Master of Education Degree in Counselor Education: School Counseling
Thank you for your interest in the Master of Education degree program in School Counseling at Clemson University. This CACREP-accredited program is dedicated to educating and training counseling professionals to function in culturally diverse settings. Students completing the M.Ed. School Counseling program will demonstrate ability to effectively work with students, teachers, administrators, parents, and other members of the community. We seek to admit a diverse applicant pool
The Application Process
Applications for the M.Ed. School Counseling program are only reviewed once a year for consideration for either a summer or a fall semester start. The application deadline is February 1. You must begin the application process here. All other supporting materials must be sent directly to the Office of Graduate Admissions at the address below so that they can be officially processed and added to your file.
Office of Graduate Admissions
E-209 Martin Hall
Clemson University
Clemson SC 29634
Required materials include:
- Official transcripts from all undergraduate institutions (verifying completion of a Baccalaureate degree from a regionally accredited institution)
- Official GRE scores - General test only (Verbal, Quantitative, Analytical Writing scores)
- Two letters of recommendation on Graduate School forms
- Two page personal statement addressing: a) your vision of the school counseling profession; b) why you desire to be a school counselor; and c) your experiences with children and adolescents. Applicants are encouraged to share in their personal statement any other information that would assist the faculty in evaluating their application.
Applications that are complete will be screened after February 1 and individuals who pass the initial screening will be invited to a group interview (typically the 3rd or 4th Saturday in February). Final decisions will be made after interviews are finished, typically near the beginning of March.
What We Look for in Applicants
Aside from possessing academic potential, applicants must enjoy working with children and adolescents and we look for individuals who have demonstrated a commitment to children and adolescents through their own recent volunteer or paid experiences with kids. Working as a school counseling no longer means only working one-on-one and in small groups with students. Today’s school counselors are leaders in their schools and advocates for students. They possess effective counseling skills, are collaborative, and are able to work effectively with diverse populations. As such, we also look for individuals who have demonstrated leadership skills as well as an ability to work well with others and a desire to become culturally competent.
Tuition and Financial Aid
Please see the Financial Aid Web site for up to date information regarding tuition and fees and contact the Financial Aid office for information about options. Some assistantships are available each year through our department and other locations on campus. Assistantships are available to full-time students (enrolled in at least 9 credit hours per semester) and typically require a 20-hour per week work commitment. The work assignments will vary depending on the assistantship. Students who obtain these positions will receive an extensive tuition reduction as well as a monthly stipend. Funding for these positions usually does not become finalized until the summer months, so it is difficult to know how many opportunities might be available until the summer. Applicants interested in assistantships should discuss this with the School Counseling Program Coordinator upon receiving an offer of admission.
Additional fees (rates listed below were approximate for 2009-2010 year) associated with specific school counseling program requirements include the following:
- One-time purchase of LiveText for student artifact management and assessment ($98)
- Application fee for school counselor certification, including fingerprinting ($150)
- Membership in American School Counselor Association during practicum and internship for liability insurance purposes (student rate $60 per year – will need 2 years)
- Fee to take the Praxis examination in school counseling prior to graduation ($130)
Program Information and Requirements
Students may complete the program on a part-time or full-time basis. The full-time program can be completed in two years, including one summer. All students must complete the program in six years, minus one semester. Courses are taught in the evenings at 5:00 or later. Approximately half of the courses are taught at Clemson University and the other half at the University Center in Greenville during each semester. Full-time students will likely need to travel back and forth to both locations, and carpooling is encouraged. Some students prefer to live in Clemson and some prefer Greenville.
The program requires 60 credit hours that are designed to be developmental in nature, and appropriate course sequencing is vital to ensure proper counseling skill development. Students are required to meet with their assigned advisor before enrolling in any course. Students may transfer in up to 12 graduate credits from an accredited institution. Transfer courses must meet the requirements of a Clemson graduate course and have been taken within the last five years. The following courses are required:
EDC 801 Foundations of School Counseling
EDC 807 Child and Adolescent Counseling
EDC 810 Theories/Techniques of Counseling
EDC 811 Multicultural Counseling
EDC 812 Career Counseling
EDC 813 Appraisal Procedures
EDC 814 Development of Counseling Skills
EDC 815 Group Counseling
EDC 818 Psychopathology for Counselors
EDC 851 Leadership in School Counseling
EDF 701 Human Growth & Development
EDF 702 Advanced Educational Psychology
EDL 839 Research in Educational Leadership
ED SP 853 Legal and Policy Issues in Special Education
Approved Elective
Required Field Experiences (15 Credit Hours)
EDC 830 School Counseling Practicum
EDC 841 School Counseling Internship
Through the two field experiences courses listed above, students must complete a minimum of 700 hours of field experiences in K-12 school settings.
Practicum involves students completing 100 hours in a school. This equates to approximately 1 day a week, or two half-days a week, for an entire semester. Students must arrange their work schedules to allow for at least half-days at their sites and must be at their sites throughout the course of an entire semester. The purpose of practicum is to learn about the school setting and to begin developing skills in individual and group counseling as well as classroom guidance. Of the 100 hours, students must accumulate 40 by providing direct services to students (i.e., individual or group counseling, or classroom guidance).
Internship involves students completing 600 hours in a school. The purpose of internship is to further develop skills in individual and group counseling and classroom guidance as well as to practice consultation skills by actively working with teachers and parents. Students are placed in K-12 schools and they can choose the building levels they would like. Internship is to be completed over the course of two semesters, so students will register for two separate 6-credit classes of EDC 841 during back-to-back semesters. During each 6-credit class, students are required to accumulate 300 hours at their sites, with a minimum of 120 direct hours per semester. This 120 hours equates to approximately 2 1/2 days a week, or five half-days a week, for an entire semester. Students must arrange their work schedules to allow for at least half-days at their sites (i.e., it is not acceptable for hours to be accumulated in a piecemeal manner, with an hour or two here and there) and must be at their sites throughout the course of an entire semester. It is not possible for individuals to be employed full-time in a school setting (e.g., teacher, CDF, school-based mental health counselor) during internship and successfully complete their internship requirements.
Program Completion and Certification
Students are eligible for school counselor certification in South Carolina upon graduation and successful completion of all program requirements. In addition to the coursework and field experience requirements listed above, students must successfully complete a written comprehensive examination, taken during their final semester in the program and receive a passing score on the PRAXIS Exam.
Students completing Clemson’s program in school counseling are eligible for certification in South Carolina as elementary school counselors, secondary school counselors, or both. Students must work closely with their advisor to choose internship placements relevant to the building levels for which they want to be certified.
Individuals planning to seek employment in other states should plan to inquire about those specific state requirements at some point before graduation. Reciprocity exists with many states, making it fairly easy for students to become certified in another state once they have received an initial certification.
Certification-Only Option
Individuals who possess a master’s degree in counselor education (e.g., clinical mental health counseling, rehabilitation counseling) and who are interested in becoming school counselors can apply to the nondegree certification-only program in school counseling (download certification information) These individuals will be required to complete all coursework from the degree 60-credit program that they have not already completed. Individuals with master’s degrees in other areas, including education, are NOT eligible for the certification-only program.
Assessment:
The Counselor Education (EDC) program is committed to continuous program improvement. As such the department engages in numerous assessment activities and implements a comprehensive evaluation plan. This plan involves collecting program feedback from a variety of constituent groups, i.e. students, program graduates, site supervisors, employers, advisory board members, and other partners. The feedback gathered from these assessment tools is used to implement program changes, modifications, and updates.
As part of the comprehensive assessment plan, the following groups are surveyed to provide program feedback:
- Exit Surveys-are collected each semester from graduating students. The spring 2006 and Fall 2005 exit survey results for EDC Community Counseling, EDC School Counseling, and EDC Student Affairs are available;
- Alumni Surveys-are collected from program graduates one and three year after graduation. The 2004 alumni survey (xls) and 2005 alumni survey (xls) results are available;
- Site Supervisor/Employer Surveys-are collected annually. The 2005 site/employer survey (xls) results are posted.
Prospective students are encouraged to read these survey results.
Hard copies of these surveys are also available the Counselor Education office, Tillman 330.
Contact Us
Additional questions about Clemson’s school counseling program can be directed to Amy Milsom, school counseling program coordinator.