives in counseling theory, research and practice.

Mission

The Counselor Education Program at NC State shares the university’s land-grant mission. Through our Scientist-Practitioner and School-College-Community Collaboration Model, we train culturally competent counselors and counselor educators who are able to work collaboratively across settings to effectively lead, serve and advocate for the academic, career, personal and social development of children, adults, families and communities.

Vision

Our vision is to advance the frontiers of knowledge. Advanced video, computer, and networking technologies do and will continue to link Counselor Education graduate students and faculty with regional, state, national and international partners in teaching, research and service endeavors designed to offer hope to persons with the least access to educational and career opportunities afforded by life in the 21st century.

Faculty in the Counselor Education Program:

  • Stanley Baker, Professor, Counselor Education, On-Campus School Counseling Coordinator, Adviser to the Nu Sigma Chi Chapter of the Chi Sigma Iota Counseling and Academic Honor Society International, ELPHD Department
  • Cristina Braga, Assistant Teaching Professor, Counselor Education, On-Line Clinical Mental Health Counseling Coordinator, ELPHD Department
  • Nicole Childs, Assistant Teaching Professor, Counselor Education, GCCE Coordinator, ELPHD Department
  • Marc Grimmett, Professor, Associate Department Head, On-Campus Clinical Mental Health Counseling Coordinator, ELPHD Department
  • Rolanda Mitchell, Assistant Professor, Counselor Education, ELPHD Department
  • Sylvia Nassar, Professor, Counselor Education, ELPHD Department
  • Brean’a Parker, Assistant Professor, Counselor Education, ELPHD Department
  • Jose Picart, Senior Faculty Fellow, Friday Institute for Educational Innovation, Professor of Counselor Education, ELPHD Department and Executive Director, Wake Partnership for Postsecondary Success
  • Angela Smith, Teaching Professor, Counselor Education, Coordinator for Counselor Education Program, ELPHD Department
  • Siu-Man Raymond Ting, Professor, and Director of Graduate Programs, On-Campus College Counseling and Student Development Coordinator, ELPHD Department
  • Elizabeth Vincent, On Campus Clinical Coordinator, Assistant Teaching Professor, Counselor Education, ELPHD Department
  • Terri Tilford, OnLine Clinical Coordinator, Assistant Teaching Professor, Counselor Education, ELPHD Department

Admission/Interest Session

Join us for a joint information session for both the online and on-campus master’s programs in counseling on Oct. 10, 2023, from 7:00 to 8:15 p.m. You can attend in-person in Poe Hall 120 or via Zoom. A Zoom link will be sent to those who register to attend virtually. Please register to attend.

Question Mark

Hear from one of our graduates

Why study school counseling at NC State’s College of Education

Graduate having fulfilled the requirements for a N.C. School Counseling license as well as a LPCA

Gain full academic experience in a school with hands-on school counseling experiences in a K-12 school

Complete courses on-campus or online in as little as two years

Studying school counseling gave me the tools to support my students socially and emotionally, and to help prepare them for their future. I was drawn to the NC State College of Education because of its reputation and rigorous coursework.

Mollie Tucker ’19MED

Have questions? Contact us.

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