Ed.S. Degree in Counselor Education
K-12 School Counseling Mission Statement
The mission of the K-12 School Counseling Program is to prepare professional counselors to work in elementary, middle, and high schools. Our goal is to graduate students who are self-reflective scholar practitioners who can conduct research on effective practice through their involvement in the solution of real-world problems in schools. We are committed to preparing our students in accordance with the comprehensive developmental counseling model and the Transforming School Counseling Initiative (www2.edtrust.org/edtrust/) as adopted by the American School Counselor Association (www.schoolcounselor.org). Further, we believe that professional school counselors will promote awareness, knowledge, and skills in interacting with economically, socially, and culturally diverse members of school communities.
The School Counseling program is committed to recruiting and admitting students who reflect the diverse nature of society. In addition, preference will be given to applicants who have had one or more years of direct, supervised, full-time work experience with school-age children in an educational or human services setting. The ideal candidate demonstrates openness to those opportunities designed to foster personal and professional development through a supporting and challenging learning environment.
Students progress through a carefully designed sequence of coursework and clinical experiences in a cohort model. Program faculty intentionally designs didactic and experiential coursework that fosters the development of professional knowledge, skills, and self-awareness; all integral to the professional practice of school counseling. The program participates in a collaborative partnership with professional school counselors and other education leaders to monitor, evaluate, and improve the program’s efforts to achieve its mission. Successful completion of the program requirements will earn the student the Educational Specialist degree (Ed.S.) in Counselor Education with a specialization in K-12 School Counseling.
Please read the Ed.S. Handbook for detailed information regarding the admissions criteria, deadlines, curriculum, etc.