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Master of Arts in School Counseling

(MA degree)

Approved by Oregon Teacher Standards and Practices Commission (TSPC)

Purpose

The Master of Arts in School Counseling program is designed for men and women who desire graduate study and preparation for the school counseling profession.

Program Objectives

Educational Objectives

To enable students to:

• Understand students as having physiological, psychological, relational, spiritual, and educational needs
• Understand and articulate the core dynamics of school counseling in concert with sound theological principles
• Acquire, refine, and demonstrate appropriate school counseling and guidance skills used in working with students, families, and school and community systems
• Work effectively with elementary through high school students, as well as the interaction with schools and school systems
• Work knowledgeably and with facility in a variety of school situations, e.g., individual and group counseling and classroom guidance, as well as working with private, institutional, community, ecclesiastical, ethnic and culturally and socioeconomically diverse

Professional Objectives

To enable students to:

• Have begun the development of a professional identity as a school counselor
• Be prepared for becoming a licensed school counselor as defined by the Teacher Standards and Practices Commission (TSPC) of the state of Oregon and a regular member of the American School Counselor's Association

Admission Requirements

Applicants seeking admission to the MA in School Counseling program must hold a bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university, with a minimum GPA of 3.0. In addition, applicants must complete the following to be considered for admission to the program:

• Graduate Department of Counseling application form and application fee
• One official transcript from all colleges or universities attended
• Two references (forms provided in the application materials)

Applicants who do not hold a teaching license or cannot verify two years of full-time or four years of part-time teaching experience will be required to complete an additional 6 hours of coursework (see Track II requirements below).

Transfer Credit

Transfer of up to 19 hours credit is allowed toward the MA in School Counseling program from accredited graduate schools. Students must have earned a grade of B or better for a course to be considered for transfer. In addition, only courses taken elsewhere within 10 years of the date of matriculation to the MA in School Counseling program will be considered for transfer. Transferability of credits earned at this institution and transferred to another is at the discretion of the receiving institution. Consult the registrar's office for information on eligibility of transfer credit.

Residence Requirements

Of the 57 hours required for the MA in School Counseling program (63 for Track II students), a minimum of 38 hours (44 for Track II students) must be taken in resident study at George Fox University. All work leading to the degree must be completed within 7 years from the time of matriculation. Extension of this limit requires approval of the Graduate Department of Counseling (GDC) Faculty. However, only one such extension may be considered due to special circumstances, such as ill health. Reinstatement to the program after withdrawal requires Admissions Committee action and may subject the student to additional requirements for the program.

Course Requirements

The MA in School Counseling program is generally 2-4 years in length with 57 semester hours of course work (63 for Track II students) required as a minimum for graduation. Of those hours, 6 are in spiritual integration coursework, 25 in core counseling courses, 20 in prescribed school counseling core courses (26 for Track II students), and 6 clinical internship credits.

Each student must complete the program requirements based on the following verification of teaching license and prerequisite teaching experience:

• Track I is for those students that hold a teaching license and can verify two years of full-time or four years of part-time teaching experience.
• Track II is for those students that do not hold a teaching license or cannot verify two years of full-time or four years of part-time teaching experience.

Other Degree Requirements

Each student must complete 20 hours of personal counseling/therapy as part of the MA in School Counseling program. Additionally, an ongoing review process serves as a way to assess the student's fit for the program; fit for the profession; emotional, psychological, and intellectual ability; as well as maturity level for functioning safely as a mental health professional. GDC faculty will review students each fall and spring semester. During spring term prior to internship, students must pass a national exam before they can start their internship: the Counselor Preparation Comprehensive Examination (CPCE). Only students who pass the national exam may start their internship after having completed all prerequisites. For more specific information, please refer to the student handbook.

Graduation Requirements

In order to complete the MA in School Counseling program students must:

• Satisfactorily complete a minimum of 57 semester hours (63 for Track II students) with a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or above.
• Achieve no grade lower than a B in all core courses. If a grade of a B- or lower is received in a designated course, that course must be retaken (for more specific information, please refer to the student handbook).
• Complete a minimum of 20 one-hour sessions of personal therapy - individual, couples, and/or group (no more than 10 sessions may be in group therapy) - with a licensed therapist.
• Complete a minimum of 600 supervised hours in practicum setting(s), of which at least 240 hours must be direct client contact hours.
• Successfully complete the graduate clinical project (reading fees are assessed during the final semester of clinical internship), in which the student articulates his/her current understanding of school counseling and applies the same through an analysis of his/her counseling practice, an evaluation of his/her strengths, and a three-year professional development plan.

Curriculum Plan

Notes:

• The internship can be at either of the paired levels: Level 1: Early Childhood and Elementary Counseling, or Level 2: Middle Level and High School. It requires a minimum of 600 clock hours of supervised school counseling experience in a public school per TSPC guidelines, and demonstrating the skills and competencies required for licensure to the university supervisor.
• The teaching practicum for school counseling must be supervised and consist of a minimum of 200 clock hours in a regular classroom in a public school or other approved school per TSPC guidelines. It must include a minimum of 75 clock hours of full responsibility for teaching and classroom management.
• In addition to fulfilling the above course requirements, school counseling students in the master's program who seek the Initial School Counseling License will be asked to submit passing scores on the following assessments:
  
  1. California Basic Educational Skills Test (CBEST) or Praxis I Test
  2. Praxis II Specialty Area Test in School Counseling
  3. Discrimination and the Oregon Educator Test
• George Fox University's Graduate Department of Counseling offers as part of MSCN 505 Ethical and Legal Issues in Education coverage of U.S. and Oregon civil rights laws and requires students to take a comprehensive test that has been approved by the TSPC.

Counseling Course Descriptions