Master of Education

School Counseling and Leadership

The Master of Education (M.Ed.) in School Counseling and Leadership is designed to prepare candidates for licensure as school counselors. The program consists of 17 hours of leadership core courses and 28 hours of school counseling specialty courses. Practical activities representative of situations school personnel face on a daily basis have been integrated into the coursework. The program will provide opportunities for outstanding individuals to earn Arkansas school counselor licensure. Students will enter into the program as cohorts.

Unconditional Admission

Students are eligible to apply for unconditional admission to the Master of Education degree program in School Counseling and Leadership if they meet the following requirements:

  1. Applicants must hold a standard teaching license or a bachelor’s degree from an accredited college in psychology, rehabilitation science, or sociology.  Related fields will be examined on an individual basis.
  2. For those applicants not holding a standard teaching license (non-traditional applicants), they must take and pass the Praxis 1: PPST (if taken and passed before 9/1/13) OR the new CORE exams (5712, 5722, 5732) that replaced Praxis I as of September 1, 2013.  Non-traditional applicants may substitute the GRE for the Praxis Core if they already hold a master’s degree (or higher) and meet the listed Arkansas cut score(s) upon making application to the program. Cutoff scores can be found at Praxis 2014.
  3. Applicants must meet the admission requirements for Graduate College.
  4. Approval from the Program Director.

Program Requirements

Degree Requirements

  1. A minimum of 45 semester hours must be completed; all courses must be at the 6000 level, including the following courses:

    Level One Coursework - Core Courses (17 hours)
    COUN 6003 School Organization and Leadership for the Counselor
    COUN 6011 Instructional Leadership/Counseling
    COUN 6113 Action Research and Data Analysis for High Performing School
    COUN 6133 Principles of Curriculum Development
    COUN 6143 Organizational Change/Role of School Counseling
    COUN 6152 Professional Portfolio
    COUN 6202 Ethical and Legal Issues

    Level Two Coursework - School Counseling and Leadership (21 hours)
    COUN 6012 Assessment and Appraisal
    COUN 6213 Developmental Counseling: Theory and Application
    COUN 6224 Counseling Skill Development I
    COUN 6233 School Counseling Programs
    COUN 6243 Group Counseling Strategies in the Schools
    COUN 6253 Career Development/Academic Advising
    COUN 6263 Teaming, Collaboration, and Advocacy

    Level Three Coursework - Supervised Field Experiences (7 hours)
    COUN 6303 Counseling Skill Development II
    COUN 6302/4 Internship

  2. A portfolio must be successfully completed and approved by a portfolio review committee.
  3. A cumulative grade point average of a 3.00 or better must be achieved in all graduate work attempted at Arkansas Tech University, with a maximum of six (6) hours of "C" grades. A student receiving more than six (6) hours of "C" or grades lower than "C" should refer to the section of the catalog on Academic Probation and Dismissal.
  4. Thirty-six hours of graduate work must be taken while in residence at Arkansas Tech University.
  5. The master's degree program must be completed within six (6) years from the time of admission to the graduate program.

Candidacy

Graduate students admitted unconditionally must apply for candidacy to the selected degree program upon completion of twelve (12) graduate credit hours. Students admitted conditionally cannot apply for candidacy until all conditions assigned at the time of admission to graduate study have been removed.

Upon the completion of twelve (12) graduate hours, a hold will be placed on the students' record until a candidacy form has been approved by the Graduate Dean. Failure to apply for candidacy will result in the hold remaining on the students' record, and an inability to register for subsequent coursework. 

Students who have filed a candidacy form but do not enroll or receive graduate credit for one (1) academic year must submit a new candidacy form upon being readmitted into the same graduate program.  If admitted into a different academic program, students are not required to submit a new candidacy form until twelve (12) graduate credits have been accumulated within the new program.

Application for Graduation

In addition to satisfying all degree requirements, a candidate for a degree must file an Application for Graduation online or at the Registrar's Office. Students must apply for graduation upon completion of twelve (12) graduate credit hours.

Special Conditions of Graduate Credit

Graduate Credit Taken Prior to Admission to Arkansas Tech University

A maximum of nine (9) semester hours of graduate credit with a grade point average of "B" or better may be transferred from an accredited graduate school if deemed appropriate to the graduate program by the head of the student's major department and the Graduate College Dean. Students must send a written request to the head of their major department to petition an acceptance of the transfer credit prior to requesting admission to candidacy to the graduate program. Graduate credit earned six (6) years prior to the completion date of all degree requirements may not be applied toward the degree without the approval of the appropriate program director and the Graduate College Dean. Credits earned by correspondence courses or for remedial purposes will not apply toward the graduate degree. No undergraduate course may be repeated for graduate credit.

Graduate Credit Taken After Admission to Arkansas Tech University

If after admission to graduate study, a student wishes to take a course at another institution to count toward degree requirements at Arkansas Tech University, the student must, in advance of enrollment, obtain written approval from the program director and the Graduate College Dean.