The Ed.M. is granted after successful completion of a special project and 60 points of planned, sequential study beyond the bachelor’s degree, of which at least 48 points must be taken at Teachers College. Approval of transfer credits to the Ed.M. program must be conducted upon admission into the program; transfer credits will not be accepted thereafter. The Ed.M. degree could lead to the doctorate at Teachers College and elsewhere, but usually with some loss of time and credits because of differences in emphases between master’s and doctoral programs. Students who apply to the program during or after taking classes at Teachers College as a non-matriculated student can transfer up to 9 points (with a maximum of 8 points in the major) if accepted as a matriculated degree student. Additional information may be found in the Master’s Student Handbook.

School counseling is one of several areas of specialization within the Ed.M. program in Psychological Counseling (COUS). It is a specialty that allows students to develop appropriate skills to deliver services that are specific to school settings, in addition to learning the essential functions generally found in the counseling profession.

 

A graduate of this specialization is eligible for provisional certification as a School Counselor in New York State after completing the program, including a series of specified courses. Consult the Master’s Student Handbook for more information about the School Counselor Specialization. 

 

For permanent certification, New York State requires two years of employment as a school counselor and 30 additional credits of graduate work. The credits from the Ed.M. beyond the M.A. will be applied toward the 30. Students planning to obtain New York State Certification in School Counseling use the en passant M.A. to apply for provisional certification. Students should complete the application for certification upon graduation from the M.A. program. Similarly, students can become certified as Rehabilitation Counselors by completing a series of specified courses, three to four years of post-master’s work experience in an appropriate setting, and successful performance on an examination sponsored by the Commission on Rehabilitation Counselor Certification (CRCC). Consult the Master’s Student Handbook for more information about Rehabilitation counseling specialization.         

 

In 2005, Teachers College received approval from New York State to offer a License-Qualifying Mental Health Counseling Program (COUM). Along with completion of required coursework, students can become eligible for licensure when they complete 3000 hours of post-master’s supervised experience in the practice of mental health counseling and pass a national examination. For information regarding licensure, please contact the Office of the Professions, New York State Education Department (http://www.op.nysed.gov/mhp.ht).

A dual specialization in Mental Health Counseling and School Counselor also is available (COUD).

 

All students in the Psychological Counseling Ed.M. program (COUM, COUS, COUD, and COUP) must take specific required courses in the following content areas:

 

• Human growth and development: HUDK  4022, Developmental psychology: Childhood  (3); HUDK 4023, Developmental psychology: Adolescence (3); HUDK 4024, Developmental psychology: Adulthood and the lifespan (3); or HUDK 5029, Personality development and socialization across the lifespan (3)

 

• Social cultural foundations of counseling: CCPJ 4873, The winter roundtable on cultural psychology and education (1) and two of the following: CCPJ 5165, Racialcultural counseling laboratory (4); CCPJ 5020, Racism and racial identity in psychology and education (3) or CCPJ 5164, Multicultural counseling and psychology (3)

 

• Counseling theory and practice: CCPJ 4064, Theories of counseling (3), and CCPJ 5371, Foundations of counseling (3)

 

• Psychopathology: CCPJ 5563, Special topics and issues in counseling psychology (3); CCPX 5032, Adult psychopathology (3); or CCPX 5034, Child psychopathology (3)

 

• Group counseling: CCPJ 5025, Group counseling (3)

 

• Lifestyle and career development: CCPJ 5062, Career counseling and development (3)

 

• Assessment and appraisal: CCPJ 5060, Assessment in counseling psychology (3),and one of the following: HUDM 5059, Psychological measurement (3); HUDM 4050, Introduction to measurement (3); or CCPJ 4066, Foundations of testing and accountability (3)

 

• Research and program evaluation: ORLJ  4009, Understanding behavioral research (3), and ORL 5522, Evaluation methods I (3)

 

• Professional orientation and ethics: CCPJ 4560, Professional and ethical issues in psychological counseling (3)

 

• Foundations of mental health counseling and consultation: CCPJ 5371, Foundations of counseling (3) (also listed under Counseling Theory and Practice), and CCPJ 4165, Consultation in community agencies             and resources (3)

 

• Clinical instruction: CCPJ 5360, Practicum in career and personal counseling (4), and CCPX 5630, Case conference (0)

 

• Recognition and reporting of child abuse and maltreatment.

 

• One year of supervised fieldwork: CCPJ 5260, Fieldwork in psychological counseling and rehabilitation (6 points total spread over two or three semesters); CCPJ 5263, Supervised fieldwork in elementary school counseling (6 points total spread over two or three semesters); or CCPJ 5265, Supervised fieldwork in secondary school counseling (6 points total spread over two or three semesters).

 

School counselors (COUS and COUD) also are required to take the following:

 

Elementary

 

• HUDK 4022, Developmental psychology: Childhood

 

• CCPJ 5263, Supervised fieldwork in elementary school counseling

 

• CCPJ 4160, School counseling for children or adolescents, or

 

• ITSF 5123, School counseling of bilingual/bicultural children, adolescents, and their families

 

• Child abuse and maltreatment identification, reporting and intervention

• Violence prevention and intervention**

 

High School

 

• HUDK 4023, Developmental psychology: Adolescence

 

• CCPJ 5265, Supervised fieldwork in secondary school counseling

 

• CCPJ 4160, School counseling for children and adolescents, or

 

• ITSF 5123, School counseling of bilingual/bicultural children, adolescents, and their families

• Child abuse and maltreatment identification, reporting and intervention

• Violence prevention and intervention** (Course HBSS 4123 for 3 credits).

 

For course information, contact the department (ext. 3964) for specific dates and times.

 

Required courses often are scheduled in the afternoon and evening, so it is possible for students with flexible schedules to attend on a part-time basis and complete the program; however, it should be noted that at times, required courses may be offered during the day and students must be prepared to make needed accommodations. Full-time students generally complete the program in about two years. The length of program completion for part-time students varies with the number of points in which they enroll each semester.

 

In addition to required core courses, students will be expected to select electives from the various areas of psychology and other appropriate disciplines that will provide breadth and depth to their preparation as counselors. Consult the Master’s Student Handbook for further information about Ed.M. program requirements.

 

A special project is required in addition to the 60 points of coursework. Students should plan to complete their project in the same semester that they apply for the Ed.M. degree.

 

The Comprehensive Exam, which is a mandatory requirement for obtaining the en passant M.A., is generally taken in the semester in which 45 credits are completed.