Master of Science in Education, Counseling

The Master of Science in Education (M.S.Ed.) with a major in counseling consists of 39 credit hours of coursework, which includes practicum and internship experiences in K-12 schools. Candidates can complete this program in 2 calendar years + an 8-week prerequisite course.

Please note: More than 40 states, including Indiana and Kentucky, do NOT require school counselors to be licensed or certified teachers to be hired as school counselors. However, to be employed as a school counselor in Jefferson County (Ky.) Public Schools (JCPS), candidates are required to have 3 years of relevant education experience or prior experience working as a school counselor. Candidates are responsible for contacting JCPS directly to find out more about their required employment qualifications. For information about other state certification requirements, candidates should check the American School Counselor Association website.

Candidates submit Application #1, Transition Point I, to take the 8-week prerequisite course, Educ G500 - Orientation to Counseling. Candidates must earn an ‘A’ in that course and can then submit Application #2, Transition Point II, to the clinical cohort.

Admittance into the clinical cohort allows candidates to complete the 12 additional courses necessary for the Master of Science in Education as a school counseling major. The clinical cohort begins every May and takes two calendar years to complete.

Once admitted to the clinical cohort, all candidates are expected to meet all program requirements, including but not limited to:

• Class attendance and timeliness
• Homework and in-class work
• Group projects
• Practicum and internship demands
• Attendance at regional or state conferences

Additionally, candidates are expected to meet professional dispositions, which include but are not limited to:

• Putting time and effort into the program
• Being punctual and dependable
• Willingness to accept feedback and differing opinions
• Personal and professional reflection
• Sensitivity to and acceptance of diversity
• Professional attire and communication with professors, peers, and school professionals
• Other professional behaviors and attitude

Students who earn the M.S. in Education degree with a major in counseling must take the Indiana Content Licensing Exam from the Indiana Department of Education to earn their Indiana P–12 School Counseling License. Once candidates have passed this content exam and have been awarded their Indiana P–12 School Counseling License, they may submit the required paperwork to the Kentucky Professional Education Professional Standards Board to receive their Kentucky P–12 School Counselor Certification.

Students should check the website of the American School Counselor Association to determine license and certification qualifications for other states. Completing the School Counseling program does NOT qualify students for the Indiana or Kentucky Mental Health Counseling License, which is necessary for any non-school counseling position.

All candidates are required to join the American School Counseling Association (ASCA) as a student member when admitted to the clinical cohort.

A student membership with ASCA includes access to a number of valuable resources, but most importantly, it provides candidates professional liability insurance, which is required for the duration of the program.

You must visit the ASCA website to join and to receive a membership card. Candidates are required to provide a copy of their membership card to their program faculty members.

During the clinical cohort, you will be required to conduct individual counseling sessions, group counseling sessions, and other activities; many if not all of these sessions must be audio-recorded. Many of these audio recordings will then be uploaded to CANVAS or other similar sites. Therefore, you will need to digitally record these sessions and activities.

Candidates may not use their smartphone, iPhone, iPod, iPad, etc. because they are not secure devices. Candidates must have access to a digital recorder; ideally, all candidates should own a digital recorder because you will be using these frequently and consistently throughout the two years. You do NOT need the most expensive recorder; you just need a recorder that will record with good sound quality, will allow you to digitally upload, and will last for at least 2 years.

In the first clinical year, all students attend a counseling conference; the specific conference will be determined by the program.

Students are responsible for paying all fees for the conference and arranging time off from their jobs. Some schools allow personnel to use professional days for counseling conferences, but if necessary, students must use personal days to attend these conferences because they are a vital part of the counselor’s education and professional development.

Students are also required to attend the school counseling conference in their state during the second year.

All counseling students must have regular access to the web and to email.

As an IUS student, you receive an email account and you may either use this, a work account, or a home email account. If you are using a work account, however, you must be able to access it during summer classes.

Many course materials will be delivered through ONCOURSE, which requires web access.

During the counseling program, students will often have a role as a student counselor, but they will also have to be a student client to allow other students to practice their skills. During such exercises, students will be required to self-disclose personal thoughts, feelings, and behaviors, but will be able to select what they disclose. They will always have the right to decline to discuss specific personal information.

As a student client, the candidate must also make a good-faith effort to work on an actual personal issue. No part of the student’s grade will be determined by the information self-disclosed as a student client. It is a serious ethical responsibility for the student to keep the personal information disclosed by other students in the program confidential and not to discuss this information outside of class.

When students are invited to join the clinical cohort, they must sign a Terms of Agreement that summarizes all responsibilities of participating in the two-year clinical cohort.