very important and this review will include
both interpersonal skills and academic
progress.
Degree Requirements
Individuals must comply with the degree
requirements for the master's degree described
in this catalogue. The student must also satis-
factorily complete a comprehensive examina-
tion and a non-credit master's project. It will
be the student's responsibility to make
arrangements for the examination.
Student Responsibility
Students who are admitted to one of the M.A.
counseling program areas are expected to
make long-range plans. The student and his or
her advisor will plan a total program, specify-
ing the sequence and semester in which all
courses will be scheduled. Should conditions
warrant deviation from this time commitment,
the student is required to arrange a personal
conference with his or her advisor to modify
the plan of study.
SCHOOL GUIDANCE TRACK
ELEMENTARY OR SECONDARY
SCHOOL COUNSELOR
CERTIFICATION
All students seeking certification as an ele-
mentary school counselor or a secondary
school counselor must complete a program of
studies which has been approved by the coun-
seling faculty. Included in the program of stud-
ies is a 12 semester hour internship at the
appropriate level (K-6 or 7-12).
Student Responsibility
It is the responsibility of individuals complet-
ing requirements for certification in elemen-
tary or secondary school guidance and coun-
seling to submit the form needed to obtain the
certification from the Commonwealth of
Pennsylvania through the dean of education as
soon as the certification requirements have
been completed. It is also the student's respon-
sibility to register for and pass the National
Teacher Exams (Praxis) required by the Com-
monwealth of Pennsylvania.
Student Personnel Services in Higher
Education Track
This program is designed to prepare individu-
als to serve as student personnel workers in
higher education.
The specific objectives of the program are:
1.
to provide students with entry-level coun-
seling skills.
2.
to provide students with an understanding
of the young adult in our society.
3.
to provide students with an understanding
of the social milieu of the individual in
higher education.
4.
to provide students with an understanding
of student personnel services in higher
education.
5.
to provide students with internship expe-
riences in the various aspects of student
personnel work.
Rehabilitation Counseling
Rehabilitation is an interdisciplinary process
and accepts the premise that every person with
a disability has the right to fully develop his or
her personal, social, emotional, economic and
vocational potentials. The purpose of the
Rehabilitation Counseling program is to equip
the counselor with the necessary skills to assist
individuals who have a wide spectrum of
physical, social, emotional and mental disabil-
ities to come to grips with his or her disabili-
ties, reassess his or her situation and to cope
productively with an appropriate career plan.
The philosophy of rehabilitation counselor
education is based upon the following con-
cepts: (1) counseling is generic in nature and
(2) specialized knowledge and skills are
required in order to provide services needed by
persons with disabilities. The generic nature of
counseling presupposes that counselors must
share a common body of knowledge and skill
and exhibit competent behavior with regard to
the dynamics of human behavior, psychologi-
cal appraisal and assessment, group processes,
counseling techniques and vocational develop-
ment. Specialized knowledge, skill and behav-
ior would embody such concepts as the psy-
chological effects of disabilities, medical and
psychiatric aspects of disability, specialized
techniques in counseling persons with disabil-
ities and available community resources.
Additional expertise in counseling can be
gained through the vehicle of integrated,
supervised practice in existing community
facilities.
Community Counseling Track
The Community Counseling Track is designed
to prepare counselors to serve in a variety of
community/human service agencies.
Professional counselors can be licensed in
Pennsylvania under Act 136 of 1998. For the
latest information on licensure of professional
counselors please visit the State Board of
Social Workers, Marriage and Family Thera-
pists and Professional Counselors web site
www.dos.state.pa.us or the web site of the
Pennsylvania Counseling Association
www.pacounseling.org.
**A double asterisk for a graduate course title indi-
cates the course was designed for majors only.
Counseling Courses
COUN700 INTRODUCTION TO THE
HELPING PROFESSIONS
3 sem. hrs.
This introductory class is a core experience for
students enrolled in the MA Counseling pro-
grams. It exposes students to the generic com-
ponents of counseling, across settings, and
enables students to examine in-depth their per-
sonal fitness for pursuing a career as a profes-
sional helper. It also provides a background for
specialized study in each curriculum.
COUN702 INTRODUCTION TO
REHABILITATION
COUNSELING
3 sem. hrs.
This course is designed to introduce students
to the field of rehabilitation with an emphasis
on history, legislation, psychosocial aspects of
disability, and the rehabilitation process.
COUN705 GROUP PROCESSES
3 sem. hrs.
This course teaches students to understand
group processes and their application. Instruc-
tion uses both a didactic approach and a labo-
ratory approach wherein students learn
through observing their own group experience.
COUN710 APPRAISAL TECHNIQUES
IN THE HELPING
PROFESSION
3 sem. hrs.
This course presents an overview of the
assessment of individual differences through
group tests and measurements. It develops
competencies in selecting, administering, and
interpreting group intelligence, aptitude,
achievement, interest and personality instru-
ments. It also examines current research
involving assessment relative to educational,
social, and industrial settings.
COUN715 CAREER DEVELOPMENT
AND LIFE PLANNING
3 sem. hrs.
This course allows graduate counseling stu-
dents to explore, in depth, selected aspects
related to vocational psychology, occupational
sociology, career development, career choices,
career decision making, career counseling and
guidance, and other career-related issues and
behaviors. The course is designed to acquaint
students with the basic theories and constructs
that are essential to the understanding and
implementation of career development
through the life span. Systems of career edu-
cation, occupational information, decision-
making strategies, and life-work planning for
special populations are examined.
COUN720 COUNSELING AND
CONSULTING THEORY
3 sem. hrs.
This course studies selected theories and tech-
Counseling Programs/51