Master of Education in School Counseling and Leadership

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. Applicants must meet the admission requirements for Graduate College.
3. Approval from the Program Director.

View All 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 Schools
   COUN 6133 Principles of Curriculum Development
   COUN 6143 Organizational Change/Role of School Counselor
   COUN 6152 Professional Portfolio
   COUN 6202 Ethics and Legal Issues for the School Counselor
   

   
   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 (10 hours)                                                                                                       

    

   COUN 6243 Group Counseling Strategies in the Schools                                                                                                                                        COUN 6303 Counseling Skill Development II
   COUN 6302 School Counseling Internship/4 
   
   
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.

Degree Works

Degree Works is a software tool utilized by Arkansas Tech University designed to detail academic progression. It allows both students and advisors to monitor course progress towards degree completion and clearly indicates which course requirements have been met as well as how courses transfer into a program. Transfer courses must be approved through the use of a substitution/waiver form available via the Registrar for progress to display correctly within Degree Works. 

Degree Works will display course progression based on the current program of study, but a "what-if" scenario can be generated for any program to see how progression looks with the courses currently completed and in progress. Note that if you have applied to and been admitted to a graduate program while still finishing your undergraduate program, Degree Works will show your new program of study in the graduate program and you would have to generate a "what-if" query to see your undergraduate degree progress.

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 Graduate College.  Students must apply for graduation upon completion of fifteen (15) 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.