Counselor Education

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OVERVIEW

The Master’s degree in Counselor Education is designed with a mission to prepare counselors to work in mental health, school, and career counseling settings who promote social justice and responsibility, serve as leaders in a diverse and global community, and respond to the complexity of human needs across the lifespan.  The Counselor Education Program is fully accredited by the Council for the Accreditation of Counseling & Related Educational Programs (CACREP) and is an endorsed member of the International Registry of Counselor Education Programs (IRCEP).  Students may prepare for the National Certified Counselor credential offered by the National Board of Certified Counselors, the NC Licensed Professional Counselor Associate credential, and the Licensed School Counselor credential granted by the NC Department of Public Instruction.  Additionally, the counselor education program is recognized as a Criteria C school for Licensure as a Clinical Addictions Specialist (LCAS).   The Master of Arts degree in Counselor Education is completed within one of the three specialization tracks although a student may decide to become a dual major and complete all requirements for more than one course of study.

The program objectives for all program specializations are to develop counselors who:

1. Develop a theoretically solid philosophy of practice integrating research data into evidence-based practices;
2. Apply knowledge, skills, and dispositions consistent with the American Counseling Association’s Code of Ethics;
3. Formulate a professional identity that responds to the needs of their client populations while utilizing culturally competent practices and appropriate assessment tools and procedures;
4. Act with expertise in individual, group, and family counseling with diverse clients on personal, social, emotional, career, and educational issues that impact development across their lifespan;
5. Develop leadership ability and advocate to meet client needs and to remove individual and systemic barriers to development and consult with other professionals concerning the developmental needs of culturally diverse clients;
6. Build and sustain collaborative partnerships with stakeholders for promoting social justice, equity, and access.

All program tracks share core courses fundamental to becoming a competent counselor and each track includes specialty classes designed to expand the knowledge base of a particular specialization in mental health, school, or career counseling.  All program tracks may be completed either on campus or online with three short residencies on our Durham campus.  A major emphasis of the training is on culminating clinical experiences in partnership with local agencies and organizations, community service entities, and universities and schools.  All students complete both a Practicum and an Internship requiring supervised field placement. 

Courses are offered on campus, through distance education, and in hybrid formats that combine campus and online learning.  Students may complete a thesis if they desire to engage in original research.  Several electives are offered both within the program and in other related NCCU graduate programs equaling 700 clock hours.

Counselor Education Program Mission

The Counselor Education Program prepares counselors to work in mental health, school, and career counseling settings who promote social justice and responsibility, serve as leaders in a diverse and global community, and respond to the complexity of human needs across the lifespan. Faculty is expected to teach and mentor students, serve the community and counseling profession, and promote intellectual advancement through conducting and disseminating research.

There are three degree programs within the Counselor Education Program: career counseling, clinical mental health counseling and school counseling. All three programs are accredited by the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs or CACREP through March 31, 2022 and have been approved by IRCEP (the International Registry of Counsellor Education Programs).  All three programs are CACREP accredited for both campus and online delivery.

The Career Counseling program is also highlighted for excellence by the National Career Development Association (NCDA). It is the first accredited online career counseling program in the United States. The career program prepares students to become career development professionals with people of all ages in a variety of setting.  These settings include career services in higher education, K-12 public and private schools, nonprofit organizations, and private companies. The program is 48 hours in duration.

The Clinical Mental Health Counseling program at North Carolina Central University is accredited by CACREP through 2022 as previously stated about all our counseling programs.  Please note that the Clinical Mental Health Counseling program is currently under the 2001 standards for Community Counseling programs as a Community Counseling program. The CACREP 2009 Standards combine the Community Counseling and Mental Health Counseling Standards into standards for Clinical Mental Health Counseling. The counseling program will seek reaccreditation for this program under the Clinical Mental Health Counseling Standards (per CACREP guidelines) given the Community Counseling specialty area has now been replaced.

The clinical mental health counseling program prepares students for initial licensure with the NC Board of Licensed Professional Counselors and qualification as a National Certified Counselor.  With an additional 3 addictions courses, students are also eligible for the Licensed Clinical Addictions Specialist credential. Students are prepared to work in mental health, nonprofit, private practice, hospitals and prisons. The clinical mental health counseling program is 60 hours.

The School Counseling program is designed to prepare students for K-12 Licensure in North Carolina as professional school counselors. Students in this program complete a 60-hour curriculum designed to prepare them with the knowledge and skills to promote the academic, career, and personal/social development of all K-12 students.  The school counseling program is based upon the American School Counselor Association’s National Model for professionals to implement a comprehensive, developmental, data-driven school counseling program. We do not have a school counseling licensure only add-on.

All three programs require a supervised 100-hour practicum and a 600-hour internship in a setting commensurate with the student’s field of study.

The deadline for applications to any of the three programs is February 1 for fall admission consideration and October 1 for spring. These deadlines are firm, and all of the applicant’s materials must be in the School of Education graduate admissions office by the deadline for the application to be considered.

Admission to all three programs is very competitive. We prefer an undergraduate grade point average of 2.75 and general GRE scores less than 5 years old to apply. However, viable candidates tend to have GPA’s above 3.0 and GRE scores at or near the mean (50th percentile). The GRE is required of all applicants regardless of previous graduate work. We do not accept the MAT.

After an initial review of the applicants, the top applicants are invited for an interview with the admission committee. At that interview, the committee seeks to determine whether the candidate is a good fit for the field of counseling and the program of study to which they have applied. Successful applicants tend to demonstrate maturity, flexibility, a caring nature, and the ability to utilize feedback. After the interviews, the faculty make decisions about admissions. Candidates are notified about the admission committee’s decision within three weeks of the interview.

A student may attend full or part-time and as a campus or online student.  Our campus classes meet one day a week for 2.5 hours starting no earlier than 4pm. During the summer, classes meet in shorter, more intensive modules but a full load of classes is possible.  Students do have an option to add a 2nd major after enrollment.  Double majoring requires completing all specialty classes for both program tracks and does result in two master of arts degrees.

For applicants who are admitted into a program there are limited assistantships available. Preference is usually given to out-of-state students and full-time students. Many of our students are able to receive financial aid if they are enrolled for a minimum of 6 hours. Some competitive scholarship opportunities are available after enrollment.

Any additional questions may be directed to programinformation@nccucounseling.com.

Return to: School of Education Graduate Division