M.Ed. in Community Counseling
Benefits
- Students completing the M.Ed. in Community Counseling are eligible to apply for licensing as a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) in Illinois.
- Graduates are subsequently eligible to apply for licensing as a Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor (LCPC) in Illinois after receiving two years of post-degree supervised experience.
Degree Requirements
Total Hours: 48
Practicum: Required
Comprehensive: 4 hour Proctored Exam
Thesis: None
Length of the Program: Full-time students complete the program in two years, including at least one summer. Part-time study is also available.
Curriculum Plan: Completion of the M.Ed. degree program requires 48 semester hours of graduate study focused in two major areas: (1) counseling core and (2) specialty area. This includes 700 clock hours of practicum and internship experience (taken for six semester hours of credit). Students must also take and pass one four-hour written comprehensive examination during their final semester of study. Students have five years from acceptance to complete the program. (See SOE Policy: Time Limit for Degree Completion)
Technology Expectation
All students are provided Internet access to link electronically to classmates, faculty and student services. In order to use these technological resources, all students must have the computer skills necessary to support academic work (i.e., word processing, PowerPoint) and to access e-mail and the Internet.
Continuous Enrollments
Master's students in Community Counseling are required to maintain the status of continuous enrollment during their program of studies. This means that during each semester of each academic year (excluding Summer Sessions), each student must enroll in at least one course. (See SOE Policy: Academic Standing - Continuous Enrollment)
A formal leave of absence may be granted upon request and the approval of the School of Education's Associate Dean of Student Academic Services.
Undergraduate Prerequisites
Students should present transcript evidence of successful completion ("B" or better) of the course listed below, or its equivalent. Ideally students will have completed this course prior to the start of the program.
- Introductory Statistics course
Counseling Core (27 semester hours)
- CPSY 420 Counseling Skills
- CPSY 421 Professional Issues
- CPSY 423 Theories of Counseling
- CPSY 424 Career Development and Counseling
- CPSY 425 Assessment in Counseling
- CPSY 426 Group Counseling
- CPSY 433 Multicultural Counseling
- CPSY 454 Human Development
- RMTD 400 Research Methods OR
CPSY 450 Research in Counseling
Specialty Area (21 semester hours)
- CPSY 435 Introduction to Community Counseling
- CPSY 437 Substance Abuse Counseling
- CPSY 444 Family Therapy
- CPSY 528 Diagnostic Appraisal and Treatment Planning
In addition, students complete three semester hours of electives and six semester hours of Practicum/Internship (CPSY 440).
Comprehensive
Comprehensive proctored examination is required (four-hour exam).
Comprehensive examination application deadlines:
- Fall Exam - August 1
- Spring Exam - December 1
See School of Education Calendar for comprehensive exam dates
Degree Conferral
While the commencement ceremony is every May, degrees can be conferred May, August, and December. Students must apply for graduation/degree conferral. Students should apply for graduation in the semester they anticipate completing all degree requirements. Failure to meet application deadlines may result in a delay of the conferral of the degree to the following semester. Applications for Degree Conferral are due:
- August 1 for December conferral
- December 1 for May or August conferral
Please note the degree conferral application is valid for only one semester. If the degree is not conferred for the semester requested, a new application and fee are required for a subsequent semester.
