TRACK DESCRIPTION
The School Counseling track in the Counselor Education MEd program prepares students to work as professional counselors in Pre-K through postsecondary school settings.
The School Counseling track in the Counselor Education MEd program prepares students to work as professional counselors in Pre-K through postsecondary school settings.
As part of the program's real-world approach to counselor education (in addition to classroom studies) all students complete clinical experiences in the UCF Community Counseling Clinic and on-site in the community.
CURRICULUM
| Total Credit Hours Required: |
| 51
Credit Hours Minimum beyond the Bachelor's Degree |
The School Counseling track in the Counselor Education MEd program requires a minimum of 51 credit hours beyond the bachelor’s degree, including 12 credit hours of core courses, 30 credit hours of specialization, and 9 credit hours of professional clinical or practicum experience.
Prerequisite
Students must have or be eligible for the Florida Professional Teaching Certificate in Counselor Education.
Required Courses—42 Credit Hours
Core—12 Credit Hours
- EDF 6155 Lifespan Human Development and Learning (3 credit hours)
- EDF 6481 Fundamentals of Graduate Research in Education (3 credit hours)
- EGC 6971 Thesis or 2 electives (6 credit hours)
Specialization—30 Credit Hours
- MHS 5005 Introduction to the Counseling Profession (3 credit hours)
- MHS 6220 Individual Psychoeducational Testing I (3 credit hours)
- MHS 6400 Theories of Counseling and Personality (3 credit hours)
- MHS 6401 Techniques of Counseling (3 credit hours)
- MHS 6420 Counseling Special Populations (3 credit hours)
- MHS 6500 Group Procedures and Theories in Counseling (3 credit hours)
- SPS 6815 Legal and Ethical Issues in Professional School Counseling (3 credit hours)
- SDS 6347 Career Development (3 credit hours)
- SDS 6411 Counseling with Children and Adolescents (3 credit hours)
- SDS 6620 Coordination of Comprehensive Professional School Counseling Programs (3 credit hours)
Professional Clinical Experience—9 Credit Hours
Practica and internship are independent learning activities that take place in authentic settings in which students must apply, reflect on, and refine knowledge and skills acquired in the program. The internship experience gives students full control of the operational setting where they are placed (e.g., such as primary classroom teacher while being observed and mentored by a supervising teacher and UCF faculty member).
- MHS 6803 Practicum in Counselor Education (3 credit hours)
- SDS 6947 Internship in Professional School Counseling (3 credit hours)
- SDS 6947 Internship in Professional School Counseling (3 credit hours)
Note: Courses should be taken in the following sequence: MHS 5005, 6400, 6401, 6500, 6803, and 6830
Additional Program Requirements
- Achieve at least a GPA of 3.0 in counseling specialization courses.
- Achieve a “B” or better in MHS 6803 and SDS 6947.
- Complete clinical experiences in the UCF Community Counseling Clinic and on-site in the community (a total of 1,100 clock hours are required for mental health counseling or 700 hours for school counseling).
- Complete a portfolio and receive approval by Counselor Education faculty.
- Complete a professional exit examination.
Application Requirements
For information on general UCF graduate admissions requirements that apply to all prospective students, please visit the Admissions section of the Graduate Catalog. Applicants must apply online. All requested materials must be submitted by the established deadline(s).
In addition to the general UCF graduate application requirements, applicants to this program must provide:
- One official transcript (in a sealed envelope) from each college/university attended.
- Official, competitive GRE score taken in the last five years.
- Current Florida Professional Teaching Certificate in Counselor Education or have completed all the requirements for that Professional Teaching Certificate.
- Three letters of recommendation.
- Résumé.
- Goal statement.
Applicants who have graduated from an accredited university or college teacher certification program in another state or country, in the appropriate subject and/or grade range, may also be admitted to the MEd program at the discretion of the program director.
This program can accommodate only a limited number of students; therefore, there is a possibility of being denied admission even when all criteria are met.
The College of Education reserves the right to refuse student entrance or terminate a student after admission to the Counselor Education program, if in the judgment of the faculty the student demonstrates unacceptable personal fitness to work in the counseling field with children, youth, and/or adults.
A formal interview is required and will be scheduled after the College of Education admission requirements are met. Interviews are conducted on the second Friday in March and the second Friday in October. Attendance at the program orientation session at 4:30 p.m. on the Thursday before classes begin, in the semester to which the student applied, is mandatory.
Application Deadlines
| School Counseling |
Fall Priority
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Fall
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Spring
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Summer
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Domestic Applicants
| Jan 15 | Mar 1 | Oct 1 | |
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International Applicants
| Jan 15 | Jan 15 | Jul 1 | |
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International Transfer Applicants
| Jan 15 | Mar 1 | Sep 1 | |
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FINANCIALS
Graduate students may receive financial assistance through fellowships, assistantships, tuition support, or loans. For more information, see Student Finances, which describes the types of financial assistance available at UCF and provides general guidance in planning your graduate finances. The Financial Information section of the Graduate Catalog is another key resource.
Fellowships
Fellowships are awarded based on academic merit to highly qualified students. They are paid to students through the Office of Student Financial Assistance, based on instructions provided by the College of Graduate Studies. Fellowships are given to support a student’s graduate study and do not have a work obligation. For more information, see Fellowships, which includes descriptions of UCF fellowships and what you should do to be considered for a fellowship.