General Information

The M.S. in Education with a major in counseling is, at the time of preparation of this bulletin, undergoing some revisions in its curriculum. Individuals seeking admission to this program should check with the program coordinator for program changes.

As this bulletin goes to print, requirements are being reviewed by accrediting groups. Updates will appear on the program Web site and be explained in the group advising and information session offered six times a year. Check the School of Education Web site at www.ius.edu/Education for dates.

The counseling program provides two options: a minimum 48 credit hour program for students without a master's degree and a minimum 36 credit hour second master's program for students who already have a master's degree in education. Both options are designed for part-time attendance. Courses are offered in the evening in the fall and spring semesters and during the day or evenings in summer sessions.

Graduates of the program are eligible for certification as school counselors in Indiana. Non-teachers may be certified as school counselors in Indiana by completing a 600 hour internship during the master's. Teachers are required to do a 300 hour internship. Kentucky requires school counselors to hold teacher certification, so only teachers may receive Kentucky certification through this program.

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Option 1

Admission Requirements - Option 1
Course Requirements for the Master's Degree in Counseling: Option 1

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Admission Requirements - Option 1

Admission is a two-step process. First, students should apply to the School of Education as a graduate student, counseling major, by completing an application and submitting official transcripts of undergraduate and graduate work. Students will receive conditional admission to the program if they have a 2.75 undergraduate GPA in any major or a master's in any field with a 3.0 GPA.

The program coordinator will review the candidate's file to see if the prerequisites or precore classes have been satisfied by other coursework.

Once students receive conditional acceptance they may begin taking courses in the precounseling core. EDUC G500 Orientation to Counseling must be taken first or concurrently. Other precounseling courses and prerequisites (if needed) may be taken in any order. No grade below B will be accepted.

Once students have completed the precounseling core and prerequisites, they may apply to the clinical portion of the counseling program. Applications close on April 1 and consist of the following items:

1. Resume
2. Goals statement
3. Three letters of recommendation using counseling program forms
4. Projects from precore classes
5. Documentation of 18 months post B.A. experience with K-12 age children. (Does not have to be teaching.)
6. Field experience permission form (teachers only)
7. Non-teachers must have criminal history check

Sixteen students are selected for the clinical training and are notified by May 1 of their acceptance into the program. Directions for the goals statement and resume and recommendation forms are distributed in G500. A committee reviews the applicant pool and selects candidates on the basis of undergraduate GPA, oral and written communication skills, previous career experience, grades on precore projects, and letters of recommendation. If a person is not accepted for a particular clinical year, he or she may reapply for the next year. [Completion of the precounseling core in no way guarantees acceptance into the clinical training portion of the program.] The 16 students accepted into the clinical training move through the remaining 39 credit hours as a cohort group, taking all their classes together. The two years of clinical training are NOT self-paced. Students take two classes fall and spring semesters in the second and third year and three classes in the intervening summer.

In spring semester of the second year, all students do a practicum for 6 hours a week in a school. In both fall and spring semesters of the third year, all students do an internship; teachers intern for 150 hours each semester and non-teachers for 300 hours. Teachers may do their practicum and internship in their own school provided the superintendent and principal allow the use of the teacher preparation period and time before and after school. Non-teachers are placed in a school that has an exemplary school counseling program.

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Course Requirements for the Master's Degree in Counseling: Option 1

1. Prerequisite: (6 credit hours)
   

   EDUC K205 or K505 Introduction to Special Education	3
   EDUC P570 Management of Classroom Behavior (or undergraduate equivalent)	3

2. Precounseling core (9 credit hours.)
   

   EDUC G500 Orientation to Counseling	3
   EDUC H520 Education and Social Issues	3
   EDUC P515 Child Development	3

3. Clinical Training (39 credit hours)
   

   EDUC G503 Counseling Theory and Techniques I	3
   EDUC G505 Individual Appraisal	3
   EDUC G507 Lifestyle and Career Development	3
   EDUC G523 Laboratory in Counseling	3
   EDUC G524 Practicum in Counseling	3
   EDUC G532 Group Counseling	3
   EDUC G542 Organization and Development of Programs	3
   EDUC G550 Internship in Counseling	6
   EDUC G562 School Counseling	3
   EDUC G575 Multicultural Counseling	3
   EDUC G580 Topical Seminar in Counseling	3
   Elective in Counseling	3

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Option 2

Admissions and Course Requirements: Option 2

Students interested in a second master's with a counseling major should complete an application to graduate school as a counseling major and submit undergraduate and graduate transcripts. The file will be reviewed and students will be notified of conditional admission if the first master's in education was completed with at least a 3.0 GPA. The competencies from courses in the prerequisite and precounseling core must be covered. The program coordinator will send a letter noting any deficiencies.

Once the student has received conditional acceptance, course deficiencies should be completed. All Option 2 students MUST have EDUC G500 Orientation to Counseling and should take that immediately if it was not taken in the first master's. Once G500 has been completed and course deficiencies met, the candidate for the second master's should apply to the clinical training program following the guidelines outlined under Option 1. Applications must be completed by April 1. Selection procedures will be the same as outlined under Option 1. Students who do not need G500 should contact the program coordinator to get instructions for the other application requirements.

Clinical Training
Under Option 2 all students take the 36 credit hours of clinical training listed under Option 1 except for the elective.

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Program Regulations

1. The candidate for the master's degree in counseling must have a minimum grade average of B in each course in the precounseling core and in the clinical training. Grades below B in the clinical training will not apply toward the completion of requirements and will result in the student's loss of active status in the program. The student may apply for readmission after completing remedial course work and/or clinical experiences required by the counseling program team. Readmission depends on satisfactory completion of the remedial experiences and space availability in the program.
   
   
2. All graduate courses must be completed within six years from the completion of the first counseling graduate course to be counted toward the M.S. in Education degree.
   
   
3. The internship must be completed within three years of the completion of the first year of clinical training.
   
   
4. The counselor education program is competency based, requiring the demonstration and performance of entry-level counseling knowledges, performances, and dispositions. The student in the counseling program must be able to demonstrate the competencies expected for each decision-point before continuing in the program.
   
   
5. Prior to beginning the second semester of clinical training, all students must join the American School Counseling Association AND obtain liability insurance from that organization. The student must continue the organizational membership and liability coverage for the entire duration of the program.
   
   
6. Students must be able to take two days each of the clinical training years (total of four days) to attend professional counseling conferences designated by the program. The student is expected to pay all costs associated with attendance at these conferences. Student registrations are available at reduced costs and sometimes additional scholarship help is available.
   
   
7. In accordance with Indiana Professional Standards Board (IPSB), students will be assessed at four decisions points.

   Decision Point I—Admission as a counseling major.

   Decision Point II—Admission to clinical training.

   Decision Point III—Completion of 15 hours of clinical training.

   Decision Point IV—Completion of the final 24 hours of clinical training.

   Students will be assessed at each point to see if standards are met. Students will be notified in writing of failure to meet standards and be given an opportunity to remediate deficiencies within a timeline. Failure to remediate within the time frame will result in loss of status in the program. See the Counseling Student Handbook for specific standards under each decision point.