The CACREP Accredited School Counseling track in the Counselor Education Master’s of Arts program is designed for the student planning to seek certification as a professional school counselor in pre-K through postsecondary school settings. This track (as opposed to the Counselor Education Master’s of Education School Counseling track) is designed for students who have a bachelor's degree in a discipline other than education.
As part of the program's pragmatic approach to preparing professional counselors, in addition to classroom studies, students in the School Counseling MA track complete their first clinical experience (practicum) in either a public school or in the UCF Community Counseling and Research Center. School Counseling track students then complete their internship/clinical experiences in a K-12 school setting, earning 600 total hours, 240 of which must be direct service hours. The UCF Community Counseling and Research Center serves as a hub for training and research in the Counselor Education program, with graduate students providing counseling services to children, adolescents, and adults through the provision of individual, couples, and family therapy.
The Master’s of Arts in Counselor Education-School Counseling track is a state-approved initial teacher/educator preparation program that is subject to any change in the Florida Administrative Code (State Board of Education Rule 6A-5.066). Students enrolled in the Counselor Education-School Counseling track should remain in close contact with their assigned faculty advisor to keep informed of any programmatic changes implemented to comply with new state requirements.
The CACREP Accredited School Counseling track in the Counselor Education Master’s of Arts (MA) program prepares students for certification as a professional school counselor. As such, students must be formally admitted to the program to take any program area courses. The program requires a minimum of 60 credit hours beyond the bachelor's degree, including 6 credit hours of core courses, 30 credit hours of specialization, 9 credit hours of DOE required certification courses, 9 credit hours of professional clinical experiences, and 6 credit hours of electives.
Total Credit Hours Required: 60 Credit Hours Minimum beyond the Bachelor's Degree
Degree Requirements
Required Courses
48 Total Credits
- Core, Specialization, and DOE Certification.
Core
6 Total Credits
- Complete the following:
- EDF6155 - Lifespan Human Development and Learning (3)
- EDF6481 - Fundamentals of Graduate Research in Education (3)
Specialization
33 Total Credits
- Complete the following:
- MHS5005 - Introduction to the Counseling Profession (3)
- MHS6220 - Individual Psychoeducational Testing I (3)
- MHS6400 - Theories of Counseling and Personality (3)
- MHS6401 - Techniques of Counseling (3)
- MHS6420 - Foundations of Multicultural Counseling (3)
- MHS6500 - Group Procedures and Theories in Counseling (3)
- SDS6347 - Career Development (3)
- SDS6411 - Counseling with Children and Adolescents (3)
- SDS6620 - Coordination of Comprehensive Professional School Counseling Programs (3)
- SPS6815 - Legal and Ethical Issues in Professional School Counseling (3)
- SDS6622 - Career and College Readiness in Schools PK-12 (3)
DOE Certification
9 Total Credits
- Complete the following:
- EDG6415 - Principles of Instruction and Classroom Management (3)
- RED5147 - Developmental Reading (3)
- TSL5085 - Teaching Language Minority Students in K-12 Classrooms (3)
Elective Course
3 Total Credits
- Earn at least 3 credits from the following types of courses: One approved elective course.
Professional Clinical Experience
9 Total Credits
- Complete all of the following
- The clinical experiences are comprised of two sections, Practicum and Internship. Both are experiential in nature and are independent learning activities that take place in authentic settings in which students must apply, reflect on, and refine knowledge and skills acquired in the program to their work with actual clients and students. The practicum is conducted either on campus in the UCF Community Counseling and Research Center or at one of the CCRC's partner schools in the community. Internship, which is usually completed in one semester (for 6-credit hours) is conducted at various schools around central Florida. The Internship can be divided into two semesters.
- Complete the following:
- MHS6803 - Practicum in Counselor Education (3)
- Prerequisites for MHS 6803 - Practicum in Counselor Education are the following: MHS 5005, MHS 6400, MHS 6401, MHS 6500, and SPS 6815. MHS 6420 and SDS 6411 are also pre or co-requisites for MHS 6803. A minimum of 27 credit hours are required prior to beginning the practicum.
- Earn at least 6 credits from the following:
- SDS6947 - Internship in Professional School Counseling (1 - 6)
- The prerequisites for SDS 6947 - Internship in Professional School Counseling include SDS 6620 and earning a "B" or better in MHS 6803.
Grand Total Credits: 60
Application Requirements
Financial Information
Graduate students may receive financial assistance through fellowships, assistantships, tuition support, or loans. For more information, see the College of Graduate Studies Funding website, which describes the types of financial assistance available at UCF and provides general guidance in planning your graduate finances. The Financial Information section of the Graduate Catalog is another key resource.
Fellowship Information
Fellowships are awarded based on academic merit to highly qualified students. They are paid to students through the Office of Student Financial Assistance, based on instructions provided by the College of Graduate Studies. Fellowships are given to support a student's graduate study and do not have a work obligation. For more information, see UCF Graduate Fellowships, which includes descriptions of university fellowships and what you should do to be considered for a fellowship.
Additional Program Requirements
- Achieve at least a GPA of 3.0 throughout the degree program.
- Achieve a "B" or better in MHS 5005, MHS 6401, MHS 6803 and “Satisfactory” in SDS 6947.
- Complete a total of 700 hours of clinical experiences, 100 of which will be in the UCF Community Counseling and Research Center (or an area school) and 600 of which are field-based experiences to take place in a K-12 school in Central Florida.
- Submit all required documented evidence in a Canvas Graduation Portfolio and be approved by the assigned faculty advisor or Counselor Education faculty.
- Pass both the Professional and Subject Area Exams for the Florida Teacher Certification Exam (FTCE).
- Given the experiential, competency, and performance-based nature of the courses taken by Counselor Education students, students are typically limited to taking a maximum of three (3) courses per semester (with 2 semesters in the School Counseling Track that do include 4 courses). However, if students believe that they can verify a need to take more than three courses, they should consult with their advisor for additional guidance. Students who have no received prior approval and who register for more than three courses per semester will be administratively dropped from any courses over the maximum allowed.
Independent Learning
Practica and internships are independent learning activities that take place in authentic settings in which students must apply, reflect on, and refine knowledge and skills acquired in the program. The internship experience provides students with the practical experience of facilitating a comprehensive, professional school counseling program in a school setting (e.g., leading classroom guidance lessons, facilitating group counseling, providing individual counseling services). All clinical experiences are performed under the direct supervision of a licensed/certified professional counselor and include both individual and group supervision on a weekly basis.
