Program Requirements
The Counselor Education program prepares students in one of the following specialty areas: clinical mental health counseling (CACREP- accredited), school counseling (CACREP- accredited), or student affairs. Graduate education in the Counselor Education program helps students realize their potential as practicing counselors and/or administrators; engage in professional relationships; and develop a set of meaningful professional values. To this end, the program reflects current knowledge from lay and professional groups concerning current and projected counseling and human development needs of a pluralistic society. Cultural considerations are emphasized so the experiences provided will be rewarding and useful in today’s ever-changing society.
Clemson University recognizes laboratory settings and field-based experiences as providing the student with a realistic perspective on the field; an integrating experience for knowledge and skills acquired in the classroom; a situation that maximizes self-awareness, self-direction and self-evaluation; and feedback on his/her progress and development.
Clemson University acknowledges the importance of close supervision in practica or internship placements as a means of maximizing student training and preventing inadvertent harm to clients. Practica and internships are designed so the focus and intensity of supervision will change as students acquire competent beginning, intermediate and advanced skills. The University and site supervisors provide each supervisee with periodic performance and evaluation feedback throughout the supervised experience. At no point is any student to engage in any field-based practicum experience without the permission of the major advisor.
Practica for the clinical mental health and school counseling emphases require 100 hours, and internships require 600 hours of on-site counseling activities and 2.5 hours per week of supervision. The Student Affairs emphasis requires one practicum of 100 hours and two internships of 150 hours each.
Each student is assigned a major advisor chosen from the Counselor Education faculty. Students are required to meet with their advisor at least once a semester to ensure appropriate course sequencing.
Students in the clinical mental health counseling and school counseling programs should plan to take the written final examination during their final semester in the program, with approval from their advisor.
Admission Requirements
Applicants must have an undergraduate gradepoint average of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale (last 60 hours of undergraduate coursework). A complete application package should include an online application, competitive GRE scores, personal statement, (responses to five program specific questions), and two letters of recommendation. Applications to the Clinical Mental Health Counseling Emphasis Area are due by January 15 for fall admission. The Clinical Mental Health Counseling Emphasis Area does not admit students for spring. Applications for the School Counseling Emphasis Area are due January 15 for summer admission. School Counseling does not admit students for fall or spring. Applications for admission to the Student Affairs Emphasis Area are due by February 1 for fall admission; and by October 1 for spring admission. Spring admission for Student Affairs is for part-time enrollment only.
The Student Affairs graduate program is designed for students who obtain a graduate assistantship in a student affairs or student services functional unit; these assistantships are competitive and are typically obtained through the Clemson University Graduate Assistant Recruitment Selection (CUGARS) process. This process is coordinated by the Division of Student Affairs and is only open to students enrolled in the Student Affairs program. The program is also designed for professionals already working in higher education settings who intend to maintain their fulltime student affairs/student services employment while they complete their coursework. Because the size of each cohort is determined by (a) available assistantships and (b) faculty capacity, applicants who do not receive an assistantship with Clemson University or who are not full-time employees in higher education settings should NOT expect to have a space in the cohort. The program faculty feel strongly that students’ academic coursework should be accompanied by hands-on, concurrent work experience, as students’ practitioner experience is constantly referenced through the program curriculum. Additional information is available at http://www.clemson.edu/education/academics/masters-specialist-programs/masters-education-specialist-clinical-mental-health-counseling/index.html.
Testing Requirements
Students in all Counselor Education programs take written final examinations, which are graded on a pass/fail basis. Passing this examination is required for the degree. With the advisor’s permission, students are eligible to take the final examination. At least two committee members must pass the student. If a student does not pass the written final examination, the major advisor may recommend a second written or oral examination. This recommendation may be during the same semester or in the following one. If the student fails the written examination twice, he/she will be removed from the program.
