Counseling and Human Development Services

Professional Counseling, Specialization: School Counseling, M.Ed.

2007-08 School Counseling Master’s Program Handbook

Program Overview

The mission of the School Counseling Program is to prepare professional counselors to work in elementary, middle, and secondary schools. Students are recruited for the program who reflect the diverse nature of our society, with particular attention to the recruitment of under-represented groups in school counseling. Our goal is to graduate students who are self-reflective practitioners who can conduct research on effective practice through their involvement in the solution of real-world problems in schools.

We believe that school counselors serve a scholar-practitioner role as human development specialists in schools. Further, we believe that professional school counselors need to be sensitive to existing social, economic, political, and pedagogical realities while remaining responsive to the developmental needs of students within a multicultural, technologically sophisticated, and rapidly changing society. Although prior teaching experience is not a requirement for admission, successful applicants typically 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 program participates in a collaborative partnership with professional school counselors and other educational leaders to monitor, evaluate and improve the program's efforts to achieve its mission. Students progress through a carefully designed sequence of coursework and clinical experiences. For more detailed information, see the Program Advisement Form.

Graduates qualify for the Department's endorsement for initial certification by the Georgia Professional Standards Commission as a school counselor (S-5). Students also complete the academic requirements for state licensure as a Professional Counselor; extended supervised counseling experiences and successful completion of an examination are additional requirements for licensure, beyond degree completion.

The School Counseling Program is a full-time degree program. Students with graduate degrees in other educational areas who wish to obtain an "add-on" certificate may obtain departmental endorsement only by completing the requirements of the Educational Specialist's (Ed.S) Program.

Unique Features

Our students comprise a diverse group of individuals who possess a deep commitment to self-reflective learning and an equally strong interest in developing the personal and professional competencies that can make a positive difference in the lives of learners, teachers, parents, and others involved directly in schools. A select class of students is admitted annually to begin as a cohort during the summer. Each cohort develops its own unique support system that results in a collegial learning environment.
The faculty is comprised of recognized leaders in the profession. Each of the three principal faculty members has served in professional leadership positions at the local and national levels, and each has contributed significantly to the professional literature.
The most unique aspect of the program is the strong collaborative partnership with local educators that has evolved over the past several years to play a significant role in the design, execution, and evaluation of the program. The group includes local school counselors, students and faculty from the program, and representatives of other educational disciplines, all of whom convene regularly to focus on the real-world issues and concerns of the schools.