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Master of Education - School Counseling

This degree prepares students for careers as school counselors in public and private elementary, middle school and secondary settings. With the exception of a few courses and practicum experiences this program may be accessed in an online format. The students will be expected to be on campus for some of the program.*

Please note this program requires that the student possess either a baccalaureate degree in education or have completed an alternative teaching certification program which included student teaching. For endorsement as school counselors in Nebraska applicants must possess a teaching certificate (or be eligible for one) and have two years teaching experience by the completion of the degree program.

Entrance requirements for the School Counseling based program

• Complete application
• Earned baccalaureate degree from a regionally accredited institution with a grade point average of 2.75 or better on a 4.00 scale
• Official transcripts from the college/university which issued bachelor's degree
• Official transcripts from any institutions attended after receiving bachelor's degree (if applicable)
• Application to the Counseling program is a 2-step process.  All students are required to:

1. Successfully complete the interview for the purpose of assessing candidate qualities in the areas of motivation for professional development, communication skills, self-awareness, confidence, and experience working with diverse populations, and
2. Attend the Counseling Program's Orientation.

Students must successfully complete the Counseling Interview prior to completing their first semester of the Counseling Program.  The Counseling Interview is an individual student interview with the Counseling faculty.  Only Counseling students accepted by the Counseling faculty following the Counseling Interview will be invited to attend the Counseling Orientation.  The Counseling Interview is conducted in Chadron, NE while the Counseling Orientation is offered each semester in both North Platte and Chadron, NE.  Graduate Counseling students must attend both meetings (Counseling Interview and Counseling Orientation) to continue to be a degree seeking student.

Program of study for the School Counseling based program

EDCI 631, Research Design & Data Analysis, should be completed within the first 12 hours of a student's program of study.

• 4 Year Course Rotation

Courses:

Number	Course Title	Hours
COUN 531*	Counseling and Communication Skills	3
COUN 533	Counseling Ethics & Professional Identity	3
COUN 534	Fundamentals of Assessment	3
COUN 535	Multicultural Counseling	3
COUN 536	Family Development OR COUN 629 Counseling Children or COUN 630 Crisis Counseling	3
COUN 541	Counseling Theories	3
COUN 632	Career and Lifestyle Development	3
COUN 634*	Group Counseling	3
COUN 635	School Counseling	3
COUN 637	Advanced Human Development	3
COUN 639A*	Practicum in Counseling I	3
COUN 640*	Internship in Counseling (if completing K-12 certification, must complete 6 credit hours)	3-6
EDCI 631	Research Design & Data Analysis	3
Total		39

* Not available online

For PK-8 school counseling endorsement, students must take one 450-hour elementary school counseling internship. For 7-12 school counseling endorsement, students must complete one 450-hour secondary school counseling internship. Students seeking PK-12 school counseling endorsement must complete a 900-hour internship. Regardless of the number of hours, students should register for COUN 640. Students may need to take additional credit hours for completion of this requirement.

Note: For School Counseling students who wish to obtain licensure as Licensed Professional Counselors from the State of Nebraska, the following courses are needed to complete the requirement: COUN 532, 631, 633, 636, and 639B. Contact a Counseling faculty member for additional information.

The Praxis II test for School Counselor is required for graduation.  Students seeking certification of this endorsement in Nebraska must reach the state cut score required for Nebraska Licensure.