Counseling, School, M.Ed.

School Counseling

Specialization leading to a Education, M.Ed.  degree.

Forty-eight credit hours leading to a degree.

Introduction

The school counseling program is accredited by the Council for the Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP). The program is based on the conceptual framework of the School Counselor as a Facilitator of Human Development and Professional Program Manager. This model envisions the professional school counselor as a program manager who has the skills to assess, develop, improve, manage, and evaluate a counseling program that is comprehensive and based on the development of student competencies. The foci of the comprehensive program are developmental (activities provided for all students to foster their development), preventive (activities centered on the identification of students who are highly at risk of acquiring blocks to their development and removal of those blocks), and remedial (activities to help students who are struggling with problems that are impeding their development). The school counseling program at Cleveland State University is a forty-eight-semester-hour concentration leading to a Master of Education degree. CACREP requires that as of 2023, a total of 60 credit hours must be completed.  Thus, all students admitted as of July 1, 2023 must complete 60 credit hours to earn this M.Ed. in School Counseling.  Students admitted prior to July 1 of 2023 who wish to complete a 60 hour program should consult with their program faculty for advising on how to construct their program of study; the currently published degree requirements reflect a 48 hour M.Ed. degree in School Counseling. There are two paths to licensure as a school counselor in the State of Ohio. One track is for licensed or certified teachers and the other track is for non-teachers.

Clinical and Field-Based Experience

There are two separate clinical, field-based courses. The first is CNS 681 - School Counseling Practicum . This is a one-semester course requiring 100 hours of clinical field experience. School Counseling Practicum is offered in the spring semester. The second clinical, field-based experience is CNS 685 - Internship in School Counseling . This is an intensive, two-consecutive-semester learning experience of supervised counseling in a school setting. Internship is offered as a fall-spring sequence only. Prerequisites for Practicum and Internship are listed under the course descriptions in this Catalog. Prerequisites are strictly enforced by counseling faculty.

Eligibility for School Counseling Practicum (CNS 681 )

Students plan their programs so they can apply for practicum two semesters in advance of the term in which they wish to take it. There is a mandatory practicum-orientation meeting held in the Fall semester. To be eligible to register for practicum, students must have earned a B or better the following courses: CNS 517 , CNS 620 , CNS 622 , CNS 623 , and CNS 578 .

Eligibility for School Counseling Internship (CNS 685 )

Students plan their programs so they can apply for internship two semesters in advance of the term in which they wish to take it. Applications are available in the CASAL Department office, Julka Hall 275. In addition to successful completion of the practicum (CNS 681 ) and all practicum prerequisites, to be eligible for internship students must have passed CNS 504 , CNS 679 , CNS 524  and CNS 706 .