Shippensburg University

Program Information

Degree Offered

M.Ed.; M.S.

Format: Campus

Program Description:

The Department of Counseling and College Student Personnel teaches the skills necessary for the professional practice of counseling and college student personnel work. With our emphasis on personal growth, we encourage each student to gain competencies, values, and beliefs that will enhance and facilitate the helping process. Our program also facilitates the conceptualization of a professional role, which is not only relevant for the present, but also flexible enough to grow as new knowledge and development occurs.

The mission of the Department of Counseling and College Student Personnel is to develop students’ academic and personal potential through a comprehensive counselor education program for graduate counseling and college student personnel students. The department’s mission integrates the principles of a meaningful learning environment, professionalism, and individual responsibility. It strives to be a respected leader in the promotion of dignity, acceptance, and collaboration within the Shippensburg University campus environment. Specifically, it seeks to graduate highly skilled practitioners in counseling and college student personnel by utilizing experiential learning opportunities in an atmosphere of intellectual, investigative, and creative scholarly curiosity. The department nurtures students to become congruent lifelong learners, noble practitioners, and leaders in the profession who embrace inquiry, technology, and innovative practices. Through authentic relationships with invested faculty who model intentional practice based firmly in theory and cultural advocacy, students develop the knowledge and skills necessary to be purposeful, effective practitioners with a strong sense of personal and professional identity.

The department offers the following graduate degree specializations in counseling: Master of Education degree and certification as K-12 school counselors; Master of Science degree with specialization in clinical mental health counseling; and Master of Science degree with specialization in college counseling or college student personnel.

The counseling and college student personnel program is a careful balance of theory with practice. Students are required to complete a minimum of three internships. Over the years, the department has established numerous sites for experiential learning. These sites include elementary and secondary schools, colleges and universities, public and private social service agencies, and hospitals. Learning sites are jointly selected between the advisor and student with advisement.

Because the department is accredited, a student may sit for the certification tests administered by the National Board of Certified Counselors. Upon successful completion of the National Counselor Exam, students are eligible to become Nationally Certified Counselors without additional supervised experience.
Students who complete 60 credit hours consistent with the Pennsylvania Board of Counselors, Social Workers, and Marriage and Family Therapists are eligible for licensure as professional counselors; however, they must complete additional post-master’s supervisory experience in order to become licensed.
Graduates of this program have successfully obtained positions in elementary and secondary schools as well as in major universities throughout the United States. Other graduates work in community mental health agencies, group homes, service agencies, hospitals, and crisis units.

To qualify as a candidate for a master’s degree in counseling, a student must complete a minimum of 48 semester hours of graduate study (60 in the Clinical Mental Health specialization) and maintain a 3.0 grade point average. School counseling students may take additional courses necessary for K-12 eligibility.
Graduate work in counseling is divided into three phases. The sequence of coursework within each phase should be adhered to as closely as possible. Frequent consultation with a faculty advisor is necessary.

Accreditation:

Fully accredited by the Middle States Association of Colleges and Secondary Schools and the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE). The department is also authorized by the State Board of Education of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania to offer certification programs in Elementary Counseling and Secondary Counseling.

Eligibility Requirements:

Applicants must have a baccalaureate degree from an accredited college or university. Applicants to clinical mental health, student personnel, and college counseling specializations must present an official undergraduate transcript with a minimum 2.75 cumulative grade point average or successful completion of the Graduate Record Exam (GRE) or Miller Analogies Test (MAT). Applicants to the elementary and secondary school counseling specializations must present an official undergraduate transcript with a minimum 3.0 cumulative grade point average. GRE and MAT scores are not applicable to the elementary and secondary school counseling specializations. Applicants are expected to have a minimum of one year’s experience (paid or volunteer) in the area to which they are applying.

Tuition & Financial Aid

Financial Aid Offered: No

Classification: Master's Colleges & Universities I

Institution Sector: Public

Locale: Distant Town

Size & Settings: 5,000 - 9,999